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A Little Father-Son Time at the Rafter Six Ranch Resort

“Being rich is having money; being wealthy is having time.”

-Stephen Said-

I really don’t know who Stephen Said is (or was) but he definitely is headed in the right direction. If time is currency, we’d better all spend it wisely. It used to be, fathers and sons spent hours together working with their horses and doing work with their horses. Times are changing. All this in mind, I load up my two boys, Jonah (12) and Graham (9) and head out for a riding adventure second to none at the Rafter Six Ranch Resort West of Calgary. Growing up around a training operation, my boys have seen their dad piled a few times and, as a result, they are somewhat reluctant riders. Rafter Six Ranch’s trail horses quickly put my boy’s minds at ease as we stand in the horse pen and the saddled horses nuzzle them quietly. Our guide for the ride is Kateri Cowley. Kateri explains a few of the details of our ride and off we go. The pace is relaxed as we settle in on our mounts. Kateri is riding her favourite horse Kokanee, I’ve got Cruise... Kokanee’s brother. Years on the trail have made these mounts strong and quiet. Fantastic horses for my boys to gain confidence on. Kateri explains creek crossing to them as we approach the fast flowing Kananaskis River. “Don’t look down and try to ride around the boulders.”

The Cowley’s ranch has been a long time in developing. The time has paid off. It’s a fantastic facility offering packages for weddings, corporate events, tour groups, family get togethers, overnight stays and more. Overall, the entire ranch facility can accommodate about 200 people. Numerous activities are available including swimming, white water rafting and of course... riding. The dining room, lounge, gift shop and game room are located in a completely refinished original trading post building. An awesome log and stone structure of a church has been built on the ranch site as well. One single man placed the stone, another man the logs. Truly a beautiful place of worship and meditation.

We cross the river. The boy’s uneasy expressions at the beginning of the crossing have turned into wide grins as we splash out on the other side. Then we start up the hill overlooking the ranch. Apprehension bordering on fear glazes over their faces. “Trust your horses... trust your horses.” I reassure them. We climb the steep terrain and the smiles return as we reach the top and look down on the ranch.

The downhill ride is peaceful. Summer flowers boldly shine their vibrant colours up at us in spite of the overcast sky. Massive tangled remnants of evergreens stand defiantly against the elements while lush green new growth surround them. It’s quiet here. The buzz of traffic from the drive up is long gone as we ride without talking. We approach the river for our return crossing. This time, the boys are eager with much less apprehension. Their confidence has grown as a bonus they are already talking about riding more at home. The aqua blue-green mountain water is deep and it splashes cold on our legs. Smiles. Our horses step up solidly on the dryer ground. The rushing water behind us. We carry on through the trees, through quiet openings and down worn trails. Kateri and I discuss horse prices, training philosophies, future plans and ranch history while the boys watch for squirrels and enjoy an occasional bumpy trot on their horses. Riding back toward the main ranch it’s good to think that Jonah and Graham will look back on our ride, as I will, and recall the time well spent at the Rafter Six Ranch Resort.

For information on rates and riding opportunities visit www.raftersix.com or call 1.888.26.RANCH

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