Does it even exist? If one were to move there, would they pretty much need to secure their own horse friendly property, or are there any boarding facilities? My Google search has had pretty dismal results.
I’ve never actually heard of any barns from the Fort Mac area at shows down in Calgary. I’m at a show this weekend, so can probably ask trainers if they know of anywhere. I have a feeling though, that it will yield not much. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that they will be some kind of boarding but it will more pointed toward the western disciplines!
Also, keep in mind, that most of the ground is covered in muskeg so if you do find property it may not be suitable for keeping horses, plus a lot of it is crown owned/leased and native reserve. House prices are also one of the highest in Canada due to the oil patch.
Now I don’t live in Fort Mac, but both hubby and I were about an hour away from packing, when he got a very very retireable juicy offer.
But first the deal was I had to be able to ride, so I did the same search as you and got the same dismal results so I got a hold of the only riding club up there.
This is what I found out, they have the only indoor, which is very very small. There is currently a year to two wait list to get in, thats if you have one horse. If you have two… well you can imagine.
Lots of trails but little to no shows in Fort Mac, but people do travel to Edmonton. Any other boarding is outdoors paddock/field board - and again they are difficult to find.
So instantly I thought - cha-ching… with this offer, we could buy and build an indoor up there and my new job could be running our barn and indoor (of which I do have plenty of experience)… but then we were told the city is not permitting anymore development for agriculture, the land is too pricey so they want to only hold onto it for industrial.
So bye bye offer… I don’t go anywhere I can only ride 4 months out of the year.
Now if you are able to find more options please let me know.
Also a lot of camps and such are okay and have direct weekly flights from Fort Mac into Edmonton or Calgary so you could go there and then just fly home within an hour.
Good luck… I’ve heard Sask is also booming and a better normal living options.
http://www.fortmcmurrayrealestate.com/
That link will give you a good idea of real estate and prices, very very expensive! As stated above, if you’re looking at working at one the sites there are some very good camps and company’s, although most do a 10-16 day rotation and will fly you in and out as part of this. I work on the procurement side of things, but in Calgary (lots and lots of horsey places :D) so if you can swing it get a job in Calgary and then if you want they will rotate you in and out of camp (not for me, but for people that want to make mucho $$$$$$$ it’s the way to go).
Calgary is doing extremely well economically, more and more jobs are popping up all the time and we are again having a hard time finding people to fill openings. Real estate still not cheap, but it’s better than Fort Mac.
I had a friend just move back from Ft Mac…
She leased a horse at the riding club, she mentioned the wait list to get in is 2 years and that there is nothing else in the area…
I thought the same thing… cha-ching! build a facility! but as mentioned above, you simply CAN’T.
Not a place I’d consider too heavily as a horse person!
You guys are confirming my fears.
Unfortunately with the situation at hand, if we end up moving I likely won’t have a whole lot of control over where we go. SO wants to pursue a career firefighting, and it is not an easy feat to get recruited in our province. The goal would be to move away for a few years to save up and get some experience, likely in the private sector, so he’ll be easier able to get hired on back home.
We’ve looked online a bit and most of the jobs seem to be in the Fort Mac area. I said I would happily move for a few years, but my non-negotiable is that my horse come with me.
I guess at this point I better cross my fingers that we find more job options outside of Fort Mac…
Don’t despair! I moved out here into an even more remote place (google Fort Vermilion Alberta… it’s even more northern than Fort Mac) and you can still ride. If you love it enough, it’ll happen
PM rugbygirl, she may be able to give you some pointers.
Plus, here’s a group you may want to email:
http://www.clearwaterhorseclub.com/
A lot of stuff up here isn’t on the web, so the best thing to do I found was to email and call people up there and hear what they say and what’s going on. I’ve heard that there are boarding places up there, the guy I just bought actually came from Fort Mac.
Hope this helps!
I lived there with horses for the past five years, we are trying to sell the 3 acre place that was the closest thing to “horse friendly” there is. It is extremely swampy, and it takes a lot of work to keep the paddocks in decent shape during the summer (there are about 3-5 weeks a year that I either board the horses in Edmonton or just accept that they can go in their run-in to get away from mud.)
I’ve hauled 5 hours each way about twice a month for the past 3 years and had horses boarded from time to time in Edmonton for training. There is no Farrier, so I took a trimming course before I moved. There is no equine vet, though one older former cow vet helped me out with a necropsy on the horse who died of anaphylaxis while I desperately tried to convince the only “on call” small animal vet to pleeeeeeease come help. Honest to god, I called the “animal emergency” number in the phone book and pleaded with the on-call vet to drive 15 minutes to see my horse who was in serious distress…and they refused because they are small-animal only. After the necropsy, the only way I could dispose of the carcass was the extremely above-and-beyond help of the highway clean up contractor. In all other veterinary situations over the past three years, horse gets loaded and hauled five hours. Thank God my horses are a fairly tough bunch and not prone to injury.
We buy and haul our own hay (close by this year, 3 hours one way!!!), and I ride by myself with a GPS. Trails are the best thing about Fort Mac and our acreage had instant access to hundreds of miles of ATV trails, cut lines, logging roads…perfect for endurance training.
The Clearwater horse club is sketchy, and under no circumstances would I EVER want to be identified by the parents of the teenage girls who ride there as an experienced jumper rider…because they might leave you with the jumper kids. Scary doesn’t TOUCH what goes on in that arena or on the X-C course. Not that I’m experienced as a Jumper rider, but you know, if I were.
You can not have a worse hobby in Fort McMurray. I am not kidding. I’ve been back in Edmonton for three weeks and I am in HEAVEN with lessons three times a week and you know, a feed store.
Thanks for chiming in. It looks like I will be telling the SO that he better steer clear of jobs in Fort Mac. I don’t think I would mind the seclusion as long as I had a place to keep her, but besides the fact that there’s a two year wait @ Clearwater (is it sketchy apart from the people?), I don’t want to live somewhere where there are no farriers or equine vets.
I’m sorry you had to deal with that with your horse, rugbygirl. That would make me pack up and move.
^ It was a big decision to move up there. I researched the horse situation, but it turns out that I got a lot of BS from people, when push came to shove, there was really nowhere to keep horses without making friends and deals and all kinds of silly nonsense. I’m sort of a cards-on-the-table, don’t BS me, I pay you money, my horse gets a stall and a contracted level of care sort of a person. Some people tolerate the social games and drama a lot better than I do.
It was also a big decision to move back, we tried really hard to make a go of things…the anaphylaxis was truly a freak thing, the horse was young and most likely had a pre-existing issue (or two) and did show the good, helpful side of Fort McMurray. The road contractor guys were almost as upset about the horse as I was, and really did go above and beyond. Same as the vet. If HE’D been on call that morning, he probably would have come out.
But yeah, if you’re not into solo trail adventuring as a discipline…holding out for a job somewhere else is probably worth it.
Now, Grande Prairie, while also being North and appearing remote, Grande Prairie is a horse mecca compared to Fort Mac. They actually have farms up there. And TWO TACK STORES. AND A UFA. :eek: Even going up to Peace River, you’re much closer to a horse scene.
If the job offer is a really good one, you could consider having him commute. My SO did that commute for a few years. By plane at first, then driving. I wasn’t so keen on him driving, but he seemed ok with it as he really liked the pay. two of my boarders have dads that do the commute as well.
^ good point.
It’s really difficult to find a family doctor up there (a good one) and the real estate market is truly bizarre…moving up to Fort Mac doesn’t make sense for a lot of people, but the work can be a really good career move or financial incentive.
A lot of people have families that live elsewhere…I’m not sure what the firefighter rotation is like, but it might be all right for a commute arrangement. Besides the big Oil Companies, most employers are getting pretty creative with shift schedules to accommodate alternatives.
CHT, we actually discussed that last night. Not an ideal situation, but the money is so good that it might be worth it for a year or two. Where do your SO commute from? I was thinking maybe Edmonton? Of course this depends, as mentioned, on the scheduling. The job specifies 70 hours a week but I don’t know if that’s every week, or two weeks on, one week off, etc.
I appreciate all the feedback so far. I’m glad to be considering options being fully aware, and not someone idealizing it (sorry rugbygirl - that sucks!).
Oh, and thanks for the info on other places, rugbygirl. I don’t mind being in the middle of nowhere as long as I can get a decent barn with an indoor, a good farrier, and a good equine vet. I’d love to have a good jumper coach nearish too, but given that we’ll likely be in a remote area, I can work around that.
You should definitely consider other remote places in the province. Pretty much everywhere else would afford you better access to a ‘horsey’ scene. Even if you were in Grand Prairie there are indoors up there and a few coaches. You could drive to Edmonton for clinics as there are a lot of very good trainers there.
Other places to consider are: Drayton Valley, Rocky Mountain House, Sundre, Peace River. Also, Ft St John BC is very busy and has some horsey people.
If the money is that good, I would seriously consider you living in Edmonton and him commuting. There are a lot of nice barns and good coaches in Edmonton.
Fort Mac
Hi,
I live here in Mac. I’ve been here for the past 5 years, living and working on my own, with my 5 horses and my Newfie dog. My advice is not let any negative warnings stop you from seizing opportunities. I agree with the post saying ‘if u want it, you will find a way’. I did. We fly up an equine vet team from Edmonton for vaccinations, teeth floating, x-rays and any other proceedure our horses may routinely require. We have a vet, Dr. Gilbert, who lives here, and runs the Fort McMurray Animal Hospital on Centennial St. He IS a small animal vet who also comes out when called for my horses. He successfully saw my gelding through respiratory challenges last year due to the smoke from the fires we experienced here last spring/early summer. He also has successfully and professionally treated my mare for colic, AND he was my vet for my mare’s pregnancy, foaling, and vaccinating. So please don’t be scared off of Mac because of challenges. We also have a farrier who comes up every 6 weeks for trims/shoes. There is a FB page called Fort McMurray Horse Owners is you would like to meet more of us. There are 2 main areas to keep horses: Clearwater Horse Club, and Tower Road. They r indeed crown land, controlled by forestry and designated ‘Equestrian’. It is a mere $500/YEAR that I pay for my barn @ Clearwater. I was on the waiting list for less than a year. It is the cheapest place I have EVER kept horses in Canada. In my first year I kept my horses at 2 other private places. There is also land available in Anzac, just south and east of Fort Mac 15-20 min drive. We order our hay together (if u want to be included) and we get it from Westlock. Last fall’s hay was $6/square and $80/round delivered.
I am an Equine Canada certified English and Western Coach, and CanTRA certified as well. I teach a summer program here for autistic kids, using our horses and we all volunteer. We have clinics here as well. I just rode in one with a hunter/jumper coach from BC. I am also certified level 2 Parelli. So if you were to think we were an isolates and uneducated group you would be mistaken. Leslie is also EC certified coach and has her hunter judge status. We have people who rein, and many pleasure riders. The indoor arena is just a bit bigger than the standard 20m x 40m and the outdoor sand ring is twice that size. We have mud in the spring yes. Just like we had mud everywhere else in Canada. Last year it was dry…no mud…hence the increase in fires. You can go on-line at get on the waiting list right now on the web site for Clearwater Horse Club. Lots of us haul the 5 hours to Edmonton to compete as we do not host any horse shows here. The folks up on Tower Road, some of which are my good friends, have approx 6 acres each averaging $20-45,000 per lot. You are buying the rights to the lease, not the land itself, and each lot has it’s own features, pro’s and cons… There IS muskeg and there ARE great trails. If ur new town anybody with a quad is happy to show you all the trails they know, and which are safe for horses…not to mention the other horse owners.
Like any horse community anywhere, there are people of all kinds.
We are a hard working town, and we make $$… And I love it here!
Thanks for your input; it’s nice to hear some good points as well.
Before I started this thread here, I sent an email out to the contact provided on the Clearwater site for more information. I haven’t heard back yet but I hope to soon as I would like to be as informed as possible going into this.
I won’t know for a few more months where we will end up, which could be anywhere from Fort Mac to Grand Prairie to Red Deer. It does seem like there is the most money to be made in Fort Mac, and since our move would only be for a few years to save up and get the SO some experience in his field, that would be the ideal situation.
I’ll look up the FB group… and if you don’t mind, I may PM you with a non-horsey question.
You mentioned a town outside of Fort Mac called Anzac - is that land more horsey friendly, or is it typical of the crown land being mentioned here?
Cari Ann’s post is a great example of what I mean. She was on a waiting list for less than a year, but during that same time period, myself and three other people were on the supposed same “list” for 2, 3, 4 years. Great for some people, not so much for others. There’s always a great story behind the reasons for the dissimilar treatment though. :rolleyes:
I found the whole thing quite distasteful. By the time I was interviewed for acceptance, I didn’t have a while lot of patience for the ladies running the club, and had no real interest in having to convince them that I would be a valuable addition.
Anzac is about a half hour away, and no more horse friendly. There are acreage properties there too, but mostly you’d be starting from scratch, the way I did with my acreage.
If you get if on the right foot with the Clearwater people, it might work out…but if you don’t…there aren’t any other places to go.
That’s disappointing. I would hope for fair treatment for all but can definitely see how, in a situation like that, there might be some preferential treatment.
Unfortunately, my horse is a nearly 4 WB whom I’ve had since she was a yearling, and also happens to be my first horse… sooo I’ve pretty much been waiting [for what seems like] forrrever to get her under saddle. As such, I really don’t want to keep her anywhere where I can’t ride her year round, which means an indoor is really high on my list.
Who knows, I might not even be able to get a non-oil job in the area, so maybe that’ll be another factor in commuting.
[QUOTE=over the moon;6280131]
CHT, we actually discussed that last night. Not an ideal situation, but the money is so good that it might be worth it for a year or two. Where do your SO commute from? I was thinking maybe Edmonton? Of course this depends, as mentioned, on the scheduling. The job specifies 70 hours a week but I don’t know if that’s every week, or two weeks on, one week off, etc.
I appreciate all the feedback so far. I’m glad to be considering options being fully aware, and not someone idealizing it (sorry rugbygirl - that sucks!).[/QUOTE]
We live a few minutes east of Edmonton. Flying was great when he could fly out of the municipal airport, but then it closed, so now they have to fly out of the International which takes much longer (longer drive and security).
When he drove, he tried to work out a schedule so he didn’t have to drive on the busy days. It is not a safe highway. I vastly preferred when he flew.
He would still go back if my health was better though…and he would whine the entire time about the fatty food, lack of dog, and nothing to do. The money is just too addictive.
One thing I haven’t read mentionned though is the flying insects. I have heard that the black flies, mosquitos and horseflies are horrendous. The things of nightmares.