Our New Quarter Horse Filly at Dreamscape Ranch

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Our long awaited new filly was born here at Dreamscape Ranch on July 9th at 4:40 in the afternoon.

It was a good delivery - Cookie's water broke at 4:15 and the foal was born at 4:40 and drinking milk about 1 hour later. While this isn't Cookie's first foal, it is her first 'bay' coloured foal.

Like her dad ("Smart Lil Freckle") she is a mahogany bay she has great markings and could be the best looking of all of Cookie's 7 foals and... probably... her last.

Cookie is only 11 years old but because of a bad leg injury she is getting a bit arthritic, so we might not breed her again. Also this year she has had a late foal so we will give her the year off for sure and re look at it next year.

What with the arrival of "Chance" earlier this year, we've got our hands full with these young-uns!  :)

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Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.
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Wedding Bells at Dreamscape Ranch

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Wedding bells were ringing at Dreamscape Ranch recently! We were very honored to host Justin and Stacey's wedding here on the 17th of July.

The weather was great and everyone had a really nice time. With the capable assistance of our International Students I did everything for the wedding right here at the ranch.

Appies were served to get everyone's taste-buds racing, and then a buffet dinner of Tuscan chicken, pork tenderloin, corn, potatoe salad, caesar salad, pasta salad, roast potatoes and... of course... wedding cake for dessert!

Art Pruce sang the song for the bride to walk down the isle and Lewis McIvor from Country 103 radio was the DJ for the evening. Everyone had a great time and they danced the night away.
 
The next morning the guests that were staying here at the Ranch (including the bride and groom) were served a buffet breakfast and then the wedding presents were opened.
 
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Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.
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Making Improvements

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So far the Spring weather has been more mild than we are used to, but that hasn't stopped us getting at more improvements and maintenance.

After the new hay shed was finished we cleared some room beside and in back of the shed for a trailer parking area.

As you can see from the photo it has all been fenced in and the ground has been flattened and prepared to make it suitable for use as a roadway.

In addition, there's a fair bit of new fencing that has been put up along the property line as well as to create new paddocks.
 

Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.
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Very Special People That Deserve Thanks

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It is quickly coming up to four weeks since we adopted Chance - a very special little colt that we brought to Dreamscape Ranch when he was but one day old.

Getting Chance through his first week of life was an crucially important milestone and now the 'one month' mark is the next.

Hand-rearing a foal is very taxing work with hourly feedings throughout the day and night, and constantly being vigilant about its health. This is especially true with Chance due to the fact he never nursed from his mother so he wasn't able to develop his immune system from the colostrum his mother would have produced.

There is absolutely no way I would have been able to take Chance on without the help of some very very special people. The first to be mentioned are Stephanie, Sonja, Melanie, Claudia and Julie who all gave of themselves to assist me and to provide care for Chance. The thoughtfulness, caring, energy and responsibility shown by these young ladies goes beyond what words can describe.

Out for dinner and ice-cream with the girls to thank them for all their dedication and hard work with Chance and helping me.
Left to right: Claudia, Sonja, Julie, Stephanie, Melanie.

While the story of Chance starts out as a sad one we're doing everything we can to transform it into a happy one. We feel that his story... his journey... is worth sharing. The recent global economic difficulties have not spared Canada, and have certainly not spared the equine community. There are so many sad stories of people being forced to downsize or even give up their horses all-together that we thought some happier news would be welcomed.

There has been a wonderful rally of support from people who want to help give Chance his 'second chance'. I would like to express my heart-felt thanks and appreciation to those people who, through their very thoughtful donations, have helped us provide Foalac and other essentials.

As of the time of writing this (June 5th) those kind people are:

• Kamloops Large Animal Veterinary Clinic
• Jen Wind
• Douglas Lake Ranch
• Nina
• Meghan
• Andrew Thomas
• Wendy and George Roberts
• Donna Kerby and David Callaghan
• Geri Helmer
• Rob Bennett
• Sara Dixon
• Deborah Beasley
• Greenhawk - Kamloops
• Terry Tobey

Again, thank you so much to everyone - we could not have done this without your thoughtfulness, generosity and support. We will continue to update Chance's progress on his webpage and hope that you'll follow along!  :)

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Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.

Additionally, as a Horse Ranch, Dreamscape also provides full Horse Boarding, Bed and Bale, and Horse Rehabilitation services.
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Dreamscape Ranch - Remember The Hay Shed?

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An update! Remember back in October we were working on our new hay-shed?

Well, it was completed very successfully and just in time to shelter the round-bales from the winter rain and snow. That was certainly a big project and an invaluable one!

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Dreamscape Ranch offers our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime Guest Ranch experience. We're also a Horse Ranch that provides full horse boarding, bed and bale accommodation, and horse rehabilitation services. Our ranch is located in the beautiful rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.
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Dreamscape Ranch - Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens

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We've started to raise our own chickens here at Dreamscape Ranch.

While they're little we've set up a stall to keep the chicks warm and dry. They're growing fast so they'll soon be out and about!

Some of the benefits to free-range chickens include reduced growth rate and opportunities for natural behaviour such as pecking, scratching, foraging and exercise outdoors, as well as fresh air and daylight.

Because they grow slower and have opportunities for exercise free-range chickens have better leg and heart health and a much higher quality of life.

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Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.
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Giving An Orphaned Foal A Second Chance

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Now that Spring is here things are starting to pick up, so there should be lots of updates here in the Ranch "News".

Without a doubt the biggest news so far this year is about an orphaned foal we have adopted. He was found at the side of a road up by Pinantan Lake and near death, and an amazing series of events took place in a very very short period of time that has brought him into our lives.

Rather than explain it all here I'd like to direct you to a special page on our website that was created to tell the story of this brave little guy. You can see photos and check out some video of him too!

He has come a long way in the last couple of weeks and we're hoping that he will continue his new life in good health!

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Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.
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Here Comes Spring!

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It's been a while since we've posted some news here on the blog, but now that Spring is on its way there will be lots more activity!!

Looking back over the last couple-a-three months, our local ice-hockey heroes hit the ice for the latest installment of the Knut Cup and we're pleased to say that the Cup will *stay* in residence at Dreamscape Ranch thanks to Karl, Phil Cody and Shane!  The ice wasn't the best but the temperature was pleasant and good fun was had by all!

As usual there was much anticipation for the "apres-hockey" and while everybody had a good time, some overdid it just a wee bit... but I won't name names... let's just say that "What happens at Dreamscape, stays at Dreamscape!"  Ha ha!

The high-stakes Knut Cup poker tournament was won by Bud with me (Lea) placing second... so yes it was definitely a good weekend for the Dreamscape Ranch'ers all the way around! Did I mention that Bud learned all his poker skills from me?  ;-)

To wrap up the festivities the annual Knut Cup jam session rocked and rolled in the tack room and impressed everyone well into the night!

While we're looking forward to a great Spring, Summer and Autumn, in the back of our minds we're already gearing up to defend the Knut Cup next winter!!

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Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Dreamscape Ranch

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I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas season as well as a safe, happy and prosperous New Year!  We had a crowded dinner table at Christmas with a dozen friends and family and, I can assure you, there was plenty of good food, laughter and love to be shared with all! That's definitely what makes this time of year so special!

Our wonderful Sara will be going back to Switerzland on the 13th of January so I am glad we were able to spend Christmas and New Year with her before she departs. She will be missed so much by everyone here as well as the animals. I would like to thank Sara so much for all her hard work, dedication and loyalty, and hope that her dream of coming back for school in 2011 will come true. I wish with all my heart that if this is her dream she will get to follow it. It is hard for me to put into words how much I will (and we will) miss her.

There is more news to come shortly, but don't hesitate to give us a call, send an email or drop us a note on our Facebook fan page! It's always fantastic to hear from our friends!  :)

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Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, combining the charm of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, the hospitality of a Guest Ranch, and the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.

Yo Dude Where's The Ranch?

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If you were to ask ten people what a Dude Ranch is you'd get a few different answers, but I bet a fair few answers would refer to cattle driving... and I blame Billy Crystal for that (just kidding!).



More and more people relate Dude Ranches with cattle driving and I think that has a lot to do with Hollywood but, in fact, a Dude Ranch doesn't have to have anything to do with cows. A Dude Ranch is pretty much any Ranch that offers accommodations for guests.

So yes, Dreamscape Ranch fits nicely into that definition... Guest Ranch, Horse Ranch, Dude Ranch... it's all the same kind of thing.

That's a lotta Ranch... dude!  ;-)

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Dreamscape Ranch provides our guests with a wonderful Ranch experience, combining the hospitality of a Guest Ranch with Horseback Riding, full Horse Boarding services and Horse Rehabilitation, all situated in the beauty of rolling grasslands just outside of Kamloops in the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia (B.C.) Canada.
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