The Wild Horse Ranch Association Presents:

- Our Story -

For information on our training methods, please click here.

The Wild Horse Ranch is located on a quarter section near Sandy Lake, Alberta, Canada.

The Wild Horse Ranch Association is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1995 near Sandy Lake, Alberta. We are home to our very own special breed of horses - the Carson Breed Mountain Horse. We are also working towards the development of an environmentally and economically self-sustaining village in a pristine wilderness setting. A lot of work has gone into the infrastructure and planning over the years, and the Ranch is now looking better than ever. We have a variety of projects that have been successfully completed, as well as a variety of projects that are well on there way towards completion.

Our most outstanding development has been the successful propagation of the Wild Black Currant. For more information on this wonderful plant please visit the link above to our TEA page. We process all parts of the Wild Black Currant bush for it's traditional medicinal benefits. The plant has historically been called the "Medicine Bush" by the Native Peoples.

We are also developing a Retreat for Japanese visitors who wish to experience the Western lifestyle, enjoy healthy organic food, learn horseback riding as well as get plenty of exercise. There are many things to learn on a Ranch as well as lots of work to do! If you are interested in learning some skills, we are always looking for team players!

We have very recently put up a tower on the Ranch to link our computers with high-speed internet. Now guests of the Ranch can stay connected and share their experiences and photos with their friends!

The Ranch is located just outside the town of Sandy Beach 45 min North West of Edmonton, Alberta. The Ranch has a long history in the area, as well as good relations with people in the village as well as the Alexander Band First Nations Peoples. 

We have a herd of Wild Horses that were brought up from CFB Suffield when they started dying off in the early 1990’s.  Hence our name, “Wild Horse Ranch.”

Our Carson Breed Was Luck

All of our horses on the Ranch have this bloodline.

How do I describe the breed? Let’s start at the beginning. There was a herd of wild horses located at the military base at Suffield in Southern Alberta. The horses were starving to death due to overgrazing, so the Canadian government decided to sell these horses off to the private citizens of Canada. The herd consisted of approximately one thousand horses, and six hundred of them were given at no cost to aboriginal groups. The remaining four hundred horses were offered at a price of approximately $400.00 per head to the general public. The Canadian government received over fifty thousand requests for these four hundred horses. Our family submitted a request for fifty of these wild horses. Our wish was to keep them in as much of a free roaming state as possible. Due to the large number of requests, we were only approved for twenty-five of the wild horses.

            After receiving ownership of these wild horses, we did indeed leave them in a free and roaming environment at our family farm. We only medicated them and fed them in the winter months when the environmental conditions meant that they required additional food.

            After three years of watching and caring for these horses, I noted some very unusual behavior from time to time – especially in a young stallion we named Duke. We picked up Duke and the other horses on February 3, 1994. In the group of horses that we purchased, there was one older stallion who was definitely the boss. By 1997, Duke along with five other stallions aged three to five, were old enough to try and take over the herd’s leadership. Our wish was to allow the horses to decide for themselves who would be the dominant influence on the herd. We wouldn’t intervene unless the struggle for dominance became bloody. All the young stallions grouped together against the old stallion – except for Duke.

            After having driven the old stallion away from the herd, he was forced to live separately. This new situation caused a split in the herd – there were four separate and distinct groups. The first group consisted of one five year-old stallion and six mares. The second group contained another five year-old stallion and seven mares. The third group was made up of three stallions. The fourth and final group consisted of one mare, the old stallion, and Duke. Mixed in among these groups were twelve to fourteen young foals. The foals roamed freely playing among all the groups.

What really grabbed my attention with Duke was the fact that when the other stallions became aggressive towards the old stallion, Duke would intervene and the attack on the old stallion would break off. Anyone who knows horses realizes how unusual this kind of action is. But this was only the start of his unusual behavior. The two five-year old stallions who each had several mares would often test their strength against each other. Duke was definitely the largest and the strongest of the stallions, and I couldn’t understand why he didn’t try to take over one of the groups of mares. In time, I came to realize that he just did not have the killer instinct. I understood that he is simply a very gently horse.

            What happened next is not something I have ever seen before, nor has any other horse lover I have talked to. If another horse attempted to challenge Duke when it was overcast or late in the evening, he would decline the challenge by simply walking in the woods. But if the sun was shining and Duke could position himself so that he could see his shadow in front of himself, he would meet all challengers and stand his ground. When his opponent had the sun in his eyes, the outcome was always the same – the two stallions would approach each other, Duke would bring his head down and grab the canon bone of his opponent’s left leg, then flip his opponent to the ground and stand over him for a brief time, after which he simply walked away. I observed this behavior in Duke several times, and Duke’s opponents never seemed to learn how to evade his tactics.

            We had intended to let the horses run free on our farm, and I initially had no intention of training these horses – but I couldn’t help myself. After watching these horses for over three years, I felt I understood their habits and behaviors and felt they would make for a fantastic breed of riding horses. I decided to work with Duke. I was curious about how smart this horse really was. As it turned out, he proved to be the most intelligent horse I have ever worked with. Not only was he really smart, but gentle as well. I had no desire to break the spirit of this gentle animal. It took me four months to train Duke – working with him two to three hours a day. There were days when I felt that he was training me. I took an unusual amount of time to train Duke, but the end result was total mutual respect and trust. Duke was four years old when I started to work with him, and he has proven to be an invaluable asset to the ranch, I don’t know how I ever got along without him before. His demeanor and temperament always stayed the same. I wanted to keep Duke as the main stallion of the herd, but I decided to wait till he was seven years old to see if there were any changes in his behavior. A lot of horses become more aggressive and unmanageable when they reach age seven – but their temperament seldom changes much after this age. Duke stayed the same gentle and intelligent horse as he got older, and I decided that his was to be the beginning of the Carson breed. We sold off several of the stallions and gelded two of them that I wished to train for riding. This left only Duke with fourteen mares. I didn’t even know if he was a proven stud at this time. It took a lot of blind faith to take this chance. I felt like I was putting all my eggs into one basket. Fortunately, he was indeed a good stud, so our breed began.

            I though long and hard about a name for this breed of unique animals, and I finally decided on my own surname because Duke possessed all the noble qualities I respected in my own parents. Both of my parents are very hard-working, loyal, caring individuals, and I could think of no better way to show my respect and love for them than to name such a noble breed after them.

            Many horse trainers note that in the hierarchy of a herd of horses there is eventually a dominant mare. With Duke in charge, though, this was so far from the truth that it is almost hard to believe. He acts like the sheriff of the herd – when a mare becomes aggressive towards another mare, he quickly intervenes. When the horses are being fed in the winter months, one mare may try to stop another from feeding, and Duke quickly intervenes. He considers the well-being of the whole herd very much his responsibility.

            When we first got the herd, it was difficult to look after horses that required medical attention, or needed to have their hooves trimmed. They were all used to roaming in a free state and didn’t take to being looked after by humans. But once Duke was trained, it made a world of difference because we have such an excellent working relationship. I simply place the horses requiring attention in a corral next to Duke, and this has a calming effect on the horse being treated. If the horse that requires attention becomes aggressive towards me, Duke quickly intervenes. He raises his voice and approaches the other animal in an aggressive manner. Nine times out of ten, this is all that is required – even if the other horse needs stitches or a needle. In the rare instance where the horse continues to be aggressive towards me, Duke will pin it to the side of the corral or even force the horse to the ground. Since working with Duke, I have never had a situation with the other horses that I could not handle.

            In the spring of the year, when the mares are giving birth, Duke’s behavior is once again unbelievable. When a mare is on the ground giving birth, Duke stands by her to protect her at this vulnerable time. He will stand guard over her until she is up and on her feet again, regardless of the length of time. I honestly believe he takes the safety of the whole herd as a personal responsibility. I could talk your ear off about all of the wonderful characteristics that Duke exhibits.

            How can I describe Duke? He looks a little bit like a stocky Morgan horse. The original Morgan horse was named after innkeeper Justin Morgan, and the following is an official description of the original Morgan: Fifteen, two hands high and twelve hundred pounds. Duke is fifteen, three hands high and fourteen hundred pounds. Duke is also three inches shorter from rump to chest than the original Morgan. The canon bones on Duke’s front hooves are as heavy as you would find on a good sized Percheron. His front hooves are five and three quarters across. Looking at a picture of this horse, you would never guess his weight, but looking at those legs you realize that the horse is very well proportioned.

            Let me try to describe what his horse can do. He isn’t a particularly fast horse, but even with a 250 pound rider he can cover twenty miles in a little over two hours. For logging in the bush, he will keep up with the best light draft horse easily. In this type of work, he is comparable to a much bigger Percheron. When it comes to stamina and temperament, he is second to none for a horse of his size. He has a big heart, and tries his best and any task given to him. I have never had a better hunting horse, and he is not the least bit gun shy. In fact, if I see game that is too far off for a good shot, I simply have to cross its path and Duke will walk it down. I honestly never taught him to do this – it just comes naturally to him. One time when I was hunting, I lost a deer’s tracks in the heavy bush, so I decided to go in a certain direction that I thought logical. Duke had other ideas, though. I fought with him for a short time, and then decided to let him try it his way. Thirty minutes later we came within range of the same deer. I recognized it by its unusual rack. Duke stood perfectly still, almost pointing at the deer with his nose. I pulled the rifle out, fired off a shot, and down went the deer. Duke didn’t even flinch when I fired. Since that day, whenever I go hunting, I don’t argue with duke anymore – I just trust his instincts.

            The only limit to teaching Duke tricks is the facts that he has to feel that it is safe for the rider as well as safe for him. I remember the first time I ran up from behind Duke and mounted him by jumping up from behind. The people watching me asked me if I was crazy. Wasn’t I worried that he would kick me? But, to be perfectly honest, the thought never crossed my mind. I simply stood back about ten paces and yelled, “Incoming,” and off I went. The first time I tried this, I only managed to mount on his rear flanks. The next time I tried it after yelling, “Incoming”, Duke backed down about six inches and this easily allowed me to jump right in the saddle. Eventually, I got to be able to do this trick without Duke’s help. Duke allows others to mount him in this fashion, but he doesn’t help them out the way he helps me out.

            Duke is also able to stand up on his hind legs with a rider. Not only is he able to do this on command – but he can take up to a dozen steps on his hind legs while carrying a rider. I have only seen a few horses in my life that are capable of doing this. Duke will navigate any set of steps without a problem.

            I have even demonstrated Duke side-stepping down a wide set of steps, and side-stepping down a hill with a seventy degree slope with over two hundred and fifty pounds on his back. It always amazes people when I bring him down a seventy degree slope and make him do a 360 degree turn in one direction, then  make him do a 180 degree turn in the other direction and head back up the same slope. Let me tell you, that takes power!

            Most horse breeders will tell you that about 80% of a horse’s temperament and characteristics come from the sire. Duke’s offspring are all very much a chip off the old block.