Connecting with your horse and building trust. Connecting with yourself and others. 

By Jacqueline Louie 

The Painted Warriors Horseback Riding Backcountry Boot Camp is all about building skills and independence in riders of all levels. The five-day camp is one of a variety of horse- and nature-based programs offered at Painted Warriors Ranch, located in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies about an hour-and-a-half northwest of Calgary, Alberta. Painted Warriors creates authentic outdoor experiences from an Indigenous perspective, based on co-owner Tracey Klettl’s Cree and Mohawk heritage and on the Ojibway heritage of her partner and business co-owner, Tim Mearns.

The Horseback Riding Backcountry Boot Camp (Levels 1 and 2) is “a great program for experienced riders who don’t really have backcountry skills. To truly be able to go out and enjoy a backcountry trip when you’re educated, it’s safer,” Klettl says. “These are skills that don’t just make you more comfortable — they can potentially save your life. I think it gives people who want to ride in the mountains a holistic view — because being on the horse is just a small part of what happens.”

The backcountry boot camp is also designed for people who are not experienced riders but have always wanted to go into the backcountry. 

Related: Winding Through Writing-on-Stone on Horseback

“It gives them better insights as to how going out with an outfitter will feel and look,” says Klettl, a nationally certified English riding instructor. “It’s important for people to have the full picture and to be involved in that picture, right down to catching your horse, grooming and saddling it, and understanding how to put the horse away.”

Tim Mearns and Tracey Klettl, co-owners of Painted Warriors. Photo: Jay McDonald, Roam Creative

“Preparation is everything,” adds Mearns. “We always say, ‘Knowledge is key.’ The more we know out there, the safer and more comfortable we can feel about going into the backcountry.

“If you have a better understanding of your surroundings and really know your horse’s ability, along with your own ability, you can further challenge yourself and see more of the countryside, and you can grow together. Where you can get to in the backcountry on a horse is just breathtaking, and you are bonding with this animal. 

Related: Ya Ha Tinda, The Canadian Government’s Only Working Horse Ranch

Related: Ojibwe Spirit Horses

“It’s soul food. It brings you back in time, to be on the back of a horse. It’s how we used to move — we relied on our brother, the horse.”

I attended Level 2 boot camp in summer 2023, as well as the autumn camp, and thoroughly enjoyed each one. The group sizes are no larger than six participants, so there is ample opportunity to ask questions and practice skills. There were riding lessons and a trail ride, along with instruction on everything from navigation to fire building using alternate methods to matches and lighter, including ferrocerium rod, and a variety of materials (cotton balls, char cloth, feather stick, dried spruce twigs gathered from the forest floor, and even fluffy dandelion seed heads).

Matthijs Duijs, a hiking guide and hiking and survival instructor from the Netherlands, completed an internship at Painted Warriors in the autumn. “For me, the value is in the experience, knowing your surroundings and knowing what you’re seeing,” he says.

Matthijs Duijs, a hiking guide and hiking and survival instructor from the Netherlands, showing how to make fire without using matches or a lighter. Photo: Jay McDonald, Roam Creative

Ever-patient, and clearly explaining the “why” behind what he’s telling us, Duijs goes over the basics of what to bring into the backcountry. Even on a day trip, include a medical kit, tarp, emergency blanket, variety of fire lighting tools, GPS, map, and compass.

Related: Painted Warriors - Horse Programs from an Indigenous Perspective

“Technology can fail, but if you know basic orientation skills, you can read a map and your surroundings, which is really important — anything that gives you information about where you are and where you have to go,” says Duijs.

Boot camp participants on the trail, with Barbara Morgan riding Bobo in the lead. Photo: Jay McDonald, Roam Creative

“Matches and lighters can get wet and stop working,” he explains. “When you’re making a fire with a fire striker, you’ve got something that always works. The more you learn skills like this, the more you can trust yourself and build confidence in uncomfortable situations. You are aware of the risks of your activities, but can make it as safe as possible for yourself and the people you take with you.

“These skills fit in well with what Tracey and Tim are trying to do here, which is bring us back to who and what humans originally were. That makes you more grounded and more capable of being independent.”

Boot camp participants were hands-on with all activities, including helping to prepare meals and cleaning up. After the fire lighting lesson, there were opportunities to put newfound skills into use. It was inspiring to watch the “Aha!” moments of other participants, for example, when they started the campfire for dinner using a feather stick.

Related: Survival in the Back Country: Be Prepared

Related: Eagle Feather Riding

Meals, overseen by Klettl, were incredibly delicious. Some of our dinners cooked over the campfire featured wild game — including curried antelope, served with rice; and shish kebab elk with mushrooms, onions, red and yellow peppers, rice, and coleslaw salad.

At this backcountry boot camp, it was Wendy Urton’s first time on a horse.

“This was SO much more than I expected. The first and most obvious thing is the love — love of the animals, nature, and every one of us,” says Urton, who lives in rural Alberta. “The quality of teaching was so intuitive and skillful — it was amazing to me. You couldn’t help but feel part of a family while you were here. I loved it.”

Wendy Urton and JJ. Photo: Jay McDonald, Roam Creative

Barbara Morgan is an experienced English rider; the summer boot camp was the first time she had ever ridden Western.

“For me, it’s really about the whole approach to the program,” Morgan says. “The first day we got to study the herd and then do some groundwork. It’s about building trust and the relationship with your horse. I think that’s a good foundation, and by having that, it felt very comfortable to actually ride the horse.”

Mel Lamadeleine signed up for the autumn horse backcountry boot camp because she wanted to broaden her riding experience and learn new skills from a different perspective. “This wrapped it all together. It walked you through an entire day in the backcountry working with the horse,” says Lamadeleine, who lives in Edson, Alberta. “The relationship between horse and rider is the most important thing, before you even think about getting out into the backcountry. That is so crucial — building trust with them, understanding their needs and understanding their language.

“And these are not just backcountry or horsemanship skills — they’re also skills you can take into your daily life,” she adds. “You’re learning things about yourself. You learn that you’re capable of more than you think you are.”

Visit the Painted Warriors website

Related: Tom Durocher, Monty Roberts Certified Instructor

Related: Be Bear Aware - Horseback Riding in the Backcountry

More by Jacqueline Louie

Main Photo: Boot camp participant Barbara Morgan with Bobo. Credit: Jay McDonald, Roam Creative