Equine specialist, horse trainer and farrier…
Nicole Ulrich was born and raised in Switzerland and moved to Quesnel, BC when she was 23 years old. Spending her first summer in the Chilcotin, she came across many Cayuse horses and she loved their hardiness. Working as a farrier in Switzerland, Nicole knew what people there were looking for in their equine partners and she realized that these versatile mounts, with the right kind of training, would be perfect for the job. So she exported the first 3 horses in 2009 as a trial, which turned into a great success. Over the past 11 years she has sold well over 50 Cayus horses overseas and many of them came from completely wild herds. Nicole now works both as a horse trainer and farrier.
As shown in the recent Canadian docu-series “The Wild Ones“, Nicole discovered a wild horse from the mountains of the Nemiah Valley, then known as “Pal”. He was a wild horse breaking in and stealing mares at the Flying “L” Ranch. When he was caught we knew there was so much more to him. Untouched until protege Mike Hawkridge worked with him a few times to check his temperament. He exhibited all the natural tendencies, build and disposition of a wild horse from this area. Nicole witnessed several things she liked, so she took him under her tutelage and care.
For the next 3 months in her stables back at her ranch, she bonded with, extracted, and developed the best that Pal had to offer. Thus he earned the name “Chilco”, which derived from the largest high elevation fresh water lake bordering the Nemiah Valley and mountains, where he was from. Nicole only takes the best horses on the long journey overseas, and Pal was the perfect candidate. Travelling all the way from British Columbia, Canada to Switzerland, “Chilco” became a therapy horse for handicapped and troubled children.
When asked how he did on the trip over? Nicole says “Simply amazing… Nothing phased him and he loaded on to different trailers and cargo stalls without hesitation!” See more of Chilco’s journey here.
Nicole has recently acquired more wild Palomino horses from the Flying “L” Ranch, and we are excited to see what she creates with these wildies as well.
Email me: freerangehorse@gmail.com