Meet The Crew // Blythe Cruickshank

“My name is Blythe Cruickshank and I grew up in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.”

“During my childhood I was drawn to two different things: horses and nature. I grew up on a farm surrounded by rivers, the ocean and rolling hills, with parents who dedicated their time and energy to home-schooling me and my three siblings. From a young age my sister and I rode bareback around every surrounding hill possible on our naughty ponies.
Dad involved us in his off-farm passions, bird hunting and, especially fishing. I was only marginally interested as a child, but as time passed, I grew increasingly passionate about hunting and fishing teamed with the lifestyle it encouraged. We went on countless camping trips and hikes, Mum was identifying different plants and birds and encouraging us to be respectful of the world’s beauties, developing in all of us a deep respect for nature and its wildlife.

 At fifteen we sold our farm and I attended a high school. It didn’t take long for me to realize the kind of living I wanted which helped motivated me to make certain life choices, opening up a path different to one chosen by my peers.During my final year at high school I met someone who would become my ‘mentor’ for the next few years. He was essentially, the founder of my life, which is now revolving around horses. He gave me the opportunity to develop a solid foundation for packing and travelling on horseback and for learning creative skills. I learnt how to make my own gear, tents, pack saddles, halters to panniers; how to shoe and train my own horses.

 The following years after completing high school (and the majority of my final year at high school) I spent breaking in and training horses, as well as doing multiple long distance pack trips. My longest trip was five months of riding from the top of the South Island to the bottom. During this time I also started making leather and canvas gear and shoeing horses.

 New Zealand is where my confidence for travelling on horseback grew. It is perfect for distance riding- You can ride on main roads, through towns and over mountain ranges. I have made myself at home in countless friendly homes, on grass verges, lawns, riverbeds, sand dunes, under bridges, in wool sheds and huts, in swags and tents. I have often wondered whether it’s normal to feel so at home moving at 5km/h on the back of our four-legged friends.

 When I was early twenties I decided I needed a further adventure. New Zealand is a small country and we have limited to no access to anything horse packing related, or much at all really and I knew there was more to learn. Through my google searching of horse packing in Canada, I found several ranches that advertised it and on a whim, sent in my resume. Six months later I found myself on a plane and spent the next 11 months in Alberta doing horse back vacations that included everything from overnight trips to week-long rides through the Rocky Mountains and driving wagons. It was while working here I met my first outfitting boss who did the three month-long hunting season in Northern British Columbia.

 I was enthralled, it sounded like my dream lifestyle in the shape of a ‘job’. He offered me a spot wrangling for his outfit that year, however, due to my commitments at my current ranch I had to decline. He asked if I knew anybody similar to myself who would be willing to wrangle the coming season, so I rang my brother, James, who was just finishing high-school back in New Zealand. And the rest is history! We now both work at Backcountry BC and Beyond for Dustin and we love it.

The season in Northern BC has changed my lifestyle in many ways. Mainly, nothing here in NZ is full time or permanent. I’ve never been one to have a solid job as I like to move around and to travel keeping the adventure in my life. I became a farrier so I had the flexibility to travel and to work. All through our summer I can work away, happily knowing that in our colder months I’ll be doing what I love best- packing horses, and living in the mountains.

A huge personal responsibility comes with a team of up to sixteen horses that are totally dependant on you for three months in the wilderness. Looking after yourself is slightly more straight forward, we know what we need in terms of
warmth, food and sleep. But the horses rely on us to care for them not only ensuring they get enough food during the night, but also they are cared for during the day.

If a horse gets a saddle rub from being incorrectly saddled, it can leave that horse un-usable until it has healed which puts an extra workload on to the other horses. If our camp spot hasn’t got a good meadow it can mean you are up all night long checking the horses don’t wander but are still getting a belly full during the night. If you have tied horses up for an afternoon spotting, it may seem nice to sit in the sun and look through a scope, but I always make sure the horses are getting a chance for a bite to eat while we hunt. To me, unless the horses I’m caring for are happy, I’m not happy and in my role as a wrangler, their well being is my absolute number one priority. And I have had many sleepless nights for it!

 I really enjoy meeting the new hunters, finding the horse that’s most suited to them and their abilities, to be the most enjoyable spending the next several weeks together. People are often apprehensive about the horse back part of the hunt, and it’s nice to be able to put their minds at ease. For those of you who are planning a horse back hunt in Northern BC, these horses generally are different to the horses you will meet out and about in your daily lives. The only work they do is their three-month season and they know their job! You don’t need to worry too much about your riding skills, hunt guides and wranglers are there ready to help and give you any advice necessary, but in most cases, the horses are happy to follow and are good at it.

 The thing that most unexperienced riders struggle with is the aches and pains of being in an un–natural position for so long! This we cannot help with. Sometimes it is possible to hop off and to walk for a while to stretch out muscles and ease the knee or hip pain. But for the most part, especially in rough terrain you will have to remain on your horse. This can cause some discomfort! So my advice if you want to enjoy your horse back time on your hunt, getting some saddle time in before hand is crucial. There’s no other way to prepare yourself to enjoy the saddle! A bit of yoga can help too, getting your body ready to be a bit more flexible is always a bonus.

 When you book your hunt,  try to find a nearby riding stable and book yourself a two to three hour ride. Remember, you don’t need to know how to saddle your horse, catch it or anything else, only to sit on it and be comfortable! You’ll be an expert by the end of your hunt, and maybe even love it. With some riding experience and a good gear list, your pretty set for an epic mountain adventure. There a few necessary items which we all know not to head into the hills without, i.e. a rain coat and some rain pants… But aside from the essentials (I can’t live happily without a toothbrush or some hair conditioner) I always have a notepad.

 It might be something small that happened that either wasn’t captured on camera, like an interaction with an animal or beautiful sunrise, or the camera didn’t do the moment justice (like riding through the night with the stars out and the northern lights dancing), I write it down. It is mostly just for my own memory so I don’t forget those really special moments. So much can happen on a hunt that it feels like a whirlwind. Cameras are amazing at capturing life on the trail, but its different to take the time to put a pen to paper and use your own words to describe something and some of my favourite memories are the ones I took the time to write down!”

 Wranglers are truly among the unsung heroes in the outfitting industry. They are the first ones up, the last to bed, and have to be able to master a wide variety of skills in backcountry craft. With happenstance that brought Blythe to Backcountry BC and Beyond’s team, we couldn’t be more grateful to have such a wonderful soul who not only excels at any task thrown at her, but does so with finesse and passion. Her attention to detail is second to none when it comes to learning. Her approach to life is humble and sincere. Whether it’s shoeing the remuda of horses, trailing over snowy passes with a pack string in tow, or working alongside the crew, she’s one heck of hand that every person loves to work beside.

 Be sure to head on over to Blythe’s YouTube Channel where she shares her personal videos and behind the scene look at the last couple of years as a wrangler for Backcountry BC and Beyond, as well as some of her other adventures!

-The Team at Backcountry BC and Beyond