For the folks at Flying Cross Ranch, tapping into that notion of ‘agricultural tourism’ has been part of what’s fueled their success over the years.
These days, it’s more about providing lessons but ranch staff have also enjoyed connecting with the local community through a number of initiatives that are a part of the burgeoning ag-tourism industry, said Roy Sturgeon, who owns the ranch with his wife Christina.
Past events have run the gamut from Baby Animal Days and petting zoos to ‘Talk Derby to Me’ which was described as a Kentucky Derby-themed murder mystery party.
“When we were doing Open Farm Days on a larger scale, we would have 1,600 to 1,800 people here in a day. And the majority of them were from the cities; they weren’t local people. They were from Edmonton or Calgary.”
To continue that aim of connecting to local communities, Sturgeon said Flying Cross Ranch will be featured during the Lacombe Culture and Harvest Festival on Sept. 23 to 24.
Their students will be racing at the event and they will be holding a jumping show.
“We’re also going to be bringing quite a few different breeds there to have them on display,” said Sturgeon.
These kinds of events were, and are, superb ways to introduce folks to the ranch and promote agricultural education at the same time.
Flying Cross Ranch is located north of Lacombe, one kilometre east on Milton Road, left on Range Road 26-3, and 1 kilometre north on 41129.
Meanwhile, Sturgeon noted that ultimately, for smaller operations, the need to tap into niche markets is often essential to survive.
So as time passed, the ranch gradually moved their primary focus to lessons.
“I rode races for years, so I run a racing program where I teach kids to race like that. That’s my fun,”said Sturgeon.
“The last three years, our kids have raced at the Ponoka Stampede before the wagons every night — those are our kids,” he said.
“We started that program as a fun thing, and it’s still fun, but it’s now more developed. When we started it, we had about four kids in it. We’ve now got close to 25.”
Flying Cross Ranch has been in Sturgeon’s family for years.
“I was very fortunate to grow up in it. Racing was my entire life for the most part, and to be able to share it with these kids at a level where they are safe and they can do it for fun but competitively at the same time — it’s pretty cool,” he said.
“I started galloping horses when I was 13. When I was 15, I went to the races. At 16, I had my jock’s license and I was riding.”
According to their website, the goal at Flying Cross is to create well-rounded confident riders who are competent and empathetic equine caretakers.
“Learning to ride should always start with safety and with knowledge. It develops into competency.”
Sturgeon said folks just need to take a handful of lessons to really see what it’s all about.
“Most people who are pretty tentative, if they have good horses and a good instructor, by their third and fourth lesson, they are able to do quite a few things,” he said.
He added it’s inspiring to see students reach milestones in their skill levels as they move along.
“They can work and work at something, and then there is that day when it all comes together.”
Meanwhile, it’s not all just about lessons.
”Last year, all the kids at Christmastime took their ponies and dressed them up and took them to a seniors’ home.”
So that sense of reaching out is never far from the central mission at Flying Cross Ranch.
“We are trying to get the kids more active in the community.”
This article is part of Black Press Media’s award-winning special supplement publication, “Fall’s Bounty 202: A salute to central Alberta farmers and harvest.” The pullout section was published in print editions at the end of September. Find more Fall’s Bounty 2023 stories here.