Field Trips and Tours

Visit One of Edmonton’s Oldest Landmarks!

Whitemud Equine Learning Centre Association (WELCA) offers unique education and recreation at a beautiful pastoral horse farm in the heart of the city. For a century it has been a favourite year-round destination, inspiring generations of artists, athletes and visitors with friendly horses, historic log cabin, stone fence and stone house, indoor and outdoor riding arenas, barns and show grounds.

Owned by the City of Edmonton since the 1970’s, this star attraction in the River Valley is where our trail system began. Under Parks and Recreation Community Services WELCA provides accessible horse programs all year round.

Your tour may encompass art, history, social studies, science, math and language as WELCA’s noble horses touch your students hearts and open their minds. As Winston Churchill said, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man”.

School Field Trip Reservation Form

On Your Field Trip…

• Visit Dr. Keillor’s Log Cabin, built around 1918 with the last logs floated down the North Saskatchewan River.
• See the large white heart-shaped stone he placed above the fireplace and the symmetrical split river rocks on either side of it.
• Walk along the stone fence Dr. Keillor constructed with his wife and daughters.
• View the stone home he called, “My Retreat”
• Listen to birds singing and horses neighing. What inspired Keillor to create this farm after he survived World War 1? Why did he donate his land for the Road to Whitemud Creek, donate trees to the city, pay for power to the ski tow, lights for the clubhouse, storage for canoe clubs, invite Edmontonians to ride and picnic? Why did he turn down a fortune to keep this farm “for the people?”
• Watch horses in the pastures, playing, eating, drinking, sleeping while standing up!
• See how staff care for them 24 hours a day.
• Watch barn cats patrolling for mice.
• Tour the 1950’s riding arena and horse barns and hear about the famous cowboys who built it.
• Walk the trails cowboys cut with machetes to start our River Valley Trail System.
• See the office and classroom built by Grant McEwan when he operated Equine Studies here in the 1970’s.
• See how horse feed is stored and how staff clean and manage thousands of pounds of manure every day.
• Watch horses at work providing healthy exercise and therapy for people. See our farrier/blacksmith trimming horses hooves. (booked in advance).

Prepare Your Class for a School Trip to the Whitemud Equine Learning Centre:

Language Arts: Read horse poetry, famous quotations, and stories

Social Studies: Study the history of horses as transportation and in agriculture

Art: Draw and sculpt horses and ponies, wagons and cowboys

Science and Math: How does grass become hay? Why is straw different from hay? Why do horses also eat oats and lick salt? How much water does a horse need? How many kilograms of manure does a horse make daily, weekly, monthly, yearly? How do we recycle it?

Improve Your Child’s Fitness and Well-Being through Horse Riding

Horseback riding is a great activity for stimulating the body, mind and spirit. It is not only recreation; but, an opportunity to learn the subtleties of communication and develop trust with one of nature’s most noble creatures.

Physical Benefits

Horse riding offers riders both cardiovascular and muscle conditioning. You may think that the horse is doing all the work; however, an hour on horseback can burn similar calories to that of a 30-minute run or bicycle ride. Riding develops balance and coordination. As the horse moves, the rider is constantly using muscles to maintain balance which helps to strengthen the deep postural muscles of the trunk and pelvis. Good coordination is also needed to get the desired response from the horse. By repeating the patterned movements needed to control the horse, your child’s reflexes quicken and hand-eye coordination improves.

Psychological Benefits

Horse riding is recognized as having excellent therapeutic qualities. It is a great stress buster! In fact, the psychological benefits your child experiences can be of equal value as the physical ones. For many children, a horse is an important connection with nature whether they ride in the arena or down the trail. Developing a relationship and sense of trust with a horse is highly rewarding. And, learning to control and care for such a large animal can have a profound affect on your child’s confidence. Many children find companionship and solace working with horses that carries them through the tumultuous teen years. Sharing information on horse care and working together in the barn is a great way to socialize, improve communication skills and form lasting friendships with other riders.

Life Long Learning

Horse riding is an activity your child can enjoy all his or her life. Horse riding provides opportunities to discover and explore, giving someone a sense of pure, timeless freedom and exhilaration. And, you don’t need a horse or a lot of gear to get started. A riding school can give you a taste of the sport and provide all of the necessary equipment including the horse!