Copper Cayuse Outfitters has been operating in our tenured backcountry area around Pemberton since 2008. Our goal is to transform our passion for horses and the backcountry into fantastic vacation experiences for all. We pride ourselves not only in our professionalism and customer service, but also in our excellent horse stock and animal training.

As the premier outfitting company in the Whistler/Pemberton area, we are not only members of the local business scene, but also have a deep interest in the well-being of our community. At Copper Cayuse Outfitters, we are proud to support a number of local events such as the Pemberton Equifest and the Rick Hansen "Man in Motion" Ride.

• Dudley Kennett - Owner/Operator

  

  Growing up in the Okanagan area of British Columbia, Dudley's first love has always been horses and the backcountry. His very first job, working for his father, was working range cattle from horseback, and logging with draught horses. In 1991, Dudley was forced to retire from his career as a forest technician due to breaking his neck in a logging accident. Luckily, Mr. Kennett survived this experience, and during his long recovery, he incoporated his passion for horses into his physical therapy.Read more...

  Dudley recieved his first horse as a gift; Blizzard, a sturdy Palomino, arrived in snowy weather when Dudley was just nine years old. Later, while working in the forest industry, he and his lovely wife Jan moved to the Pemberton Valley. Here, Dudley was afforded the opprtunity to travel with, and learn from, Mr. Fred Shields, an experienced horseback guide from Seaton Portage. On the trail with Fred in the mountainous terrain stretching from Pemberton to the historic Gang Ranch, Dudley learned the skills necessary to survive and appreciate B.C.'s vast wilderness, all from the back of a horse.

  In 1986, Mr. Kennett found that he had too many "pet" horses, and he put them to work in the growing Whistler Valley. He formed Blackcomb Trail Rides, which continues to operate right in Whistler Village, providing an enjoyable horseback riding experience to visitors from all over the world. As this business has grown, so has the herd, from a few too many "pets" to forty solid, well-trained geldings.

  Yet, the backcountry began to call again, and in 2008 he formed a new partnership to showcase B.C.'s Horse Wilderness. Copper Cayuse Outfitters is a future vision of an excellent backcountry horseback experience.

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• Michael Moorhouse - Owner/Operator

  

  Michael has been involved with both the Pemberton Valley and horses off and on throughout his life. He first moved to the Pemberton area in 1969 with his parents, who began operating a campsite and summer cabins in the area. Soon, Michael was running a successful trail ride outfit from that resort.Read more...

  In 1972, Mr. Moorhouse moved to the Caribou to start his own family. In Chimney Valley, he established a popular farrier service, shoeing horses and ponies; he also maintained a couple of horses of his own. Michael also began a fencing company, building miles of fence on ranches and farm in the area, including portions of the historic Gang Ranch.

  After a short stint in the big city, 1985 saw Michael return to Pemberton with his family. In 1993, he established the Animal Barn, a local store providing feed, farm hardware, and horse tack to the valley. This business was to grow steadily and become a cornerstone of the animal-oriented community of Pemberton.

  Upon becoming involved with Blackcomb Trail Rides, Michael's passion for horsemanship and the backcountry was re-ignited. In 2008 he bagan his full-time partnership in Copper Cayuse Outfitters, re-establishing some of the old trails he once knew from 1969.

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• Donald Coggins - Owner/Operator

  

  Don grew up sailing the North Atlantic off the coast of his native province of Nova Scotia, but he spent many hours off the water, riding horses at his uncle’s farm. After Mr. Coggins married, he and his wife moved to a small farm in New Brunswick, where they kept and trained horses.Read more...

  Eventually they moved to Toronto where, after having children, they had to choose between putting shoes on the kids or putting shoes on the horses. The kids won, and the horses were sent to good homes to live out their lives. Don and his family moved to the Pemberton Valley around 1993, and there he quickly reestablished his connection to horses and the backcountry on a number of trails.

  Don is avid skier, salt water kayaker, and backcountry horseman. When Don is asked, "Why Copper Cayuse?", his response is simple, "I've followed Dudley and Mike into the backcountry for many years, and can not think of a better way to spend my time than showing other folks that same backcountry."

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• Simone Jaggli - Lead Trainer/Wrangler

  

  A native of Switzerland, Simone is the primary horse trainer for Copper Cayuse Outfitters. The steep, rugged terrain of the land of her birth makes her at home in Coastal Mountains of British Columbia, but it's the horses that have captured her heart and kept her in the beautiful Pemberton Valley. If it can't be done with a horse, she probably won't be found doing it! Read more...

  Born and raised in Switzerland, Simone's intense interest in travel landed her an apprenticeship at a travel agency. After successfully completing that apprenticeship, the call to do her own travelling was strong. Accordingly, she set out to see the world, and soon found herself in Mexico. After spending a year travelling throughout Central America, Ms. Jaggli realized that she was beginning to miss the kind of mountains that she had known growing up. In 1998, she therefore headed for British Columbia, Canada, and soon fell in love with the Pemberton and Whistler Valleys. She's called the area home ever since.

  Simone applied for a job as a horseback guide with Blackcomb Trail Rides in 1999, and to this day she believes it was one of the best decisions she's ever made. After learning her basic horse skills while guiding day rides in Whistler, she got the unique opportunity to learn about starting and training horses from Dudley Kennett. He also began teaching her what she needed to know about taking horses on pack trips out into the backcountry, thus combining the great loves of her life: horses and mountains. Never intending to leave this rugged paradise, Simone acquired her citizenship, and since 2003 has been proud to call herself Canadian.

  Now, as part of the staff of CCO, she's still living her dream of working with horses, spending time in the beautiful mountains of BC, Canada. Like her mentor, Dudley, Simone shows her love for what she does by sharing it with our guests from around the world.

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• Leah Hadden - A-Team Lead

  

  Previous to joining Blackcomb Trail Rides, Leah had been managing small branches of a large corporation in small, strip mall settings. She'd had horses when she was younger, and this, together with the boredom that came with running a corporate "small business", led her to apply for a summer job with BTR in 2006. Ms. Hadden soon became a driving force in the Whistler reservations staff. Read more...

  Leah has always loved horses, so going out on the trail with them was no problem for her at all. Some of the cowboys, on the other hand, took some getting used to! Leah's drive, work ethic, and her charisma has been an inspiration to every wrangler and farrier that's crossed her path, and those same qualities are always invested in making every guest's time in the saddle as amazing as it can be.

  After her long summer days of working as a wrangler in Whistler, Leah can often be found "relaxing" with her pony, Cookie Buttons. Together, they ride the trails of the Pemberton Valley, soaking up every ounce of the gorgeous terrain that they can.

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• Ellen Payne - B-Team Lead

  

  Unusually, Ellen's tenure as a member of the Copper Cayuse Outfitters staff began in spite of her lack of previous experience with horses. She became enamoured of the high peaks and alpine vistas, and permanently moved from her native province of Ontario to Whistler in 1998. In 2004, Ms. Payne turned her pleasant attitude and marketing skills into a permanent position with Blackcomb Trail Rides, greeting guests and taking reservations. Read more...

  For someone who was very apprehensive around horses, this was an amazing turn of events. Her desire to learn more about the animals she worked around soon overcame her lack of confidence, and her friend Simone was right there to get Ellen started on a lifetime of horsewomanship.

  Ellen began by learning to the basics of ground work with horses, such as grooming them and saddling them. The first horses that she learned to trust, and then ride, were Cactus and Timmy, and these two beasts will always have a special place in her heart. These hard-working animals are still contentedly working our one hour ride in Whistler.

  Now, when Ellen isn't answering our very busy phones, she can be found riding her latest horse friend Andrew and entertaining guests on the mountain trails, or cooking cowboy meals over a campfire; activities she's learned to enjoy on many trips with Dudley into areas such as the Spruce Lake wilderness.

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