Brains, Bone, and Purpose: Why We’re Raising Ranch Horses

Mark and I never really planned on starting a horse program. We figured we'd raise a few good ones for ourselves — raise the kind we like — and leave it at that. But God has a funny way of handing you opportunities you didn’t know you were ready for.

Lydia and a previous foal. Kate's favorite broodmare from Jalene's broodmare band.

When Jalene Sorenson offered us the chance to buy some more of her mares — a mix of proven producers and younger prospects — we couldn’t say no. It wasn’t part of the plan, but it felt like the kind of opportunity you don’t pass up. Those mares gave us a solid starting place and opened the door to something bigger than we’d imagined.

Since then, we’ve added a few more mares from good friends whose horses we’ve watched and admired for years — all of them consistent producers of the kind of colts we believe in. Big, quiet-minded, country-traveling horses that can hold up in the mountains, go rope one, or pack a kid when it’s time. All these pieces falling into place — the mares, the trusted bloodlines, the friends cheering us on — it pushed Mark and me to finally jump in with both feet. We said, “Screw it, let’s raise horses, for real!” Not just a few for ourselves anymore, but a real program built on the kind of horses we know and love.

Right now, our plan is to really focus on dialing in our broodmares — riding what we raise, seeing what they’re made of, and keeping the ones that carry the kind of mind, bone, and build we want more of. We’re not trying to grow fast — we’re trying to grow right. This is the beginning of something long-term, and every decision we make is with that in mind.

We’re aiming to raise horses that stand 15 to 15.2 hands, weigh 1250 to 1350 pounds, and carry the kind of bone, leg, and mind that make them a pleasure to have in the string. We want size for covering country, cow sense for those long days in the corrals, and the gentle nature that makes you think, “Yep, this one’ll be a kid’s horse someday.”

"Tejon" PC Lonin Cash x PC Mara Oaks

Over the next few years, we’ll be keeping back a lot of our best fillies from our mares and some of the top AI sires in the industry. We want to ride them, rope on them, and make sure they’re truly what we want to build from. The long-term plan is to cross those mares on “Tejon”, our young stud from the historic T4 Ranch. He’s by PC Lonin Cash, and has a pedigree stacked with Sun Frost, Judge Cash, Lone Drifter, Docs Oak Sugar and Boon Dox John — a cross we believe will check all our boxes. But we’ll wait to stand him until he’s proved himself the way every good ranch stud should: under saddle, in the branding pen, and out on the ranch.

We’re proud to be starting with a mix of proven producing mares and ones we're giving the chance to prove themselves, but where we’re headed is even better. Our end goal is simple: we want every mare in our band to be one we’ve ridden ourselves, one we’ve enjoyed, and one we trust. That kind of horse doesn’t just happen by accident — it takes time, work, and a whole lot of riding.

We never planned on building a program, but once the opportunity came, we knew we had to take it. We’re excited to keep sharing what we’re building — and we’re thankful to the folks who helped us get started. We’ve already been blown away by the support and excitement from friends who share our vision and are looking for the same kind of horses we believe in. We appreciate each and every one of them and hope we can raise the kind of horses that become the favorite in their string too!