Diamond P Ranch

Went to check on our riding horses today and spent all morning catching and returning this loose pony!

Thankfully horse and owner were reunited without incident, because she was headed right for the highway 😬

Big shout out to good neighbors and good sheriff deputies!

We’ve been through 6 other horses before we’ve gotten to these 3.

Phoenix, Midnight, Wh***ey, Maverick, Amos, Brandy.

Somehow we have managed to land on the perfect trio. Not saying the last 6 horses weren’t fantastic… they were and are! But our needs were specific, size mattered. So did overall mobility.

But man this is a jackpot crew right here. So blessed!

Got up before the sun on a holiday to beat the heat for a trail ride and had the BEST time!

What are you all up to today?

I’m a big fan of “before and after” photos.

I just wish I would remember to take more “before” photos!

The land:
Clearing 7 acres of dense woody overgrowth is HARD. Sometimes it feels like we work for HOURS just to make a tiny dent—and then we look back at the “before” pictures and realize just how much has actually changed. Today we opened up our south property line to tractor access. 3 hours with a chainsaw, one chain, and 2 burn piles later… and I’ve cleared about 20 ft that was choking back major cleanup progress. Not to mention the hours on a skid steer, multiple nights burning brush, and lots of sweat and tears that led up to today’s success…

The horses:
Brushing sticker mats out of pony hair? Took two hours and a LOT of patience to get the three ponies cleaned up. It’s a good thing hubs got some brush hogging done to keep these guys from getting tore up. 🫣❤️

Life is good.

Super excited for everything in store recently!

Lots going on over here. Recently we acquired our first registered mare, totaling our equine herd at 5 head, 2 of which are retired now and loving every second of it. And the other 3 being nearly completely interchangeable. Meaning any one of us is capable to ride any one of the 3 steeds we have, no terrible quirks or limitations!

So this is APHA Gypsy Frosted Mercy. AKA Faye. She’s 5 panel N/N, and has some pretty stacked papers. Can’t wait to get her tuned up and back in shape- because round is just sad. 😆

We are borrowing some pastures for some barn remodeling projects that are best done without horses present. Trails are being formed at the ranch to make home riding more accessible, and allowing more grass to grow in the pasture in a controlled manner to avoid excessive erosion, because if you dislodge 8 acres of dense woods, your soil will run away with the rain. This is truly a labor of love, and lots of sweat.

God is setting us up for something big. Every day is a blessing and we are so blessed to be where we are today… and to be where we will be tomorrow.

Sometimes you need to quiet the world and listen to hoofbeats and saddle squeaks.

It’s been a long month here at the ranch. And summer hasn’t even started.

Ponies grazing the front yard is just the most magical thing.

Nevermind the fact that our pasture is so poor we have to share the yard to stretch the hay supply.

But with gas prices…. We don’t have to run the mower as often.

So I won’t complain. ☺️

Who thinks they have the most foolproof way of burning downed trees?

These have been down a month and multiple attempts at getting them to light are just not cutting it. I wanna know your unhinged methods!!