About the Ranch

I now get to call the TY Ranch home, a 2,800 acre piece of land in Stephenville which is located 2 hours southwest of Dallas, TX. Known as the ‘Cowboy Capital of the World’ and the ‘City of Champions’, Stephenville takes pride in having small town values, where a strong work ethic, family-values, and a giving heart still matter. We are only the third family to own this ranch in 175 years.

The ranch is home to evergreen live oak trees, who’s large canopies provide a welcomed shade in summer & wind protection in winter for the many animals that call the ranch home. Cedar trees & mesquites also grow abundantly on parts of the ranch. The cows love to walk under the cedar branches for a natural repellant to the many insects that bother them. The Bosque River runs through the middle of the ranch. Ty built a rustic cabin on the banks of the river where we love to camp without electricity, running water, or cell service. The land is diverse. The rolling hills range from rocky & dotted in prickly pear, to native grass pastures, lush hay fields, & river bottom land where pecan trees & giant burr oaks grow. 

On any day we are sure to see numerous deer foraging, a jack rabbit hiding in the grass, a raccoon scrambling up a tree, armadillos rooting around, roadrunners running the ranch roads, barn swallows building a nest, buzzards scavenging, & sometimes we even see a litter of spotted wild pigs or a sly coyote walking along. All kinds of ducks & geese migrate through & call one of our three lakes or 13 ponds home for a while. 

We have a cow/calf operation here, meaning we raise 250 head of mother Angus cows. A cow has already had a calf whereas a heifer has never calved. We have around 10 Charlois bulls we turn out with them. Our calves start arriving in mid-December. If it’s a good year with grass and rain we will sell the calves and the unbred cows in the fall. If it’s a dry year with little grass we have to sell our calves in the summer, when they are smaller thus bringing less money. Ty loves the cross between an Angus and a Charlois bull. Their calves are really healthy, stout & strong.

We have 14 horses here. Mostly quarter horses, one paint horse, one pony, two clydesdales & two miniature horses. I’ll introduce them to you in another post. We have two donkeys who live with the cows. Donkeys are very territorial and will fight off a coyote if it comes into the herd. This helps protect the newborn calves. I’m a huge animal lover so by the house we have a sheep named Sweetie, a pot bellied pig named DeeDee, chickens, guinea birds, and three cats (Thumbs, Jack Jack & DoDo (like the bird)). Oakley loves to help me feed them & do our chores in the morning. 

Ty’s parents, Butch & Joy, live on the ranch and it’s so fun to have Kase & Oakley’s grandparents so close. Our ranch manager Heraclio & his wife Maricela also live on the ranch. Heraclio managed the ranch before Ty bought it. Ty told the owner, Frank, he would only buy the ranch if Heraclio got to stay. Heraclio was born in Mexico. When he was 10 years old, his brother walked back over to Mexico and told the family he found work on a ranch in Texas. He convinced Heraclio to walk back to Texas with him. They left with two gallons of water and slept on the desert floor for two nights before coming to a ranch. He is such a hard worker & takes care of the ranch like it’s his own. 

 I can’t think of a more special place to live & raise a family. The life lessons, responsibility, simplicity, adventure, nature, compassion, & circle of life the ranch offers is priceless!