Ranch Manager

In 2011 my husband Jay and I purchased 7.5 acres of land with a house and horse barn in Lancaster, Texas. We incrementally purchased an additional 52 acres of land adjacent to our house. The land had suffered decades of neglect at the hands of uneducated and/or uncaring owners who used the land as a dumping ground for everything from old boats and washing machines, to old tires to vats of acid. In the beginning, much time and money was spent removing trash from what would become our meadows.

Our land includes features of black-land prairie, Edward’s plateau, old growth cross-timbers and wetlands. We host a plethora of native animals including rabbits, skunk, coyote and beaver, less frequent armadillo, possums and raccoons and even the rare river otter. We have herons, egrets, road-runners, cardinals and a variety of other birds year round but also host an impressive variety of migratory birds including ducks, caracara and on one occasion a bald eagle. We have frogs, toads, butterflies, dragonflies and bees and an astonishing variety of Texas native plant species.

We have come to understand the great benefit that comes from spending time in nature. We are anxious to share our land with guests so that they too can experience this benefit. To this end we have converted a two-car garage into a large studio which can be rented by visitors anxious to spend time outside the city. We are located just 30 minutes south of downtown Dallas, an hour south of Plano.

We have partnered with a non-profit organization called Sanctuary For Life (SFL). SFL’s Mission is to care for burnt out caregivers. We are also in the process of building a dedicated space for overnight retreats.

My job as ranch manager includes everything from animal care, to pasture and trail maintenance (shredding pastures and trails using our large Kubota tractor, to tending to guests, to managing bills.