They had never been out of a cage, never put their pretty orange feet in the water.

We bought them at Hinton Milling across the street. Easter ducks who hadn’t found a home.

Now they have one at Parker’s Pond at the Seventy-four Ranch. Who would be the first one to leave the safety of the cage?

We stood silently as they quacked and slowly approached the water.

A brave soul touched it with one foot and then…..

The water had to feel cool and refreshing. Soon they discovered that there were good green things to eat in it.

And then the Grand Adventure out into uncharted water.

The horses stood quiet witness…

As the ducks began to live as God had envisioned, and always planned

Sophie and Monkey are soaking up the sun. Come find your spot to relax at the Seventy-four Ranch.

These are just three of the new baby calves that we have at the Ranch.  Spring is here! Come pet a baby calf.

The wellhouse is going to be a great place to watch the horses and cattle at Seventy-four Ranch.

All the men helping out in the building of the well house.

Despite the ongoing drought our hay barn is nearly full this fall, and what a blessing. In such a drought, our pastures and fields cannot provide enough forage for all the horses and cattle to eat in the warm months, in addition to enough hay for the winter.

But our neighbors, John and Samantha Brandreth, of Brandreth Farms, generously gave us several of their hay fields to mow, fluff and bale. And right now we have leased neighboring pasture for current grazing to give our pastures a rest. We drilled grass seed a week ago and we are anxiously waiting for the necessary rain to cause the seed to germinate. Then we will fertilize. Pray for rain, and soon.

What a pleasure it is to step outside. To feel the crisp, clean air and just look around. The leaves are turning now at the ranch and all around us on the mountains and foothills. It feels like just what it is, nature’s last technicolor production before the quiet, bare bones beauty of winter. Come see for yourself.

Today was a busy day at the Ranch, with Dewey Campbell, our excellent farrier, busy trimming and putting shoes on all our horses.  Horses need shoes to protect their feet from rocks and rough surfaces and to correct for uneven growth rates.    Dewey trims and balances each foot, and then custom fits a shoe. �

The basic skill of the farrier has not changed in hundreds of years, although now-a-days there are some new materials on the market for specialty needs.  Each shoe requires between six to eight nails, and the nails range from 1 ½ inches long to three inches.  The shoes Dewey uses are made from cold rolled steel.

Dewey has been shoeing horses for 21 years and received his education at the Oklahoma Farrier College.  He comes to the ranch every six to eight weeks.   If he’s here when you visit be sure to take a peek at his work – it is a very important part of horse keeping.

The farrier's tools.

Dewey trims each foot.

The shoe is custom made.

Our latest building project at Seventy-Four Ranch is the addition of a new building that is attached to our Western Village.  This building will provide us with temporary storage and eventually become a primitive cabin complete with a woodstove and great views of the pasture.

All our cabins have been built by Jim Wilson – from ideas to finished product we always love what he designs.    Jim takes great pride in his work, and loves creating authentic rustic buildings for us, in keeping with our western theme and the skills we are preserving.

Jim unloads the lumber.

The walls go up.

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