Haythorn Land & Cattle Co. -- Arthur, NE

Business Name: Haythorn Land & Cattle Co.
Business Type: Quarter Horses, cattle ranch
Address: 193 Haythorn Dr.
City: Arthur
State: NE
Zip: 69121
Phone: 308-355-4000
Web Address: www.haythorn.com
Rust Reviews Listing: Not available
Comments: After a bad experience buying a quarter horse at an auction, a friend recommended that I look at the horses available at some of the old-time ranches with legendary ranch horse programs. He recommended the Haythorn Ranch as one of those to take a look at. I checked the Haythorn website and found several likely geldings listed and then I called for more information. Loriann, at the Haythorn, listened to my description of the horse I was looking for and then suggested that I come up to Nebraska to take a look at a 10 year old gelding they had for sale. It was easier, and less expensive than I thought to get there with a flight from Houston to Denver on Southwest and then a 3-4 hour drive to Ogallala, NE. I was at the ranch in the morning, talked to Loriann about the gelding, watched her ride him, rode him myself around the ring, and then she opened the gate and let me take him out for a ride across the ranch. We went through a herd of yearling horse, passed herds of cattle, rode by irrigation equipment, trotted and loped and the gelding did great. I decided to buy him and paid a fair price that was representative of what I had been seeing online for a horse of his experience and bloodlines. After the ride, I met Craig Haythorn and some of his crew for lunch before heading back to Denver.

I've got the gelding back in Texas now, and he is as good here as he was in Nebraska. He's well-trained, has lots of cow, is gentle, and has the best feet I've seen on a horse in a long time. My friend's advice was right on -- if you want a great ranch horse that's been raised and trained right, you'll do well to deal with a ranch that has a reputation for quality and fair dealing going back to the 1880s. The Haythorn is one such ranch, and it's the first place I'll look next time I'm in the market.