Ride beautiful horses close to home
AMY DAVIDSON PHOTO
If anyone wants a breath of fresh air and a calming place for your mindset, The Impressive Dogwood Horse Ranch near Milan is the place to go see. As the horses graze in the fields with the backdrop of the beautiful, wooded area, the sight is just breathtaking. Ron Brandes, owner, made this all possible for the community to enjoy.
Brandes told The Versailles Republican, “It all started when a friend of mine asked me to teach her special needs son to learn how to ride a horse. He (the son) thought the horses had magic because the quarter horses had spots on them and he thought the spots were magic dust!”
Brandes has been teaching for over 20 years. He has taken many special needs children to the Special Olympics. He loves being able to give them a dream come true of riding a horse. He has ages 2- to 80-year-olds that come out to experience his ranch, which has opportunities for all ages. There are riding programs and lessons available.
The Impressive Dogwood Horse Ranch offers tours for everyone. Organizations such as Girl Scouts, Brownies and Church groups have used the facility. The Ranch also works with some 4-H competition. There are regulations with 4-H though so some limitation may take precedence in their program offering.
As Brandes got older, he knew he needed to hire someone to help run the Ranch. The Ranch has its own Board of Directors that helps him with the best financial decisions of the business as it keeps growing.
Hailey Wolpert came to work for Brandes in 2017. She went to school for Equine Management at Butler Tech and is now the Barn Manager. Hailey stated to The Versailles Republican, “I started riding when I was seven. It helped me through my struggles and mental therapy. I wanted to give back to everyone the experiences that helped me.”
Recently the Ranch had Girl Scout Troop #01417, from Milan, come out for a tour and to help the Scouts get their merit badges. The Scout leaders Melissa Buehler, Sarah Singer and Jaquelyn Bolling wanted the girl scouts not only to have a fun day earning their Fun Patch but to be able to work for a merit badge in Bit ‘n Bridle. During the two hour tour, the girls experienced and learned a lot about safety, tour of the barn, basic feeding, cleaning stalls and shavings, grooming and tacking up time (saddling) as part of completing their merit badge. Buehler, Scout leader, stated, “Hailey was absolutely amazing and very knowledgeable. The girls loved her and really listened to everything she had to say. For the adult chaperones it was like taking a step in time. The Ranch was beautiful.”
Some visitors have never been around a horse and Hailey and Ron make it an experience of a lifetime. The Ranch also has two volunteers, Rylee Downey and Calli Veid, that are also involved in 4-H Milan Wranglers. They help any free time they have. Hailey told The Versailles Republican, “It takes a village to run this whole place.” Hailey works seven days a week, and just loves being around the horses.
Hailey currently has 15 students taking lessons. She works around parents’ schedules so that her students can have a great experience learning about riding and not be an inconvenience for parents in their schedules. She teaches everyone that comes to learn to ride, groom and basic care of horses. Older riders can learn to help saddle. The Ranch’s number #1 motto is Safety First!” Brandes stated, “The horses have a mouth, and they have feet. We believe in safety first and always make sure to have riders and guests out of the horse’s own space. You just never know.”
Brandes concluded, “I just love the kids and their stories.” He hopes to keep his Ranch going for many more years for everyone to be able to come out to experience the nature of his horses and the beautiful land to see.
The Ranch is financially run by donations and from the money they earn from teaching lessons and tours. They have many expenses that always need covered with vet bills, blacksmith, feed and someone to help with the hay.
You can contact Hailey at 513-519-5015 or Ron at 812-621-1112. They will be happy to set up lessons or tours. They also offer boarding.
