WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A RANCHING HERITAGE AQHA BREEDER WITH
RANCHO LA CHIMENEA There’s a lot that goes into breeding a great ranch horse and Rancho La Chimenea has years of experience figuring it out. BY TIFFANY SELCHOW
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xpect the unexpected, but in the best way possible, when you talk to Ricardo Platt of Rancho La Chimenea. To start, his name brings together two worlds, an insightful observation of his heritage and what he and his family continue to accomplish. Ricardo was born and raised in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, but his greatgreat-grandfather Frederick Platt immigrated from New York to Sonora around 1860. There Frederick married a local girl from a small Mexican town. The family developed a long history of ranching in the state of Sonora, leading us to today. Social media was the impetus behind this story, and Ricardo’s dedication to his family’s ranch and horses led to the development of their social media marketing plan. The social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook (@rancholachimenea) are focused primarily on the US market for horses, but the ranch’s primary focus is raising seed stock cattle for commercial ranchers in Sonora and a big game for hunters. Horses from Rancho La Chimenea come with a different pedigree than most would think in a horse from Sonora and much different than in many modern ranch horses in the US. These horses and their lineage are carefully considered for what the cattle ranch needs, which, as it turns out, is something a recreational equestrian in the United States might also require. A horse with a job typically makes the best kind. Horses from La Chimenea’s breeding program start life in a pasture with their mothers and, after weaning, are turned out into pastures around the ranch headquarters, which is situated thirty minutes outside of Hermosillo. The herds graze and forage most of the day and typically come in once daily for water. This provides an excellent opportunity to interact with the animals, which leads to horses with friendly dispositions. That attitude also comes from careful genetic selection. At three to four years of age, a much later start than the common practice on most ranches in the U.S., horses are taken to the colt starter, where they learn their job. And their job is to be a ranch horse who can walk at a steady clip, last all day, move cattle, check waters, and perform many other tasks, all with a personable and agreeable attitude. Oh, and this particular breeding program prefers if they look good while doing it. By design, horses are started later in life because their lineage lends them to slower maturing. Once they are done learning the ropes, it’s time to get to work. After their time with the colt starter, they are sent to one of the three other ranch locations where they are assigned to a cow camp man. Camp men are on horseback daily and generally make two big circles a day, meaning many miles are covered. The circles and the work involved could range from checking cattle to fence to water, depending on the time of year. Some horses will stay as camp horses for the majority of their lives. Others will return to the La Chimenea breeding program, while some will be sold to the right home for the right reason. The primary reason for breeding their horses at La Chimenea is for the ranch and the work required there, but many aspects of their lineage and training also make for good recreational horses.
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