When one thinks of a western cattle ranch - grass, cattle, cowboys and horses come to mind - and in this respect Rushcreek Land & Cattle Co. is a typical ranch. But when it comes to the horses that the cowboys depend upon to do their work, Rushcreek is not typical at all. The horses at Rushcreek are purebred Arabians.

(from 1998 Western Horseman:)
"In 1945, the Rushcreek remuda numbered about 1000 head of mixed-breed horses, mostly of the cavalry remount type: a combination of Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, Morgans, Mustangs and Draft horses. Part of the ranch's need for so many horses arose from the fact that many of them were too rank to break. Even the 'gentle' horses had to be walked for the first mile every morning, and chow time looked like a hospital emergency room, with all the casts and stitches on the hired help. The waste of horseflesh and the toll they were taking on the ranch hands bothered Preston Wells, son of the Rushcreek founder, Tom Wells. So that year he sought the advice of his friend, Albert W. Harris, an expert horseman as well as the founder of a top Chicago bank. Harris was very taken with the temperaments of the Arabians he had seen used as Calvary horses in Europe during the war. So impressed was Harris that when he returned from Europe he founded the Arabian Horses Registry of America. Naturally, he advised Preston to cross his mares with an Arabian stallion.

Later that year, a rangy gray colt named Khadine was purchased from Harris and brought to Rushcreek. Khadine was joined two years later by the yearling stud colt, Garyb, and some Half-Arabian mares. But the outstanding endurance, disposition and intelligence of the Arabians soon argued for a purebred herd. Over the next few years, five purebred mares came to live in Lisco, and it is from these foundation mares that all the ranch horses are descended. One of these mares, Raga, was also listed as a foundation mare with the American Jockey Club, which was still accepting approved Arabians in the Thoroughbred stud book."

For the past sixty years Rushcreek Arabians have been bred and selected for their temperament, their soundness and their toughness. The ranch hands were required to ride the ranch horses, and they needed dependable mounts.

The two year olds were broke and got about 30 rides on them; they were then issued out to the cowboys on the cattle ranches. The cowboys would take the young horses on and use them in their day-to-day work, however not all the horses would work for the cowboys. If that was the case then the cowboy would turn the horse back to the horse ranch and those were the horses that were sold. Many of these 'rejects' were sold as Endurance propects - and these were the horses that made the name for the Rushcreek horses in the Endurance Riding world. To date, over 200 Rushcreek horses have been campaigned in Endurance.

In July of 2007 things changed on the ranch. The cowboys were now able to ride their own horses to do their day-to-day work. So at that time the Arabians on the cattle ranches became available for sale and as the cowboys get their own horses the rest of the Arabians will be put on the for sale list. We will continue raising the Arabians for the purpose of selling them.