Boy are we thankful for 2024. Here are some highlights from a busy year:

We continue to be blessed with a happy and healthy family and “chosen family” here on the V6. Here’s what everyone was up to this year:

• Jack turned 89 and Zee turned 87 and both are fit as a fiddle. They check water every day in their new side by side with heating and air conditioning, this year they got back in the saddle for the first time in a while, and Jack saw the Great Sequoias for the first time. Jack wrote a lot of blogs this year, so you can catch up on his new ideas and adventures here. He also had two articles published in his favorite publication ever Stockman’s Grassfarmer.

• Per usual, John and Barb had a million irons in the fire. Between the Parkfield Cafe & Lodge, hosting guests on the ranch, and day to day ranch work they kept pretty busy but they managed to get off of the ranch for a hiking trip through Switzerland.

• Brinan and Jessy got hitched in March and Brinan is partnering on cattle with Jack on the ranch.

• Lauren and Cian got hitched in June. Lauren has been helping out in the kitchen and heading off the marketing for the ranch. Cian has kept busy as a sound engineer running Middle Ridge Studio and working at concerts around the country including shows in the Bahamas and a tour of the East Coast.

• Kathryn rodeoed and ranched on her boyfriend Seth’s family ranch in Colorado for the summer. She also has been training and raising barrel horses, keeping us all in line on the ranch, managing our bookings, and is in the process of opening up a V6 Ranch online store (coming soon!).

• Annie held on to her title of “The Friendliest Person on the V6 Ranch”, she got Pablo all trained up, and her cackle was heard all the way up and down the string.

• Lil and Mike continue to run cattle all over the country with Massey Livestock, while also raising some BEAUTIFUL horses and trying to break the world record for the largest herd of weiner dogs. Lil also ran another amazing year of V6 Ranch Cattle Drives.

• Sammy had a great year of competing on the Cal Poly Rodeo Team and recently made her way to Australia for a quarter studying abroad.

• Sage trained and raised some incredible horses in California and Montana and helped run everyone’s favorite rodeo Parkfield Ranch Rodeo.

• Katy continues to train barrel horses and compete across the state as well as running cattle and being an all around cowgirl.

• Kayla hosted another great Parkfield Ranch Rodeo with Sage, kept things rolling at Massey Livestock and her boys Hank and Jack went into first grade and preschool this year.

• Greg fought fires all over California this year with Varian Excavating while Trisha raised and trained some great dogs at Varian Kennels.

• Cade got his helicopter license and lives the dream every day.

• Rhett guided hunts in Alaska at the northernmost pack station in North America.

• Zach competed at PRCA rodeos across the country and ran his welding business in Texas.

• Our “adopted” family Quentin and Casey Hall have been busy with their little guy Haze and have a little girl on the way this spring. Quentin Hall Horses have been winning at the big team roping futurities and Quentin and his horses made their annual trip to Las Vegas where he works in the arena for the NFR and provides horses for the Miss Rodeo America Competition and the contestant grand entry.

• Our other “adopted” family Ty and Macey Shintaku have a little one on the way in February.

• “Adopted” brother Ian Reeder-Thompson moved back to Virginia to spend time with family, but he’ll still be joining us on the ranch each Spring and Fall.

Meanwhile back on the ranch we had an incredible year that was kicked off with a great rainy season and an explosion in plant and wildlife. All of the rain made for tall grass, fat cattle, and happy ranchers. We had a successful first pistachio harvest after an eight year wait and next year’s crop is looking great. We were deeply honored to be named as one of Holistic Management International’s Leaders in Regenerative Agriculture. We had a full calendar of adventures and activities on the ranch making for a great year of riding with old and new friends. We were featured in Horse Illustrated, Western Horseman, and Stockman’s Grassfarmer. Our friends Richard & Cheryl Winters, Lester Buckley, Julie Renfro, Bruce Sandifer, Jeff Derby, and Chris Ellsworth all hosted first-class horsemanship clinics on the ranch, and Airstream Club International had a fun filled Cali Rally. Up at Middle Ridge Studio new music was recorded, music videos were filmed, and we enjoyed an intimate concert under the stars.

In the town of Parkfield we hosted the 24th annual Parkfield Bluegrass Festival, the 30th annual Parkfield Ranch Rodeo, the 11th annual Early Californio Skills of the Rancho, and Artisan’s Fall Roundup. The Parkfield Cafe kept serving up good ole California BBQ and hosted lots of fun car clubs, motorcycle groups, and earthquake tours. At the Parkfield Lodge we enjoyed guests from around the world who soaked up life in the Cowboy Side of California.

We have to send out an ENORMOUS THANK YOU to all of our staff on the ranch and in Parkfield; Quentin, Annie, Juan, Jose, Tony, Mercedes, Ian, Linda, Missy, Rosie, Esther, Jesus, Alex, Keyla, Deanna, Yelene, Sophia, Jesus, Kim, and Erin and our interns this year Will and Sophie. Thank you for your amazing work and for just being all around great people to hang out with every day. We love our village ❤️

So this New Years Day you’ll find us here in Parkfield pretty grateful for the adventures and the amazing people we meet along the way. Here’s to another great year ahead. CHEERS!