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Retired Horses Rejuvenating Agricultural Soil

A Near Organic Operation

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We supply a natural environment for horses and help them transition to it.

The horses then provide soil enrichment so that the cattle can graze naturally. This removes the need for artificial fertilizers and chemical inputs

Horses and cattle have always been a match. Each serving each other. Historically horses have prepared the land, herded the cows, and provided the method for moving supplies. Horses have been equal to the rancher in how a ranch is provided for.

How Retired Horses Continue to Serve

A hidden benefit has been the horse’s ability to restore the land. Much of our agricultural lands have been depleted due to farming. Ranching properly restores the fertility. Your horse at Camp Rusk gives us a long term method for restoring the land which provides for the many families that get their agricultural lively hood from Camp Rusk. It also restores a natural system that is good for all of us on this planet and the native animals and plants that share the land.

Cost is kept at a minimum

$222 per 31 days provides for each horse's feed and fodder, No charge is made for use of the ranch. The horses provide fertility which offsets much of the cost. We do not use chemical fertilizers to stay as close to organic as possible. Without you, it would be quite costly to restore the land and it would most likely be lost to development.

Hooves and Teeth are kept at local cost with no standing fees. Feed cost is governed by rules set in Washington DC primarily.

History and the Families of Camp Rusk

The area known as Camp Rusk is a land restoration project of a historical note. Civil War soldiers were trained here and slaves were notified of their freedom on the same land through the reading of General Order Number 3.

The site is about 444 aces in total and is about 2 miles end to end. The land was historically used for cotton crops. Year after year of cropping depleted the land until it supported only widely spaced pasture plants with significant amounts of exposed soil.

Restoring soil to productivity is an expensive multi-year task. Over 100 families have joined us in restoring this historical property.

The many families that earn their living from the land appreciate your participation and enjoy seeing to the care of your horses.