Emerys

Emerys first came to Kokomo Ranch in June of 2023 as a gentled eight-year-old Mustang. As a yearling, he was handled and shown at a Mustang event. He later moved on to a new home and continued his ground training, but was never started under saddle.

When he came to us, our twelve-year-old daughter, Ellie, took it upon herself to make him into a horse she could ride. With the support of a local trainer and countless hours watching videos, Ellie learned what she needed to do and went to work.

A minor setback occurred one afternoon when Emerys was playing in the pasture and went head-first into a T-Post along the fence line. This resulted in an injury that required the help of a veterinarian. As a herd animal, he was so stressed by the solo trip in the horse trailer, that the sedative given to him wasn’t able to calm him. The vet struggled to sew up the wound as Emerys refused to hold still. Eventually the stitches were complete, the wound healed, and training could continue.

By the end of that summer, Ellie had Emerys saddled and was riding on her own.

Today Emerys is ridden regularly and is even used as a lesson horse at Kokomo Ranch.

Kokomo the Cow

While most people would look at Kokomo and call her a cow, she is technically a Jersey heifer. A heifer is defined as any cow who has not yet given birth to a calf. Fortunately, Kokomo is planning to change her title this summer when she gives birth to her first calf.

Jersey cows are typically used on dairy farms and are known for their rich, creamy milk. Once the calf is born, we plan to leave the baby with Kokomo, but also save some of the milk for our family.

Kokomo's story with us goes back a few years when another small farm about 10 miles away bred her mom so they could get milk for their own family. Since their goal was to have milk, they had no need to keep the young calf, so we took her home. Without a cow on site at Kokomo Ranch, we had to bottle feed her several times a day until she was old enough to eat grass. As she grew, she became very comfortable around people and now loves to have her neck scratched while eating alfalfa pellets right out of kids' hands.

Today Kokomo spends most of her days lying in the grass chewing her cud. If you aren't sure what that means, sign up for our animal care class and we will teach you all about ruminants!

Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo is one of the newest additions to Kokomo Ranch. He is a six-month old miniature mule. Mules are a hybrid species, derived from breeding a horse with a donkey. In the case of Pico, his mom is a mini horse and his dad is a mini donkey. Because they are a cross between two different equine species, mules are very unique animals that cannot reproduce on their own. The only way to breed a new mule is to start with a horse and a donkey.

These compact, hardy animals stand around 36 inches or shorter at the shoulder, making them easy to manage and ideal for smaller farms like Kokomo Ranch. Despite their small stature, miniature mules share many of the same characteristics as their larger counterparts, including strength and intelligence. With a typically friendly and patient temperament , they make excellent companions for children and adults alike. Their hard-working nature means they are also suitable for light draft work. Our goal for Pico is to someday teach him to pull a cart so kids can enjoy going for rides around the pasture.