VE RANCH HORSES

The original Vera Earl Ranch (VE) was founded in 1968 by Burton Beck. It was run, and still is, as a cow-calf operation nestled in the Sonoita Valley, and now spans from the base of the Santa Rita Mountains in the west, across the valley and over the Whetstones to the San Pedro River in the east. In 1977, his wife, Bettie Ann, took the reins after his passing and furthered the VE legacy, which included Burton's quarter horse operation until her passing in 2000. The ranch was acquired by her daughter, Cynthia Tomlinson, and, with her son, Ian Tomlinson, they pushed forward, evolving the VE ranching tradition and building on the family's belief in an "ecosystem-wide" management approach. In other words, VE does not manage for a single species, i.e., cattle, but instead manages for the entire ecosystem that allows all life, grasses, wildlife, horses, and cattle to thrive.

In 2022, with the hiring of trainers Bailey & Karter Bearup, the ranch officially expanded to include the Vera Earl Ranch & Performance Horses. With backgrounds in colt starting, cutting, cowhorse, and team roping disciplines, the two worked with Ian and daughter Addison Tomlinson to establish the VE program, which included breeding to bring the VE Ranch horse to the show arenas.

VE horses are used year-round for gathering cattle, branding calves, and sorting during the spring/fall works. They start as versatile two-year-olds, focusing on learning to track and gather cattle outside. Upon turning three, they continue to more advanced work on the ranch, including branding and doctoring, as well as applying their training in other areas. At the end of their three-year-old year, those selected go on to become show horses, while others are assigned to one of the cowboys' ranch strings until they are eventually sold as made ranch horses.

VE goals revolve around breeding, raising, and riding versatile, all-around performance horses with reputable pedigrees. VE strives to bring performance horse athletic ability to ranch strings and the show arena, while still focusing on a working horse foundation.

The VE slogan is simple: "Not just good breeding, but quality where it counts."