VE RANCH HORSES

"Burton Beck founded the original Vera Earl Ranch (VE) in 1968. 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 continued the VE legacy, including Burton's quarter horse operation, until her passing in 2000. Her daughter, Cynthia, acquired the ranch and, with her son, Ian Tomlinson, pushed it forward, evolving the VE ranching tradition and building on the family's belief in an "ecosystem-wide" management approach. Although not involved in the day-to-day operations, Ian’s siblings, Sean Tomlinson, Sarah Tomlinson, and Rachel Preston remain inextricably connected to the ranch and its mission of not to 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.

VE horses are used year-round for gathering cattle, branding calves, and sorting during the spring/fall work. They start as versatile two-year-olds, focusing on learning to track and gather cattle outside. At three, they move into more advanced ranch work, including branding and doctoring, and apply their training in other areas. Throughout all this time, VE decides which horses to offer for sale and which to keep for work on the ranch. VE is accepted as an AQHA RANCHING HERITAGE BREEDER (would hyper-link to: https://www.aqha.com/disciplines/ranching/programs/ranching-heritage-programs/aqha-ranching-heritage-breeders).

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

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