By Kayleen Holder
Mr. Jackie Keith knew he born to be a cowboy at a very young age. He landed his first job working gates at the auction barn in Frio County when he was just a young boy, 13 years old. Jackie and his wife Jody now run a very unique and well-respected horse business in South Texas. It’s been in operation for nearly three decades, and this year, the Keiths decided to settle down on a little piece of land closer to home, right here in Devine.
“The idea was to slow down, but it hasn’t happened yet,” Mr. Keith said with a big smile beneath his cowboy hat.
Sitting at a picnic table under the shade tree for most of our interview, it’s as clear as the cool breeze that Mr. and Mrs. Keith take a lot of pride in what they do, and doing it honestly.
“We have a reputation and we stick to it,” Mr. Keith stated plainly. “If I wouldn’t put my wife or grandkids on a horse, we won’t sell it here.”
At any given time, the Keiths have between 10 and 25 horses for sale, specializing in geldings for beginner rides–whether they are 50 years old or 5 years old. And that’s part of what makes Keith Ranches unique.
“When you come out here to buy a horse, we will have a line-up of about 10 horses that meet the description of what you are looking for, so you can find the one you really like,” Mr. Keith said. “That’s what makes us different. We always have a good selection to choose from, because no two people want the same thing.”
For that reason, coupled with their reputation, people travel from all over the country to buy horses from Keith Ranches.
“We had a lady fly in from Alaska to buy a horse just the other day,” Mr. Keith said. “We delivered it to her ranch in Arizona.”
Down at the round pen, I got the chance to meet “Karl”, “Blaze”, “Dash”, “BW”, and the whole crew while they snacked on some hay, and true to what Mr. Keith said, they all have their different personalities.
When it comes to knowing a good horse, the first thing Mr. Keith looks for is a “kind eye”, he explains.
“He’s got to have a kind eye. Can’t be jumpy or jittery, but he’s got to pay attention to your cues,” Mr. Keith said. “We don’t sell horses that go from 0 to 60. They walk, they trot, and then they canter. Whatever the rider tells them to do.”
Most of the horses are recently retired from daily ranch work, and prime for trail riding.
“We have a real good cowboy who checks out every horse and rides them regularly. We take them all to the vet to get checked over too. So they have their coggins, and their feet trimmed, and teeth are floated if they need it. We do all of that beforehand. We don’t cut corners. We vet them pretty hard. Most of these horses come off working ranches when they are ready to bring in some younger horses. We have a horse for about a month before it’s ever posted for sale,” Mr. Keith said.
“No horse is bombproof, but we try to expose our horses to everything we can, traffic and all. Because I don’t know, someone may want to go ride that horse in a parade some day,” Mr. Keith said.
Mr. Keith has learned a lot about horses over the years.
“I grew up on a ranch in Pearsall. Working around the sale barns, you meet a lot of good cowboys, and you learn a lot from them,” he said. “I was up on the catwalk one day at the auction barn, and some guy looked up and asked if I wanted to work, and I said yes. I was 13 years old, working the gates. By the time I was 32, I owned the auction barn.”
While Mr. Keith worked in the horse and cattle industry most of his life, the business he is in today is one that he sort of rounded up by accident.
“What happened is I broke my neck in a car wreck,” Keith explained, and while he was recovering, he bought a couple of horses “to piddle around with.”
“Before I knew it, I had guest ranches calling, wanting to buy horses,” Keith said. “I’ve been doing it ever since.”
About twenty-five years ago, he met and married the love of his life, Jody. After battling cancer, Jody quit her job and stayed home to work on the ranch. She soon fell in love with helping families find the horses they’ve been searching for, and she became an integral part of the business.
“I’m working harder than I ever did,” she said with a smile. “I grew up on a ranch, and my daddy would stick us up on a horse and we’d go roundup, and castrate, and doctor cows, anything they needed.”
Jody showed us around her new saddle and tack shop too, filled with a huge selection of gently used reins, bridles, breast collars, stirrups, saddles, and blankets too.
“A lot of people come to buy one horse, and they leave with two or three,” Mr. Keith said, “And everything they need to go with it. You don’t have to go out and spend thousands on a fancy saddle…we have some here that are reasonably priced.”
If you come out to look at a horse, they have a cowboy who will “demo” the horse for you, before you get your turn.
“Everyone rides before they leave,” Keith said.
On that note, they stand by the horses they sell.
“Ride him for 30 days, and if in that time frame you decide you don’t like him, you can bring him back and get another one,” Keith said.
They also offer horse delivery.
Sometimes visitors leave with a few fresh eggs from Jody’s chickens too, Mr. Keith adds with a smile.
