Burttschell Ranch a place for second chances

(This is a story from the May 1, 2014, edition of The Sealy News.)
If Burttschell Ranch is about anything it’s rebirth.

Born out of the loss of a husband and father, the ranch is a place where old dogs and horses find new purpose after their former owners have put them out to pasture.
“The thing about a dog or a horse is that they give you the same thing every time,” said Chad Hugo, husband of Burttschell Ranch founder Judi Burttschell.
Burttschell Ranch is a 15-acre oasis on Hillboldt Road northwest of Sealy. It’s home to 17 horses and a dozen or so dogs, all rescued animals. Burttschell operates it as a rescue for horses and dogs, but it is much more than that. She uses the horses to teach children – many of them underprivileged – how to ride.
“These old rodeo horses are great to teach 6- and 7-year-olds how to ride rodeo,” she said.
She said horses saved her and her daughter, Boo Burttschell, when her husband Michael died suddenly in 2003 at the age of 47. She now calls on his memory to save old horses.
“Without horses, I don’t know if we would have made it,” she said.
She said Boo really struggled with her father’s passing.

Judi Burttschell works with one of the rescue horses.

 
“Horses and dogs, without them I don’t think my daughter would have survived that,” she said.
Boo Burtschell, 20, grew up on horseback, riding in rodeos every chance she got.
“I sure … didn’t have the best horses, but we made do with what we had,” she said.
Today she helps her mother and stepfather around the ranch and works for cutting horse trainer John Kirby in Brenham.
When Burttschell married Hugo she chose to keep her late husband’s name as hers and named the ranch after him when she bought it.
“The whole place is peaceful and provides so much joy in life for so many kids that I’m convinced he’s still here,” she said.
The loss of Michael was difficult, but the ranch gave purpose and hope.
“It was a way to not grieve quite so much,” she said.
Burttschell said the ranch serves to give purpose to the old and inspiration to the new. The horses come and go. Most are retired rodeo horses and others are abandoned or surrendered by owners who can no longer keep them. The dogs, mostly retrievers and similar breeds, come from all over to either live their remaining years on the ranch or to be cleaned up and given to a new home.
“I rehab everything we get,” Burttschell said.
Nearly two dozen people – mostly children – come to the ranch for riding lessons. Rather than charge a fee, Burttschell barters with them for feed. A lesson is $25 or two bags of horse feed or dog food, which cost about the same.
“If they can’t afford it they can shovel stalls; they work for it,” she said.
The children come from across the region, including places like Katy, Bay City and Bellville.
“I’m the one that’s blessed. I get to share in raising these kids,” she said.
She said the old rodeo horses are well trained and know the routines and are perfect for teaching youngsters how to ride or even compete in rodeos.
“We’re not going to win NFR (National Finals Rodeo) but we’re going to have fun,” she said.
Burttschell said she runs the ranch for the joy it brings, not for profit.
“I don’t do it for money. I have a job. This is my passion,” she said.
When horses are sold, the price is low and essentially covers the cost of caring for the animal so she can afford to buy more hay and feed. She also boards horses to help supplement the income.
“I’m not a 501c3 (nonprofit organization) but I am a 4-H Club,” she said.
She said she is passionate about helping children discover there is more to life than school and video games.
“I worry about kids not having a direction in life,” she said.
The dogs are another story. She estimates the average age of her pack to be more than 10 years.
“I don’t like to do puppies. I feel like everybody wants a puppy and nobody wants an older dog,” she said.
Whenever a stray comes in it is cleaned up, spayed or neutered, given its shots, but mostly made to feel loved and wanted. Every living thing on Burttschell Ranch is loved and wanted.
“When we get older … people don’t need to pack ’em away, we have a lot to offer,” Hugo said.
The family has learned that when they breathe new life into an older animal or invest time in a young child that the rewards are beyond measure.
“When you help other people it comes back to you twofold,” he said.
Hugo said it’s the simple things in life that make such a big difference in the life of the rescued animals and the people the animals help rescue.
“We’re not an adoption agency or a rescue. What we are is an opportunity for a person who’s in a bad situation,” he said.
He said as long as they enjoy the affection of an old dog or horse and the smile and confidence of a child that they will keep doing what they do.
“You can always give somebody your attention and it doesn’t cost you a thing,” he said.