RANCH LIFE 

Life at Broken Arrow Ranch and Sanctuary is made up of more than rescue alone.

It is daily care, seasonal work, land restoration, quiet moments, and the steady rhythm of a place built to give horses, burros, and mules safety for life.

Around the Ranch is where we share some of that everyday story. From winter feeding rounds and fresh ranch eggs to habitat restoration and the simple beauty of the bunkhouse in winter, these moments reflect the heart of sanctuary life in Central Oregon.

Every task matters here. Every chore supports the herd. Every improvement to the land helps create a healthier future for the animals who call Broken Arrow home.

Broken Arrow is a working sanctuary. Care happens in every season, in all kinds of weather, and in ways both big and small. Some days that means feeding horses before sunrise. Some days it means restoring creek corridors, maintaining equipment, tending the flock, or creating spaces where people can pause, gather, and recharge.

This page offers a closer look at the daily work and meaningful moments that shape life around the ranch.

Winter Feeding

Daily care does not pause for winter. Morning hay still goes out, the herd still waits with quiet trust, and the work continues under cloudy skies and among the junipers.

Winter feeding rounds are a simple but powerful reminder of what sanctuary means. The Cushman loaded, the horses watching, and the steady devotion of showing up every single day. In every season, the herd knows they have found their home forever.

Our flock is part of ranch life too, and their eggs help support the work of the sanctuary.

Broken Arrow ranch eggs are available at Blissful Heart in Bend. Every purchase helps support the care of our rescued herd while giving people a chance to enjoy eggs raised on open land with thoughtful stewardship.

Good eggs doing good work.

Gathering Eggs

Bunkhouse at Christmas

The bunkhouse reflects another side of life at Broken Arrow. It is a place of warmth, quiet, and restoration in its own way.

At Christmastime, reclaimed wood, a glowing wood stove, and the stillness of the Oregon high desert come together to create a space that already feels full of soul. It is a gathering place, a refuge, and a home away from home. The work of sanctuary depends on spaces like this too, where people can rest and return to the work renewed.

Meet the Pole Creek Restoration Crew

Mark

Andrew

Austin

The Team

  • Mark keeps the work moving by servicing the chainsaw between cuts, sharpening the chain, topping off the bar oil, and making sure the equipment is ready for the next stretch of work. Well-maintained tools matter when there is serious restoration to be done, and Mark’s steady hands help keep the project running strong.

  • Austin and the Bobcat A770 are essential to the Pole Creek crew. Heavy lifting, clearing, stacking, and opening the land back up to sky and water all begin here. His work helps transform cut material into visible progress on the ground. It is satisfying work, and it shows.

  • Andrew, chainsaw in hand and stump at his feet, represents what restoration looks like in real time. One less juniper drawing water from the creek. One more step toward a healthier watershed. The work is physical, intentional, and tied directly to the future of this landscape.

    Together, the crew clears with purpose, leaves shelter where it matters for horses and wildlife, and restores the land with care.

“To be whole is to be in right relationship with all that is.”.

— Unknown