History of the Newland Ranch

     The story of the Newland Ranch horses parallels the history of the settlement of the Black Hills. It is a family operation which spans three states, three centuries, and five generations. It is a horse herd firmly grounded in the ranching tradition with a eye on the future. Among the first white settlers to arrive in the Black Hills in 1876 was James A. Newland. He made camp in the Redwater Valley between present day Spearfish and Belle Fourche where he produced hay for the miners in Deadwood. A protean man, his accomplishments included engineering the Belle Fourche ditch which brought drinking water over Redwater hill without a pump. He later served in the territorial legislature.

     His son Wilbur F. Newland, moved to Colony, Wyoming at the turn of the 20th century and established the nucleus of the ranch which has always belonged to the same family. Wilbur's son James I. Newland, expanded the ranch through his own homestead and acquiring neighboring ranches as they became available. Eventually he had contiguous holdings in Montana and South Dakota as well. Jim Newland passed away last year at the age of 91, he continued to live on his homestead until his passing. In the early days transportation was horseback or horse drawn of necessity. James I. Newland made the choice to remain horseback and never bothered to learn to drive a car.

     As the 21st century begins, Jim's son Wilbur H. Newland, and his equal partner Dawn, continue to build on the heritage with their four fine sons. They have designed a breeding program with the needs of the modern horseman in mind, producing horses that excel in a wide variety of events. The ranch now stretches from the sagebrush, hardpan, and gumbo of Colony, Wyoming to the slate rock and mountain meadows of Deerfield, South Dakota. The rugged terrain demands versatile and dependable saddle horses. The remount style of horses of Jim's day have given way to the Doc Bar progeny the Newlands raise today. Wilbur remembers his skepticism when he first saw a Doc Bar colt and thought, "No doubt they can cut a cow in a pen, but what do you ride to gather cows to bring to the pen?" One ride, however, convinced him that Doc Bars are more than equal to the outside circle and whatever else comes up. Today almost every mare they own goes back to Doc Bar; most of their pedigrees show him top and bottom. Believing firmly that every good horse has a good mother, the Newlands prove every mare under saddle before she earns the right to be a broodmare. If you need proof that Doc Bar horses need not be fine boned nor short statured, it would be worth your while to look at the geldings the Newlands ride.

     In a brilliant career move Wilbur married Dawn Lange, who was the owner of Lucky Joe Lynx by Doc's Lynx. This beautiful black stallion sired superior ranch and arena horses, many earning their AQHA ROM's in a variety of events. Lucky Joe's daughters are the heart of the Newland Ranch broodmare band. Knowing that nothing earthly lasts forever, Wilbur and Dawn searched for years and for thousand of miles to find a suitable successor to Lucky Joe. Many excellent stallions auditioned for the job, but were rejected because they couldn't match the standards set by Lucky Joe Lynx. Back in 1999 when they first laid eyes on the yearling Kings Mr Gold they knew their search was over. King went on to make a impact in the Ranches breeding program and show records.  With the help of trainer Justin Lawrence, King made his mark by winning all three rounds and average of the SDRCHA Futurity in 2001, and his impressive list of wins continued to build in 2002 and in 2003 King qualified for the AQHA World Show earning his AQHA ROM in Working Cowhorse with 12 points and over $12,000 in LTE. (King was recently purchased by Mr Wayne Dougal of New York and will continue his winning ways being shown in Ranch Horse events.)  Just as the history of the Newland Ranch and family is inextricably intertwined with the history in and around the Black Hills, they are determined to be a factor in the future of cowhorses as well.