Spotting a tractor for sale on the side of the road as a little girl, Sarah exclaimed, “STOP! We have to buy that tractor for our farm!” Although Sarah did not grow up on a farm or need a tractor at the time, it has always been her dream to have a ranch. Now a mother of three, Sarah and her husband Galen Phillips are living out their dream of raising their family on a ranch.
This time last year, Galen and Sarah asked Sarah’s parents, Mike and Ruth Butterfield if they could come over and talk over an idea. They presented to them a business plan they had put together to buy the old Diamond Sky Ranch in Conifer and turn it into a family ranch for all of them to work together. After considering what that would mean to their life, Mike and Ruth wanted in.
With many low offers being considered by the bank that owned Diamond Sky, realtor friends of the family talked to the bank and helped them negotiate the purchase. Galen worked to get the zoning changed to A-2 from commercial and the forty acres become their Red Hawk Ranch.
Galen worked as a contractor for years and presently, in addition to working with his families security business, he is the ranch manager at Red Hawk Ranch. Mike has been a Lieutenant with South Metro Fire for twenty eight years and helps with the ranch operations. Sarah a nurse and Ruth a teacher by trade, manage the books for Red Hawk Ranch.
Galen grew up in Conifer showing cattle, sheep and hogs. He is a natural hand with horses with a background in rodeo events. Galen is a student of ranching and cattle and they are working to build a modest herd of cattle to supply the area with locally raised beef. The fifteen acres of timothy will help supply the horses and cattle with feed.
Red Hawk Ranch provides boarding for a maximum of fourteen horses, but their main horse focus is to have active arenas with a focus on training. Tucker Black is training out of the facility and putting on clinics and the 4-H Traildusters group is using the indoor and outdoor arenas two to three times a week. In addition to improvements on both arenas and the barns, including adding a wash stall and fully remodeled restroom, they are working to put in a PA system for clinics and shows.
Sarah’s sister Becky rode at Praying Hands in Parker for twelve years for fun and as therapy for her Autism. With a direct connection to the benefits of equine therapy, Ruth and Sarah are looking into offering therapeutic riding out of Red Hawk Ranch.
It didn’t take Mike the fire Lieutenant long to figure out how to handle the twenty acres of timber. Long overdue for management, a local Wildland Team Certification was held at the ranch to not only practice and prepare for wildfires, but to start cleaning up the forest portion of the ranch.
Fulfilling Sarah and Galen’s dream to have a ranch, the four of them work to make it
a nice, functional working ranch for their family. Owning such a place with all of its amenities and possibilities, Mike, Ruth, Galen and Sarah recognize how blessed they are to have the property and want to share it with the community by meeting needs where they can. Look for more events and offerings to come!
Galen and Sarah just had a baby girl, Kylie on May 2nd who joins her brothers Colton and Gage.
For a small fee they are offering open riding on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10am – 6pm. Contact information: Galen 303-523-8698, galen@rhrconifer.com or Mike at 303-829-3594 or mike@rhrconifer.com. Visit their website for the latest, www.rhrconifer.com. 12754 US HWY 285, Conifer, CO 80433.
