Aspen Meadows Ranch was originally part of Castle Rock Land and Livestock and the operating company of Ensign Ranches.   The combined operation ran over 6,000 mother cattle, farmed thousands of acres, and operated a small cattle feedlot.  As part of this operation, horses were critical and a small breeding program developed with a goal of providing hearty and talented horses to be used in the herding, roping, sorting, and management of the cattle.  We still have some of our original mares and their babies are usually the first to go as they have gained the respect of local ranchers and cowboys who use them everyday in their business and then take them to weekend roping events.  In 2003, the Allens decided it was time to split off from their partners and spend more time on their horse passion and enjoy the benefits of having their own business. The current ranch is 16,000 acres, located in Echo Canyon Utah and running through portions of Utah and Wyoming.  The closest towns are Evanston, Wyoming and Coalville, Utah. 

Horse Operation:  What began as an effort to provide high quality horses to support a 6,000-head cattle operation, has expanded into one of the intermountain west’s top breeding programs.  Aspen Meadows Ranch offers today’s top bloodlines with proven performance histories with the added athleticism and strength that comes from being raised in large mountain Ranch pastures.  All our young horses are raised in large mountain pastures and learn from day one how to use their bodies to move up and down the mountains.  These pastures teach the horses how to know where their feet are at all times (watch out for the badger holes!), how to accept change and diversity, and even how to handle some surprises (a bull elk is quite a site for a young horse).  Studies have also shown that early physical conditioning in horses helps them with muscle building and aerobic conditioning throughout their lives.   In addition to running a large band of broodmares and raising young horses, the ranch stands several stallions for stud services, and always has prospects in training.

Wildlife Program:  We are blessed that our ranch contains a variety of mountain terrain that ranges from lush green meadows to groves of aspen trees.  This is ideal habitat for wildlife.  Our wildlife program is managed by a professional biologist with a goal of maximizing opportunities for wildlife to thrive, giving the owners the benefit of interacting with these great animals as well as some extra income from hunting.  Over the last few years, our mule deer hunting program has gained national notoriety with average Boon and Crocket scores that can compete with the best (195 average).  We also hunt moose and elk and have a particularly large herd of elk that moves off the adjacent National Forest lands to spend the winter on our land.  We try to manage our feed to make sure we provide some extra for the elk during our long, cold winters. 

Aspen Meadows Ranch is owned and operated by Dave and Loke Allen and their daughters Sarah and Mary. They are proud to offer ranch-raised performance horses of proven pedigree. Both Dave and Loke grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah and while Loke grew up around horses and cattle at her family’s ranch, Dave spent his early years selling soda pop and golf balls to golfers on his neighborhood course and skiing in Utah’s great mountains. Dave and Loke meet while studying at Cambridge University in England (summer program).  Shortly after marriage, they moved to New York City where Loke helped put Dave through Columbia Law School. After exploring international law and the prospect of New York’s big firms, Dave and Loke decided to move back to the beautiful mountain life they had grown up with. Dave practiced corporate and real estate law for several years when he dreamed up what at the time seemed like a strange scheme, to buy one of the largest ranches in Utah, then owned by the Anschutz family.  Teaming up with a partner (Dave was still paying off student loans), they put together a real estate plan that in 1995 found them in possession of 135,000 acres of ranch land. This operation was quickly merged with the historic operations of Dave’s partners and soon they were running 6,000 mothers cows, farming thousands of acres, and the Allen’s quickly fell in love with this way of life.  Several years ago, they decided to split off from their partners and focus on their dreams of building a legacy for their family and pursuing the expansion of the horse program. Dave is currently working on variousreal estate development projects. Loke in the mean time spends her days shuttling back and forth from Park City to the ranch trying to keep the family and ranch organized and on schedule. In their rare spare time, the Allens enjoy scuba diving and getting out of the cold weather in Cozumel, Mexico.

Sarah and Mary are both attending Park City High School. They are an intricate part of ranch operations and decisions. They help with our breeding program, colt starting and sales preparations, The girls are passionate with their parents about showing, reined cow horses. Once again this year they both were in the top ten Youth in the NRCHA.

Katie Walker, Breeding manager, grew up in Texas riding, training and breeding horses on the Pitchfork Ranch and the Four Sixes. Katie has her AS in Equine Science from Laramie County Community College ("LCCC"), Cheyenne, WY and her AAS in Equine Training and Management from LCCC. In 2005, Katie did an equine internship for Ken and Ramona Wold focusing on breeding and colt starting. 2007 she completed her BS in Animal Science from Oklahoma State. Katie lives in Lyman, Wyoming with her husband Matt Walker.

Dario Patino, Grounds Supervisor, keeps the ranch running and looking good. He keeps all the stalls immaculate and the horses fat. Dario is an indispensable part of the ranch. He lives at Aspen Meadows Ranch with his two sons and his wife Angelica.

Zeph Schulz currently manages operations at the ranch and trains outside horses for many clients, as well as some horses for Aspen Meadows. He has had great success with AMR Just Plain Smart (LTE: $15,000+) and has a couple of futurity prospects in training for AMR. He is supported by his wife Liz and his four children that also live on the ranch. The Schulz family is a wonderful addition to the ranch.