The term “cowboy” often conjures images of the Wild West, where rough and rugged men on horseback roamed the countryside. Wild Bill Hickok and Wyatt Earp are legendary, and while they may not have been cowboys in the truest sense of the word, they were strong, self-reliant and hard working. The quintessential cowboy was honorable and took pride in a job well done.
For Scottsville residents Mike and Kelly Williams, owners of the Painted Horse Ranch, the spirit of the American cowboy is alive and well. The husband and wife duo are living their longtime dream of operating a cattle business and horse-training facility.

Mike, a native of Staunton, worked in the building industry for nearly 30 years, but is no greenhorn when it comes to farming and livestock. He has worked around horses and cattle for most of his life. Kelly grew up in Chicago, but has lived in Virginia for the last 25 years and considers it home. Though she didn’t get involved with horses until later in life, she shares her husband’s passion for ranching. When the housing industry started to decline several years ago, the Williams family took it as a sign to make a change. 

“This is what we wanted to do,” Kelly said. “The housing industry kind of helped us make that decision, because as it started to go south we were like, ‘This is a perfect time to really shed everything else and have a second act.’”

The Williams’ horse-training facility focuses primarily on behavioral issues. They are pioneering new methods which aren’t typically used by most trainers and prefer to call themselves “behaviorists.”
“Traditional training methods ... sometimes what happens is it’s a ‘one size fits all’ philosophy, but that isn’t what works for many of these horses,” Kelly said.

Rather than pushing the horse to progress, they let each animal set the pace. Each horse is unique and requires personalized attention. The Williams stress the importance of having everyone on the same page—the rider, the trainer and the horse.

A recent study revealed that 80 percent of equestrians are between the ages of 40 and 59, and 90 percent of those riders are females. Safety is a very big concern, as many of the older riders tend to be more fearful. Matching a rider with the appropriate horse is something the Painted Horse Ranch takes very seriously. 

“If you can’t find the right horse and we can’t fit you with it, we’re not interested in just selling horses. That’s not our goal. And just to take every horse in for training to make a dollar, that’s not what we’re after,” Mike said.

Traditionally, younger horses receive little to no training until they’re 3 years old. These horses can be quite a handful when attempts are finally made to train them. To resolve this problem, Mike and Kelly created the Weanling to Ride program. Riders will send their newly weaned horses to the ranch where they’re free to run and socialize with other young horses. Once they are 7 or 8 months old, the Williams’ will begin handling them. Because of this, the horses will already have some manners by the time the owners are ready to ride.

They are currently working with a thoroughbred that was shipped over from Ireland. He was suffering from severe ulcers which were causing him to buck and rear. The horse has spent four or five months at the ranch and the Williams are proud of the progress he’s made.

Another undertaking of the Williams is their cattle business. They have about 100 head of Angus and Angus cross cattle spread out over two farms. One holds the stocker operation. The other holds
the cow-calf operation—the mothers that replenish the herds. It is the Williams’ goal to raise high-quality beef in a natural setting with as little antibiotics as possible. 

Mike said, “We try not to give them any, but we’re not going to let one suffer.”

Mike and Kelly use traditional cowboy methods to run their ranch. Fences are checked twice a week on horseback, a process known as “prowling the properties.” They brand their cattle with their own registered Virginia brand. Additionally, they make their own hay, but are striving to work more toward high-intensity low-frequency grazing, a process that preserves grass longer throughout the year. 
“Grass is important because the better quality your forage, then the better body condition you can keep your cattle in,” said Mike.

They work 12-hour days and have no hired help. 

“Mike and I are it. We do all of the work,” Kelly said.

The Painted Horse Ranch is hoping to start a camp for people that want a taste of the cowboy lifestyle. “Now that we have the ability, we can do weekends where people want a riding camp like a traditional out-west kind of thing. And we can build more of the adult kind of camp thing ... but give them a whole experience of what it’d be like to do a weekend ranching operation,” Kelly said. They want to keep the camps as small as possible so everyone can get the most from the experience.

The Williams are very accomplished competitors in the cow/horse event circuit, but they are humble about their success. 

“We’ve won multiple saddles. We’ve got buckles and stuff, but the reason you don’t just see them thrown out here in the room is ... any event that’s a team event takes a total team. And that’s what it’s about is the team effort,” said Mike.

They are trying to protect the cowboy way of life, a lifestyle that is becoming endangered. 

Kelly said, “As land gets swallowed up in development, that cowboy tradition and the life of the cowboy is becoming harder and harder to keep going. We have a real commitment, especially being on the East Coast, to keep that cowboy tradition alive and to be able to spread it to the next generation and let them be able to experience the hard work, the camaraderie, the love of the land, the love of the animal, and all of those things.”