Tucked away in the San Mateo Hills is a hidden treasure: Rancho Polhemus. In sight of suburban
back yards, but hidden from the road, this tiny jewel of a ranch is nestled in a green belt
area. Periodically, passers-by catch tantalizing glimpses of horses out to pasture, or see
small groups of trail riders traveling Polhemus Road en route to the wonderful dirt trails
adjacent to Crystal Springs Reservoir.
There is something timeless here. Intentionally run without electricity, the facility
nonetheless supports a kind of deeply felt vitality that nurtures the soul. Where else in the
thrumming heartbeat of the San Francisco Peninsula can you enter another dimension of human
existence simply by passing through a gate? Here, rank and income mean far less than your
ability with animals, your natural intelligence, your physical strength. Here, the stakes are
not wealth or power, but rather health, wholeness, and even survival. Here, you cannot hide
what is in your heart, because horses, prey animals for millions of years, have evolved a
finely-tuned ability to read us: our intentions, our fears, our exhilaration. Here, you cannot
be ruled by the clock, because Nature has a rhythm of her own that is the ultimate timekeeper.
Through its simplicity, Rancho Polhemus challenges you to integrate yourself into its lifestyle
and return improved to the world you left.
Why?
When I was a young boy, an old vaquero taught me to ride. Vaqueros knew the secrets of horses, and this one could control them with only his legs and his weight. For my first riding lesson, I spent an entire day just sitting in a small pasture where "Patches" was grazing. I wasn't allowed to speak or approach Patches - just let him get used to me being there. On the second day, I was allowed to speak to him; on the third, to touch him if he came over to me. Only after that was I allowed to get on his back.Most people now are too busy to spend entire days just hanging around their horse, but I do encourage my students to preserve one important vaquero tradition: they learn to ride a horse before they learn to ride a saddle.
About Rancho Polhemus
Who We Are
You might call us an unlikely group: a cowboy and several people with "day jobs", but we make
it work. Eldon runs ranch operations and a large group of volunteers contributes hugely to daily
responsibilities of running the ranch. Our volunteer staff makes us very proud. These are
people who will get up extra early to come feed horses and muck stalls at 7am before going to
their jobs, or who will give us a Saturday to help rebuild stalls or groom horses. They come
from countries across the globe, in many flavors of professions (academics, dot-commers,
goverment, industry), but they all share a love for the horse.
Eldon W. Kelley ("Rooster")
My name is Eldon Kelley. I'm what you would call sure 'nough a cowboy, and I've been around
horses my whole life. Up North, where I worked cattle, they call us buckaroos, and I've been
known as "Rooster" for years. I'll tell you the story sometime.
I grew up on the Peninsula, and I remember when it was filled with orchards - you could look out over the valley in the spring and see nothing but pink. My family raised horses and farmed hay in what is now East Palo Alto. Our house is gone now, and the hayfields are flood zones or industrial parks, but when I drive over the Dumbarton Bridge I can still spot the old palm trees that once grew in our yard.
Our Friends
These are people & organizations whose work & friendship we enjoy & respect.
We hope you will like them too!
