Hagens have big dreams for their ranch and community

Contributed by
Travis Blagg
Green rolling hills. Horses galloping by. Blue open sky.

Hagen’s Ranch is an oasis nestled in the small, neighborly community of Catheys Valley.

Charlie and Ashley Hagen have begun to develop this beautiful land into a mecca for horses and horse lovers alike.

“We bought the property in November of 2023, and we have plans for the future, but we’re also excited about what we are already doing,” explained Ashley Hagen.

Ashley grew up in Hilmar and has always been around horses. “Horses are a way of life for me; they have influenced what I went to college for, who I married, and how I live my life,” said Ashley.

Hagen Ranch is in its infancy as a professional equine facility, but the Hagens know where they want it to go and are excited about it. Currently the facility is offering both riding and roping lessons. “A family recently came in, three generations, all wanting to learn to ride together. They were preparing for a trip they were taking to a dude ranch,” Ashley described. “Hagen Ranch is a place for families to learn and grow and experience life together,” she added.

Another amazing component of Hagen Ranch is their Heavenly Horse Care program. This is in effect a retirement program for performance horses. Ashely said, “Older horses are given the ability to live out their last days in a beautiful and pristine environment, instead of in a stall.”

Caring horse owners from all over California have begun sending their older horses to the ranch where they are able to communicate via Facetime and see how much their equine partners are enjoying their twilight years.

The Hagens see the future as a bright one. They plan to expand their horse facilities, allowing them to be able to board and serve more horses within the area and to offer more lessons and programs to the community around them.

The facilities have already been booked for multiple events such as the Rodeo Royalty Competition on June 3. “We want to continue to grow – with more pens, lights in the arena, which will allow us to offer more to the community around us,” stated Ashley.

Charlie and Ashley have come to Catheys Valley not just for their own love of horses, but because they desired to give back to their new-found community of Catheys Valley. “People ask us if we came here to do this. Did we buy the ranch so that we can make money from training or boarding horses? The answer is no. We do all of this because we want to, not because we have to,” explained Ashley.

The Hagens will continue to grow and develop their ranch and its programs as time marches forward. Ashley and Charlie both have demanding full-time jobs that require a good portion of their time, but the ranch is their love; it is what brings them joy and contentment. Ashley and Charlie want to share that joy with all of Mariposa County.

Find out more about Hagen Ranch by visiting its website at www.hagensranch.com or their Facebook page entitled Hagen Ranch.