Welcome to The Cross K Ranch!

We recently moved our website to this location to better showcase our new journey into the world of Iberian Warmblood horses. Our journey began when we decided to breed our Thoroughbred mare, Molokini ("Mollie"), to a breathtaking Lusitano stallion, Uirapuru ("Pu"), owned by my best friend Carolyn Walch of Windance Lusitanos. Our hope was to blend Mollie's fabulous bloodlines with strength, nobility, and correctness of Pu to produce a multi-discipline Iberian Warmblood horse of beauty, soundness, and athleticism. To our surprise, we got two! Pancho and Lefty were our "surprise" twins. Sadly, we lost Mollie but she left us two strong, healthy colts that are exactly what we bred for. We don't forget for a moment that it took a spectacular mare to accomplish what she did and we are forever grateful to her. For those of you who are just finding us, you can read about their beginnings on the Pancho and Lefty tab and follow their monthly updates on the Twin Update tab. Earlier updates can be found on the Twin Archive tab. 

               The night they were born Aug 16, 2008                       Today!  June 1, 2009                                                

NEW!!! Check out our new Friends Gallery tab to see some of our buddies we have met along the way and those that have been around forever!

Please enjoy the site and we look forward to hearing your comments!

Our Family

Over the years, horses have been a major component in our family. Members of the earliest generations of the family in North America could be considered early California vaqueros, a term that later morphed to "buckaroos". They ranched and farmed throughout California from the border of Mexico through the high deserts and central coast of Santa Barbara County. Since then, we have been involved in Hunters, Jumpers, Rodeo, Western Performance, hunting to hounds, and just good old trail riding. Some have paid their dues at Thoroughbred breeding and training facilities as well, which helped form the groundwork of our breeding program.

I had the good fortune to be introduced to and included in the Peruvian horse industry. The Peruvians are some of the strongest, most intuitive horses I have ever enjoyed. I remain involved with them today; however, as a former hunter/jumper rider, I still need to feel a beautiful floaty trot and a big round canter! I know, it's crazy, but the heart wants what the heart wants! Which led me to another breed of Spanish descent, the Iberian Warmbloods. The combination of the American Thoroughbred and, in our case, the Lusitano provides us with one animal who can excel at the two disciplines we are journeying into: Dressage and Doma Vaquera horsemanship. We did our homework before breeding and truly feel that we matched the best the American Thoroughbred has to offer with the historic, noble, athletic, and correct lines of the Lusitano. We were not disappointed!

Our goal is to show, breed, and enjoy  these horses, proving that soundness, correctness, intelligence, courage, and suitability to task are not something that has to be compromised. Buckle up! Here we go!

We are proud members of the Iberian Warmblood Registry International.

The Cross K brand began years ago as the Kissee family brand and appeared on the left rib of the cattle who called the high deserts and central coast of California their home. Even though the Cross K represented the cattle business, it also represents the historic California vaquero horsemanship and teamwork between horse and cowboy that was critical for managing large herds of cattle spread over huge expanses of land. Without the willingness of the cowboy's horse to work for him, it was impossible to keep food on the table. This willingness was not imposed by fear but rather forged from mutual respect between horse and rider, a doctrine we deeply believe in. We are now on the fifth generation of the family who proudly call ourselves "the Cross K" and we take our heritage very seriously. Even though the Cross K began as a cattle brand, we feel that our horses are more than worthy to be included under the Cross K umbrella. We do not brand our horses, but they still carry the Cross K as their logo. The same dedication to breeding excellence and mutual respect that the Cross K represented to earlier generations of the family remains our hallmark today.