Lakeland College has been part of Aydon Almberg’s life since he was a child, and today that connection lives on at Broken Arrow Ranch Quarter Horses.

Aydon grew up a member of the fourth generation on the family ranch south of Lakeland near Czar, Alta., heading to the college grounds for horse and bull sales, 4-H events, the Little Royal cattle show and community gatherings. When it was time to head off to college, Lakeland was Aydon’s top choice.

“I chose agribusiness because I wanted to gain more knowledge in banking and business,” Aydon, Class of 2013, says. He’d been involved in working on the ranch from a young age and wanted to go to school to learn a new side of it, sharing he saw a shift in industry happening.

“It wasn’t enough to just be a good stockman and a good steward of your operation. You had to be able to work the books as well. Being exposed to that through agribusiness was a big advantage for me, especially the hands-on scenarios. They helped me actually see in my mind what was happening on paper. That real-life application was where I found the most value in the course.”

Learning about the business side of agriculture wasn’t the only highlight of his time at Lakeland. Aydon also spent time as a member of the Ranch Horse Club, making friends and borrowing horses in his first year.

“It helped me open myself up to new ideas, to seeing how people do things differently.”

Another highlight? Meeting Jessica Wirsta, a fellow student studying western ranch and cow horse and later, animal science technology.

Finding the right fit

Jessica grew up north of Vermilion near Elk Point, on her family farm. She was involved in 4-H, barrel racing and other equine events, and chose to study horsemanship at another postsecondary.

To complete the riding hours she required to apply, Jessica started working with Ken and Barb Nielsen, a ranching family who lived down the road from her, building a close relationship with them.

Jessica transferred to Lakeland after three weeks, where she found the program better suited her goals. Returning home also meant she could keep working for the Nielsens while she studied.

“It felt a little more like home at Lakeland,” Jessica says. She was able to bring a colt she had already started riding at home to work with during her studies.

Aydon and Jessica met through mutual friends, graduating Lakeland College together in 2013 and marrying in 2016.

They moved to Aydon’s family ranch near Czar. At that point, the Nielsens had downsized their herd substantially and were looking to retire. They reached out to Jessica to see if she would be interested in taking over their remaining herd.

“It was a wedding gift,” Jessica explains. “The herd consisted of five brood mares and their stallion, Tejons Blue Hickory. We accepted it and started our operation.”

Building Broken Arrow

Their operation, Broken Arrow Ranch Quarter Horses, represents a shift in how Jessica and Aydon approach horses on the ranch.

“When I grew up, horses were primarily used to move cattle. My great grandfather started the ranch and would train horses to supplement his income when the cattle (operation) wasn’t great,” Aydon explains. “Our land base is primarily local, so we walk the cows out. Things have advanced, so we can use trucks, quads and side-by-sides, which my dad likes as he gets older, but I like riding horses for the handling.”

Before they were gifted the herd, Aydon says he was primarily buying horses at low value and using them, rather than looking for quality.

“They just had to be good enough,” he says.

He and Jessica also trained “problem horses” for other people, or rode for others to make some extra money.

“After a couple years of that, we realized we were getting more problem horses instead of quality horses,” Aydon says. “I was riding everybody else’s problem while trying to get my work done.”

The decision to focus on this business venture full-time became viable thanks to the Nielsens' gift. The Almbergs began breeding and training horses for themselves, as well as marketing them to others. They have specific goals with their breeding program, carefully breeding for specific qualities.

“We’ve been sourcing stallions that are well known in the cow horse side of things to keep our breeding program evolving,” Jessica explains.

“Everybody wants horses now but not everybody can ride the ranch-style horses that are a little tougher and meant to last all day. We’ve been crossing our brood mares with more old-school breeding with modern-type stallions that are a little more gentle, so they make a well-rounded horse that anybody can ride.”

There is only one horse remaining on the ranch from that original herd, but Aydon and Jessica stay busy with their brood mares, stallions and riding horses, as well as the young horses they’re working on training.

They also have horses for their sons – an older horse for seven-year-old Vern to ride and a mini horse for nearly-four Tom. They keep a few horses for elderly family who can no longer care for them, a few feeder cows that Jessica keeps accidentally turning into pets, as well as a pack of corgis and two nearly-feral roosters – gifts from the boys’ well-meaning grandmother.

Future taking shape

While working on their breeding program, Jessica and Aydon stay connected to Lakeland, especially with the equine side of things. Students in the animal science technology program’s equine major have visited Broken Arrow several times to see their operation and look at prospects for their breeding programs. Students in the program have privately bought colts from the ranch. Last year, the program bred to Broken Arrow’s stud. Jessica and Aydon receive updates on how the resulting horse is doing.

“The instructors and students in the program are part of the industry and it’s a small world,” says Aydon. “Being able to have our stud used in that program is beneficial to us because people go through the program, see the horse, and take that knowledge home with them.”

While they work on building Broken Arrow, Aydon and Jessica are also helping shape the fifth generation of Almberg ranchers through their two sons.

"The boys look forward to helping on the ranch. Vern comes and moves cows with us and he’s starting to rope a bit. Tom is probably even more hungry for it – he wants to ride all the time,” say Aydon, who continues to assist his family’s cattle operation as he builds Broken Arrow with Jessica. He is also serving on the board of directors of Alberta Beef Producers.

With time, Aydon says their brood mare operation will continue to grow. Ultimately, the future looks sharp for Broken Arrow.

“It takes time to cultivate things so you just keep going and it’s going really well. We’ve got a lot of good horses that we don’t have time to ride because we’re so busy riding the young horses. That’s what I consider success.”