When the pair met at the High Roller Reining Classic in 2013, both were avid Reiners who were breeding show horses for themselves, and happily competing as Non Pros. But that quickly changed. Brenda had always dreamed of owning horses on a ranch out west, from the time she was a little girl, born in Brooklyn and raised in Manhattan. The daughter of a developer, she refused to go into the family business, and became a bestselling novelist, with 54 published novels to her credit, all in 26 years. When she met Rick, it was time to live out the second half of her dream. Rick was raised in Toledo, Ohio, and began riding horses as a small boy. His dream of being a pilot in the Air Force was destroyed because of his height, and instead, he wound up racing sailboats—until he decided to go into the family roofing business. When he met Brenda, a reining horse frenzy was unleashed. They began combining forces, sharing horses, swapping embryos, and then they built Five Bells Ranch. The Ranch is a dream come true for them both. 5 Bells Ranch encompasses 22 acres in the heart of Rio Verde, Arizona. It includes a 41-stall state of the art show barn, a 280 x 150 covered arena, a covered round pen and walker, numerous turn outs, irrigated front pastures, another state of the art mare motel, three casitas for employees, other apartments, and more. Set on both the east and west sides of 138th Street, the east side is for the mares, babies and yearlings, and the training operation is on the west side.
