Sonora, CA Engagement Photographer | Horse Around Ranch Engagement | Christine Dibble Photography

Andrea and Jon were looking for a location with a barn and a real ag setting for their engagement session. Andrea has an amazing pair of boots to wear at the wedding in October, and she wanted to really show them off. While mentally going through my list of locations, I thought about the Horse Around Ranch Horse Around Ranch and Tractor Museum in Soulsbyville. I had been driving past their sign for a long time, always curious about what was there, and then last Christmas we heard they had a great light show, so one night we took the kids to see it. Great doesn’t even begin to describe it! There are a million tractors back in there, and that is just the start of the farming collection. Everything was outlined in lights, and the blacksmith shop at the end of the long drive had hot chocolate and Santa who gave a stuffed animal to each kid.

I had only been there in the dark, but I knew it would be a great spot. So I called and asked permission to shoot there. I was invited to drive through again in the daylight before the scheduled day, and again I was wowed. There was so much there that I had not been able to see in the dark, including several peacocks perched in random places. Andrea and Jon thought it sounded perfect, and their son AJ loved seeing all the toys, although the peacocks were his favorite.

The Horse Around Ranch is the result of Al Hauschildt’s passion for antique farm equipment. He believed strongly that young people should be able to see and experience this equipment first hand so they could understand their heritage and what their ancestors did to work the land. His collection grew to be pretty extensive, and he opened his ranch to tractor shows that attracted other local collectore and the young people he hoped to educate. Al has since passed on, but his daughter is keeping his dream alive by allowing people to come in and see the equipment. Horse Around Ranch is hoping to branch out to host weddings, and there is plenty of space on the 23 acres for a great ceremony and reception. If you are looking for a country-style wedding, this would be a great place! You can call (209)928-3249 for more information, and you can visit the museum itself at 19010 Yost Ranch Rd.

In the meantime, you can enjoy Andrea and Jon’s engagement session! This happened to be during a major heatwave, and it was very hot that day, but they rocked it out anyway!