About Rancho del Comienzo

Our Mission

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At Rancho del Comienzo, we strive for the development of healthy, happy horses that are willing partners in a variety of disciplines. Through the study and application of horse behavior, psychology, and biomechanics, we aim to build a strong foundation for lifelong success.

About Taylor

A horse's foundation is one of the most important factors in determining his future success, and Taylor Randall's passion is building that foundation. Taylor has had a fascination with horses and their behavior since she was young. Growing up, she took every opportunity to learn about horse care, management, and training, and was especially interested in how the foundations of good horsemanship apply to any and all disciplines.

While studying at Colorado State University, Taylor was a dedicated student and passionate horsewoman. She completed her Bachelor's Degree in Equine Science with minors in both Business Administration and Spanish. Throughout Taylor's college career she participated in the CSU Legends of Ranching (LOR) Performance Horse Sale. As a part of sale preparation, students train a young horse from the ground up and show in a student competition. Taylor started 3 young horses for the program, served as a Teaching Assistant, and worked as a student staff member in the Equine Science Department. She was responsible for giving demonstrations, helping students start and train their horses, as well as contacting sponsors and taking care of event-day logistics. As a significant part of completing her Bachelor's Degree with Honors, Taylor took on the task of creating a new Horse Training and Sales Preparation Guide and DVD for the LOR students. The book and video series are currently used by the sale preparation students at CSU.

Taylor also spent much time studying equine reproduction while at CSU, gaining valuable experience collecting stallions, evaluating semen, breeding mares, and foaling. Outside of school she completed several internships, including working for AliBoo Farm in Illinois, assisting with the management, breeding and training of warmblood sport horses.
After graduation, Taylor was offered a full-time position as Young Horse Trainer and Manager at Rancho Corazon in Lemitar, NM. She was responsible for the management and starting of all of the young horses in addition to managing the breeding program. Taylor handled every aspect of the young horse training, from halter training the foals to ground work and first rides, to the horses’ first times in the show ring. Managing the breeding program included foaling out 4-10 mares each year, handling and training stallions to the phantom, performing all artificial insemination procedures, and halter training foals and preparing for breeding stock approvals.

Taylor has also had the opportunity to attend clinics and work with many acclaimed trainers of various disciplines including Buck Brannaman, Barry Bader, Daniel Stewart, Greg Best, Susan Hutchinson, George Morris, Team McAllister, Richard Spooner, Julie Winkel, Taylor Flury, and more. She has also taken the opportunity to travel internationally, always finding ways to experience the management and training styles of accomplished horsemen wherever she goes. In 2015, she traveled to Spain where she met Ruben Parriego Romero. There she had a fantastic time riding his young stallions and learning some of Ruben's at liberty techniques. That year she also attended a training session at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, and the Holsteiner Stallion Approvals and Auction in Germany, observing every part of the event from the presentation on the hard ground to the free-jumping.
In fall of 2020, Taylor and her husband Mike moved back to the Midwest and bought a beautiful piece of property in Sheridan, IL. This is now the home of Rancho del Comienzo, where Taylor will offer boarding, training, and breeding services. The ranch is also home to many of Mike’s projects, including Schwebke Instrument Restoration and Refinishing. Taylor and Mike are extremely passionate about the ranch and all that they do there, and are excited to continue building the dream!

About Our Partnerships

The Right Horse Initiative

Rancho del Comienzo is proud to be a partner of The Right Horse Initiative.  As a Training Partner, Taylor will be bringing horses in transition to RdC for training to prepare them for new careers, after which they will be available for adoption.  


Each year, hundreds of thousands of horses are transitioned from career or ownership – unfortunately, a number of these horses end up at risk of inhumane treatment. The Right Horse Initiative, as a program of the ASPCA®, has been developed to unify horse industry professionals, equine welfare advocates, and the broader horse loving public to improve the lives of these horses in transition.


The Right Horse Initiative promotes horse adoption as a trusted method for finding your next horse. This unique partnership commits the time, talent, and resources to promote horse adoption through education, training, and public awareness on a national level.


Rancho del Comienzo is working with The Right Horse Initiative to promote equine adoption as well as the bond between horses and humans. We are “good people for good horses,” and everyone who loves horses has ownership in this movement. To learn more about The Right Horse Initiative, visit therighthorse.org.

Pegasus - One Mustang At A Time

Rancho del Comienzo is a proud partner of Pegasus: One Mustang At A Time.  Pegasus is a not for profit organization that selects, trains, and sells “one mustang at a time” to forever homes.  Our aim is to create a pipeline between deserving horses and deserving people.


For more information about Pegasus’s amazing founder, Terry Flanagan, and the work she is doing, please visit pegasusmustang.com

About The Facility

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Rancho del Comienzo is a 57 acre facility situated where the Somonauk Creek meets the Fox River. The former airplane runway now serves as the perfect riding track for our horses! This grass field then connects to our newly constructed 80x125 covered arena, so we can ride year-round. On either side of the runway are several large pastures, as well as individual pens and mustang pens built to BLM standards. We also have a 60’ roundpen, with an attached mustang pen. Grass trails run through the entirety of the property, and include several cross country jumps, creek access, wooded areas, and a few long hills.