Rancho Polhemus

Tucked away in the San Mateo Hills is a hidden treasure: Rancho Polhemus. In sight of suburban back yards, but hidden from the road, this tiny jewel of a ranch is nestled in a green belt area. Periodically, passers-by catch tantalizing glimpses of horses out to pasture, or see small groups of trail riders traveling Polhemus Road en route to the wonderful dirt trails adjacent to Crystal Springs Reservoir.

There is something timeless here. Intentionally run with only solar power, the facility supports a kind of deeply felt vitality that nurtures the soul. Where else in the thrumming heartbeat of the San Francisco Peninsula can you enter another dimension of human existence simply by passing through a gate? Here, rank and income mean far less than your ability with animals, your natural intelligence, your physical strength. Here, the stakes are not wealth or power, but rather health, wholeness, and even survival. Here, you cannot hide what is in your heart, because horses, prey animals for millions of years, have evolved a finely-tuned ability to read us: our intentions, our fears, our exhilaration. Here, you cannot be ruled by the clock, because Nature has a rhythm of her own that is the ultimate timekeeper.

Through its simplicity, Rancho Polhemus challenges you to integrate yourself into its lifestyle and return improved to the world you left.