Pitzer Ranch
Ericson, Nebraska
308-653-2134
For nearly eight decades the Pitzer Ranch has been raising champion Quarter Horses in the heart of the Nebraska Sandhills ranching country. Owned and operated by Jim Brinkman and his family, the ranch continues the legacy his grandfather, AQHA Hall of Famer Howard Pitzer, began more than 70 years ago with his stallion Two Eyed Jack, also a member of the Hall of Fame.
The foundation laid by Howard and Jack can be found in the blood of Pitzer Ranch’s 400-plus broodmare band and 15 proven stallions. The breeding decisions have recently produced Riata Championship winnings, notable AQHA and rope horse futurity successes and all-around great using horses for any type of operation.
Each stallion is proven in and out of the arena. Some stand at the ranch’s breeding facility for collection, while others are turned to pasture with their band of mares Each stallion’s get is eligible for big money through a number of incentives, from the ranch’s own HP Ranch Horse Invitational to the Riata Championship and new Top Gun Stallion Incentive.
Along with their home-raised “Jack-bred” stallions, the ranch also offers a couple of very successful cow-bred studs who add athleticism and cow sense to the ranch and rope horse program for which Pitzer Ranch is known.
The gorgeous and ultra-talented red roan, Metallic Casanova is a gritty cow horse with more than $204,000 earned under NRCHA showman Clay Volmer. His commanding arena presence, versatility and ability make him a valuable outcross for the ranch. His first available foal crop will be arriving in 2025.
The sorrel Riata stallion, Mia Browbeater has now proven himself as a top sire for the ranch with his first couple crops earning over $150,000.
The line-bred Jack stallions Dukes N Divas and Favorable Intentions carry the blood the ranch was built upon. Both are Riata sires and their get has also had great success recently.
With a focus on sound, good-looking, user-friendly horses that can successfully compete in a variety of areas, there truly is a Pitzer Ranch stallion for any mare customers may want to breed.
The ranch offers offspring through two sales annually. The Spring Sale, scheduled for April 26, 2025, includes several broke horses, high-quality rope horses and yearlings. The Fall Sale, set for Sept. 5-6, 2025, is a production sale with mostly HPI, Riata Championship and Top Gun eligible weanlings, but also includes broke horses, prospects, stallions and broodmares.
The Fall Sale will also host the annual HP Ranch Horse Invitational. Now in its 15th year, it’s the highest-paying ranch horse event in the country. It is open to 4- to 6-year-old horses by HPI paid-up sires. The event paid out more than $160,000 in 2024. The HPI tests horses in five events: heading, heeling, cowboy trail, one-man ranch sorting and barrel racing.
Pitzer Ranch horses cover every aspect required of a performance or working horse. The vast Nebraska Sandhills serve not only as a breathtaking location for the ranch, but also provide Pitzer horses a strong foundation in ranch country.
