STONEHAM, Colorado — The pastures at Cervi Ranch in Stoneham have a long history.
"People don't understand the Western way of life because it's a dying breed," said Binion Cervi. "You're on a ranch that was homesteaded in the 1800s that's been in our family for four generations."
Binion Cervi and his family raise bucking horses.
"Our brand is called the circle eye. It's a circle with a line down the middle," he said. "It's the second-oldest brand in the state of Colorado."
Their horses are some of the best in the nation, showcased at rodeos across the country including the National Western Stock Show in Denver.
"You can tell the difference, in my opinion, in a Cervi horse to any other horse, just on the way they look, how healthy they are and how well fed they are," said Riley Haug.
Haug is the ranch manager. His main job is taking care of the horses.
"Honestly these horses probably have a better diet than I do," he said. "The cobbed corn actually helps maintain their teeth and keeps their mouths healthy."
Nearly 900 horses call tens of thousands of acres home. These horses, born and bred in Weld County, go on to become champions.
"It takes a lot of time and nurturing to get these bucking horses to the level where they can perform at the National Western," Cervi said.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: National Western Stock Show
9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates, and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.
To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.
To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.