IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE OWNER GINA GAGLIANO
-Hello Everyone-
I have some exciting and sad news to share with all of you. There is no easy way to say this, but I am stepping down as the owner of the Kettle Moraine Ranch.
This decision did not come lightly. It has been something weighing on my heart for some time now. I never ever thought in a million years that the best direction for me in life would also be the hardest decision that I would ever have to make, and that is saying “Good Bye”.
I will be handing down the reins to a wonderful couple so the ranch can continue to grow and become what I have always dreamed it could be.
My last event I am putting on is the Ranch’s Mother’s Day Weekend Rummage & Craft/Vendor Fair. May 9th-10th.
The Kettle Moraine Ranch started in 1967 by my father Albert Gagliano.
When he first bought the ranch the only buildings here were the house, the red barn, and the little stone milk house. Everything else he built and added. He created this little western town. What he wanted in life became reality. It was his dream ever since he was a little boy riding around on his broomstick pony was to own a horse ranch. My dad came from nothing, and proved he could make the impossible, POSSIBLE.
It was my honor and privilege to continue what he started. I poured my heart and soul into the ranch my whole life, but even more so the past 6 years.
As much as my new journey will be full of new possibilities and excitement, it also comes with so much sadness. The ranch has been my whole life. It is everything to me. I can not imanage what my life will look like once I step outside my new home and no longer see this beautiful western town my dad worked so hard to build.
Losing my dad in February of 2019, and then losing my mom in September of 2023 has left my heart broken into pieces. It has been extremely hard to accept the fact and face the reality they are no longer here. I took care of both of my parents due to their health issues, and never imagined my life without them. My parents were everything to me, and there will always be a void in my heart and soul with them gone.
Since taking over the business in 2019 I have been met with constant obstacles trying to keep the Kettle Moraine Ranch going. The past 6 years have challenged me more than ever, and I have been faced with a lot of hardships. It has not been easy. I never thought I would be leaving this place. It is my home. I have worked hard and dedicated myself to the ranch, but in the end there is only so much one person can do to keep it going. Over the past couple years, I have realized I can no longer manage what the ranch needs to keep going. It is very hard to admit that, but I know in my heart if I want to see the ranch continue to grow I would need to step away.
There are so many things I wish I could have done here but was unable to. I kept going for as long as I could, but sometimes you have to face reality and understand the best choice for something is the choice that hurts the most.
It would shatter every part of me to see this place fall apart, be torn down, or forgotten about. I now know the ranch will survive and it will keep on going. That is all I could ever ask for.
The new owners have so much passion to make this work here. They are hard working, smart, and determined. There is no doubt in my mind that when I come back to visit the ranch someday it will look beautiful, it will be busy, and my dads dream will still be alive. The choice for me to sell took a lot of thought, and I needed to make sure the people who bought the ranch were in it for the right reasons. That they would keep it going, keep the buildings, keep the western feel, but also make it their own.
My life has always been about the ranch and my parents, so now it is my turn to make a new life, a new chapter in my own book. I need to heal my heart and finally be able to grieve the loss of my parents and now the ranch. It will come with time, but I am looking forward to my new journey in life. I will be moving sometime in June. I am still working out the details, but soon I should have everything set 100%.
I will be taking some of my horses with me, along with my pig, dogs, cats, and mini horses. Wow, what a trip that will be.
I don’t know what my future has in store for me, but I think it's going to be a scary, wild, and fun ride.
I can not thank everyone enough for supporting me and the ranch the past 6 years. It means the world to me! I will miss everything about the ranch and I will miss those who have become part of the Kettle Moraine Ranch family. I could not have done this without my staff the past 6 years. It wasn't always easy, but what my staff has done for me will never be forgotten. They are my family, and I will love each of them forever.
I hope you all continue to support the ranch and the new owners who will take over. Of course things will change so they can make it their own, but the legacy of the ranch will never die!
I could go on and on about this, share more stories, and give more details, but writing this is beyond hard. It makes it more real and breaks my heart. Anyone who knows me well understands I always have a lot to say. There are so many things I want to say and share but then we would be reading a whole book instead of a letter (LOL). Again, Thank you to everyone who has supported me, my family, and the ranch. It means more to me than you will ever know! Happy Trails To You All, Until We Meet Again!
I will leave it here with my dads favorite quote… “THIS IS LIVIN”
With Love- Gina Gagliano
