Our Story

Mercy Spring Ranch was founded in 2010, but God began writing its story decades before.

Founders John and Monique Black grew up together in the California Central Valley. When they married in 1990, John was pursuing a career in law enforcement, and Monique was focused on building a career in the horse industry. They continued in their chosen careers until 1998, when Monique felt the Lord was calling her out of the horse industry and into full-time ministry. Selling a lifetime accumulation of equine gear, Monique was convinced she would never work with horses again. It was no small matter, as horses had been the pivotal thing that sustained her through a very broken childhood. God used those horses to reveal His love for her and bring healing to her broken world. Because of that she was determined to someday have a ranch where she could help other broken children find the hope and healing she found, through Jesus, while “on the back of a horse.” When God called her to give it all up, she was convinced He would never give it back.

In 2009, Monique had a “chance” encounter with a neighbor she had never met. The neighbor shared that she too had a desire to someday use horses to help hurting children. This led Monique to pass along a book she had been given a decade before about a ranch in Oregon called Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch. The neighbor asked Monique to attend a clinic with her that Crystal Peaks was holding to teach others how to start similar ministries. She agreed to go to support the neighbor, but spent the entire clinic crying and asking God why He would give someone else her dream. Returning home, she put it behind her. Several months passed when a property came up for sale that sparked John to insist on returning to Crystal Peaks to learn more. By the end of the second clinic, John was convinced the Lord was calling them to start a similar ministry. By May of 2010, Mercy Spring Ranch was born.

For the next six years they were graciously given the ability to run the ministry from Skiles Ranch, just a few miles from their home. The intention was always to purchase their own ranch property, but through the dozens of avenues and properties they pursued, God closed every door. When their time at Skiles Ranch was coming to a close, they made a leap of faith to sell their home and trust the Lord to provide or take the desire for the ministry away. When their home sold and they were tasked with moving themselves and an entire ranch ministry with no leads on property, they moved into a trailer on a neighbor’s property and continued to pray for the Lord to direct them. Seven months later, God flung the gates open wide and Mercy Spring Ranch finally had a forever home. A 12+ acre property in Escalon, Ca. with a very old and run-down almond orchard began its transformation in December of 2018!

The day after Thanksgiving, in 2019, there was enough infrastructure to finally bring the horses home while construction of the ranch continued. Plans to begin sessions again in April of 2020, after nearly a three year wait, came to an abrupt halt when Covid 19 hit. In June of 2020, with limits and precautions in place, Mercy Spring Ranch began its first limited session season on the new property.

By June of 2021, the entire ranch was cleared, graded, roads and pads cut, pastures and hay field planted, irrigation installed for the fields and garden, the garden and fruit orchard planted, a 5-horse paddock cover erected, a 50’ round pen set up, back pasture fully fenced, a tack room and woodshop set up for sessions, shade trees planted and a 150’ x 250’ arena completed. Because of the amazing faithfulness of God and the generosity of so, so many individuals and organizations, the ranch is well on its way to being fully operational!

(John and Monique each have more than 25 years of experience in youth ministry. Monique is a graduate of the Maryland Horse Center’s Advanced Equine Studies program. John recently retired from public service after 33 years in the law enforcement, security, and emergency management fields.)