Broken Oak Ranch

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The oak tree that gave the ranch its name dominates the landscape around the Broken Oak Ranch. It's beauty can be appreciated during all seasons.

Horses feedingon a quality round bale of hay in one ofthe spacious pastures.

At Broken Oak Ranch, home of Judy and LarryMurfitt, horses and ridersofall disciplines are welcome. We provide many services which include boarding, riding instruction, show preparation, training, transporting, breeding, and sales. The Broken Oak Ranch invites you to visit us soon! We enjoy visiting with people who have a passion for horses.

Horses come first
The site of our beautiful ranch was purchased in the spring of 2001. The property consisted of a large cornfield and a oak tree. Webuilt the barn and quickly moved in ourfamily horses. THEN we began construction on our ranch house. We had our priorities in order then and we have the same priorities now - the horses come first!

until the oak was tired and stark.
But still the oak tree held its ground
while other trees fell all around...

shake my limbs, and make me sway.
But I have roots stretched in the earth,
growing stronger since my birth.

of just how muchI could endure.
But now I've found, with thanks to you,
I'm stronger than

While workingat theproperty one day, a terrible storm with whirling winds moved in. We quickly gathered our tools and fled for safety. We thought a tornado was about to hit. When we returned, we saw no damage to our construction site. A few days later, on a bright and sunny summer day, we were working on the house when we heard a thunderous boom. We thought it might have been a car crash and went toward the road to check. That's when we noticed the tree.
A large middle limb of the huge oak in the cornfield had broken and fallen to the ground, creating the tremendous crash. The limb was the size of most trees found in Indiana. The strong winds of the storm the weekend before had weakened the branch that finally gave way under its own weight.
A third of the tree was gone, and it was uncertain if the tree would survive. People passing by who were familiar with the old oak tree stopped to ask about it. They said it was an area landmark. It was so beautiful and majestic standing alone in the middle of the corn field. Thankfully, the oak - though broken - survived and is alive and well to this day almost a decade later.
A testamentto endurance
The tree is a testimony to the resiliency of nature and an inspiration for the human spirit.