2025 Bronco Buster

The Story

Before wine, there were horses. Ricca Terra Farms founder Ashley Ratcliff was a horseman long before he became a champion of alternative grape varieties, representing Australia in 1991. Raised on a farm in the Adelaide Hills, Ash’s journey took him to a small town outside Fort Worth, Texas, where he made a living breaking in wild horses.

Working with a wild horse is all about earning trust. With no prior connection between horse and human, it takes patience, knowledge and a fair bit of courage to build a relationship, teach the horse to accept a rider and turn that first encounter into a genuine partnership. Get it right, and the rewards are incredible.

Ash sees plenty of parallels between breaking in horses and championing alternative grape varieties. Both require vision, patience, knowledge and trust in the process. There are no shortcuts, and success comes from understanding what you're working with and giving it the time it needs to shine.

And just like a wild horse, get it wrong and you're likely to get bucked off!