The Bentz Family

The Bentz family has been in the ranching business for five generations now. With ties back to the historic White Horse Ranch, each generation has built on the knowledge and genetics of the previous. The Bentz family started the Ranchers Horse Sale and then later the Ranchers Heifer Sale and have continued both, now with the involvement of their children. Every year, part of this generational foundation is offered to the public through the sales.

Mike and Linda Bentz continued the enterprises and ranching traditions headquartered in the scenic Juntura valley. The ranch stretches across the vast High Desert, utilizing the land to make proven horses and efficient cattle. The cattle are run under the V Box Brand and the horses are under the Spur Brand; both represent the years of selection and thought given to produce the desired animal.

In 2015, Mike passed away from a plane accident doing what he loved on the ranch. The family has chosen to carry on the legacy of what he and Linda built, so today the ranch and the sales continue. His memory is honored through the Mike Bentz Memorial Horse of the Sale.

Today, the family is growing rapidly with marriages and children being brought into the world. Family and carrying on tradition is at the heart of the Ranchers Horse Sale and the reason for it all.

Stand for the Brand

We had the honor of hosting Jennifer Dennison of the Western Horseman in the spring of 2020. She covered the story of the Bentz family and highlighted Mike’s life.

To read the story Stand for the Brand, click here.