About Thomas’ Ranch: its story and its team
In Contigné (Les Hauts-d’Anjou), 30 km north of Angers, Stéphanie and Jacky Thomas turned a farm that was not in very good shape into a 72-hectare ranch. Here is its story, the team that keeps it going and what you will find there.
How did Thomas’ Ranch begin?
The ranch grew out of a shared passion for horses, wide open spaces and western culture, built around three values: freedom, respect and simplicity.
In 2007, Stéphanie and Jacky Thomas bought La Grand’Maison, in Contigné. “It wasn’t in very good shape,” Stéphanie recalls: every roof was redone, and the ruined buildings were saved and turned into gîtes. The indoor arena was built in 2014.
Today the ranch brings together the stud, horse livery, western riding lessons and four gîtes. It also hosts weddings, corporate events and a three-day western festival in June, created by Jacky and Stéphanie, who love American culture.
- 2007
- La Grand’Maison bought, in Contigné
- 2014
- indoor arena built
- 2026
- 15th edition of the ranch festival
Why Quarter Horses?
“Because it’s a magnificent horse with an exceptional temperament, which I discovered in the United States. And above all, it’s a childhood dream.”
At the ranch, we breed Quarter Horses and Paint Horses for leisure riding: calm, people-oriented, level-headed horses. The foals are born here, grow up in a herd out in the fields, are handled young and started gently from the age of two (starting means teaching a young horse to accept the saddle and a rider).
We often say that a well-raised Quarter Horse is the Rolls-Royce of leisure riding. Every horse for sale can be seen and tried on site, in its usual surroundings.
Who will welcome you at the ranch?
We are a small team, so we have plenty of flexibility for your plans.
- Jacky Thomas
- Day-to-day running and welcoming visitors, the breeding, and contact with livery clients.
- Stéphanie Thomas
- The gîtes and events, and the day-to-day management, which she shares with Jacky.
For livery, a stay, a wedding or a corporate event, they are the people you plan your visit with.
- Valentin Rey
- Based at the ranch, he starts and trains horses and teaches lessons, from leisure riding to competition, ranch sorting included. Valentin is the 2024 French reining champion in the limited open class (reining is the dressage discipline of western riding) and holds the BPJEPS western, the French state qualification for teaching riding.
For a lesson or schooling for your horse, call Valentin on +33 6 47 62 92 51.
Who are Les Ranchers?
Jacky and Stéphanie Thomas are also musicians. Their country band, Les Ranchers, with two guitars and a fiddle, played on the festival stage in 2023 and 2024 and provides the music for the western evenings at corporate events. Stéphanie also teaches line dancing.
“Living our passion for breeding and the western way of life, and sharing it with others. […] We’re cowboys at heart, and we need wide open spaces.”
What facilities does the ranch have?
- 72 ha
- of fields and paddocks, with riding trails that start from the ranch
- 80 x 35 m
- outdoor arena
- 2014
- the indoor arena, for riding whatever the weather
- 70 horses
- and more on the ranch, for a rich social life
- Organic
- hay, grown on site and fed in covered feeders
- Round pens and a trail training course, made up of natural obstacles
- Fenced fields and paddocks, with shelters
- Spacious stables
- Private tack rooms and a clubhouse
- A farrier on site
- Clean water at all times, all over the site
- A herd of cattle, for ranch sorting
What does the ranch look like?
The stone buildings, the fields, the facilities and the herd, in a few photos.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Thomas’ Ranch?
At La Grand’Maison, in Contigné (Les Hauts-d’Anjou), 30 km north of Angers. It is 21 minutes by car from Le Lion-d’Angers, 26 minutes from Sablé-sur-Sarthe, 26 minutes from Château-Gontier and 39 minutes from Angers.
Can we visit the ranch?
Yes. We are happy to welcome you for a guided tour: call +33 6 70 06 80 97 or write to us to arrange a time. We welcome visitors Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm.
How long has the ranch been here?
Stéphanie and Jacky Thomas bought La Grand’Maison in 2007. They redid every roof, turned the ruined buildings into gîtes, then built the indoor arena in 2014.
Who teaches the western riding lessons?
Valentin Rey, 2024 French reining champion in the limited open class and holder of the BPJEPS western. Lessons are open to all levels, from beginner to advanced.
Is the hay grown at the ranch?
Yes. The hay is grown on site, organically, and fed in covered feeders, ad lib for all the horses.
Coming to see the ranch?
A horse, livery, a stay or an event: tell us what brings you here and we will arrange a visit.
