Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond's Blog Reveals Just How Hard It Is to Run a Ranch, Even for Seasoned Pros

Food Network star and author Ree Drummond has been offering fans an inside look at life on her family’s ranch for over a decade. In her most recent post, a recap of her daughter Paige’s surprise engagement, Ree reminded us that with all its rewards, running a ranch is not easy.  

Ree Drummond shares a glimpse at the trials of owning a ranch in a recent blog post 

The famous Pioneer Woman blogger recently shared a recap with photos of Paige’s engagement, where family and friends surprised the new fiancé. Next to one shot of Ladd Drummond, Ree’s husband since 1996, she shared a more vulnerable update on the trying summer Ladd has experienced working on their Oklahoma ranch.  

“Can I say something? Here goes,” she wrote. “Ladd has had...a busy, slightly rough summer. I think I say this every year, but the work, the early mornings, the unrelenting grind, the exhaustion...it has been a little much. (These are my words, not his. He would say it's what he does and it's part of life). A couple of weeks ago, after watching him limp inside, covered in dust and blood after a particularly long day, I actually said the words, ‘I don't think we can do this anymore.’ It was partly in jest, but also maybe a little bit not.”  

Ree went on to admit that she began thinking to herself: “How much harder can you work? How much longer can you do this? Are you okay?” about her beloved husband, who is a fourth-generation cattle rancher.  

“So to see him smiling and walking around and enjoying the celebration of his second child and the man she's gonna marry...well, it made me feel a little better about things,” Ree concluded.  

Ladd Drummond has had health scares on the ranch before 

This is not the only time Ladd has had close calls on the ranch. In March 2021, Ladd and Caleb, the couple’s nephew, were in an accident on the ranch while putting out a wildfire on the property. It was the 11th they had fought since the prior November on the Drummond family  ranch alone, and they were driving separate fire rigs when their trucks collided. 

“We have an incredible community of neighboring ranchers and cowboys and everyone helps their neighbor whenever a fire breaks out—so there were friends on the scene to help,” Ree wrote in a blog post a week after the accident. “Ladd was stiff but able to walk around immediately after the accident, so he refused medical attention. This was partly because he wanted the paramedics to focus on Caleb, partly because he was still a little stunned by the accident, and partly because cowboys don’t like to admit when they’re hurt.”  

Caleb had broken ribs and sustained a serious concussion amongst other injuries, while Ladd (who drove himself to the hospital) broke his neck in two places, Ree reported. One of the two fractures was remarkably close to being catastrophic, she said. Ladd was transferred to Tulsa and had cervical spine surgery to stabilize one of the fractures. He had to wear a neck brace for several weeks to let the other fracture heal, including to their daughter Alex’s wedding, but the family was simply grateful he was able to attend and walk her down the aisle, Ree wrote.  

A year after the accident, Ree posted an update on Ladd’s condition, and assured fans that he had made considerable progress healing, regaining his strength and mobility. Caleb had also recovered.  

“Thinking back to that bad day in March of 2021, this is pretty remarkable. He’s lifting weights,” Ree shared. “He’s riding his horse. He’s feeding cattle and doing all the work on the ranch he always did. Sure, his neck is still a little stiff and probably always will be. He can no longer whip his head around when I call ‘Oh, Honey????? Can you do me a favor????’ from the other room. (And this is probably okay with him, haha). So all in all, I’m giving thanks today Ladd is pretty much back to normal…just in time for spring burning to start, by the way. I repeat: Jesus take the wheel…” 

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