When you arrive at the Ranch and meet Omar today, you see a quiet, often silent man. Yet every decision he makes comes from a long series of lived and treasured experiences. Telling them helps us understand not just who Omar is, but why the Ranch has become what it is today.
How It All Began
Omar’s story begins in a very simple home, one of the few owned by a family in the village of Diabat. It had been passed down from his grandparents and was even registered with the land registry — a rare thing at the time. The whole family lived in just two rooms: one for sleeping and one for eating, with the bathroom located outside.
His father was a fisherman, often away at sea for months at a time; when he returned, the money he brought home was never enough. His mother, a tireless woman, managed everything alone in his absence and sold the milk from their cow at the market. Mohammed, Omar’s older brother, began working from a young age to help out, herding the family’s animals — a cow, a few goats, and a sheep — to support the household.
It was Mohammed who made it possible for Omar to start school, even if a year late. He sold a small goat to buy him a backpack and schoolbooks — a gesture Omar has never forgotten.
In the afternoons, after class, Omar learned to work with thuya wood (a prized root native to the Essaouira region, used to craft artisanal objects). One corner of the house had been transformed into a small workshop, and Omar specialized in one of the most complex creations: perfectly round wooden footballs. A job of patience and precision.
The First Horse
In the family, the only person who had ever had a horse was a relative who worked as a forest ranger. The animal wasn’t a playmate, but a working companion: noble, quiet, worthy of great respect.
That memory is what inspired Mohammed, who one day decided to sell some poultry to buy the first horse. When the tourist season allowed, he’d head to the beach and offer rides to visitors, walking beside them while they rode. Omar was right there: watching, learning, and waiting for his turn.
When he realized how urgently his family needed help, Omar made a difficult decision: he left school before his final year. At the time, he saw no other option — he had to contribute. He bought a second horse and joined his brother, helping increase their income. That was the moment Omar got in the saddle — and never got off.
The Ranch Philosophy Starts Here
From the very beginning, Omar always put the horses first: he cared for them with attention, gave them water and food before thinking of himself. He only saddled them when the time was right, groomed them patiently, washed them with care. That attention wasn’t just duty — it was his way of being.
That’s how it all began: with a passion that never left him. Every gesture, every experience, every sacrifice shaped his path, eventually leading here. And that’s what still makes the Ranch a special place today: not just a project or a job, but of a journey lived one day at a time.
Who knows — if we looked back at our own stories, how many small decisions would we realize were actually the start of something?