A New Chapter at the Ranch: Remembering Frito and Welcoming Poncho, Larkin & Lily

Come visit us in Fredericksburg and there’s a good chance the ranch gets you before the tasting room does. People show up for the wine and end up parked by the fence line instead, and we’re not mad about it. Makes sense, honestly, since our whole name traces back to a donkey. Animals have been woven into this place since day one. This year, we said goodbye to one who meant more to this ranch than most – Frito.

Remembering our Dearest Frito

A lot of you have been asking where Frito’s been. Here’s the honest answer. Back in February, Frito came down with pneumonia. We got him the best care we could find, and for a while it looked like he was pulling through. His body just couldn’t fight it off in the end, and we lost him. Teary-eyed while writing this part. =(

Frito Last February 2026

Frito was usually the first face guests saw walking toward the ranch, and he never got tired of the attention. One more photo, one more scratch behind the ears, one more visitor to charm. That was Frito. Thank you to everyone who checked in on him, sent love while he was at the vet, and has been missing him right along with us. He was family. He still is.

A New Chapter for the Ranch

Nothing fills Frito’s spot exactly, and we’re not trying to pretend otherwise. But the ranch keeps going, the way it always has. Over the past few months, three new personalities have moved in, and each one is already staking out their own territory. Meet Poncho, Larkin, and baby Lily.

Poncho: The Ladies’ Man Who Still Isn’t Sure About the Cows

Poncho would want top billing, so we’ll start with him. He wasn’t even on the property a week before two girls started following him around like he was the main event. Honestly, he kind of is. The guy struts more than he walks, and on a good day he’s putting on a full show for anyone standing near the fence.

There’s one wrinkle in the act, though. Poncho hasn’t figured out if the cattle sharing his pasture are friends, rivals, or something to watch warily from a safe distance. Our bet is he’ll come around eventually, on his own schedule. He seems like the type. We’ve already caught glimpses of the whole routine on video: ladies’ man, reluctant cow diplomat, trouble waiting to happen.

Poncho – The Lady’s Man at Fat Ass Ranch and Winery

Larkin: Big Ears, Bigger Personality

Larkin walked onto this ranch and made it clear right away that blending in wasn’t the plan. Those ears are the first thing you notice, huge even by donkey standards, but they’re really just the opener for a personality twice their size. She’s the one testing fence lines, poking her nose where it doesn’t belong, and treating the rules of the ranch as more of a suggestion than anything binding.

We say this with total affection: she’s a handful. The kind that has our staff cracking up mid-chore because she’s invented a new way to get underfoot. If Poncho’s working the crowd, Larkin’s the one stirring up whatever to draw his attention back to her. Somehow the two of them balance each other out.

Lily: Curious, Sweet, and Already Stealing Hearts

Just when we figured the pasture’s charm had maxed out, along came Larkin’s daughter, Lily, our sweet baby girl.  Where Poncho works a crowd and Larkin causes a scene, Lily’s whole thing is simpler. Seldom far from her mother’s side, she gets curious about everything, wanders over to see what’s happening, and somehow ends up the favorite of whoever’s watching that day.

She’s still figuring out where the fence lines are and which of her herd-mates she can boss around, and we’re looking forward to watching her grow up in the same family Frito helped build.

Meet our Beautiful Lily