About_Us

If you have any questions or comments, Please contact us.

General Questions:

Philip or Rosemary Payne

email: philip@rockcreekranch.net

phone (618) 728-4464

Training or horseshoeing,

Chad or Tami Payne

email: chad@rockcreekranch.net

phone (618) 728-4332

For anything else,

Chris or Lori Sink

email: chris@rockcreekranch.net

phone (618) 728-4544

Chad & Madison Payne

Tami & Garrett Payne

Chad and his wife Tami are a cowboy team. Chad and Tami met while in college at Murray State University where both were on the college's Rodeo Team. Both share a love of horses and family.

Chad is the Horse trainer and horseshoer of the family who specializes in tie-down roping and also heading & heeling. He currently has been actively competing in Rodeos in the Midwest showing the public what our horses have the capability to do. Chad was the Illinois High School Rodeo Calf-roping champion his Junior & Senior year. He has been training horses now for the past 6 years and the horses have went on to do some amazing things in the world of rodeo.

Tami is the barrel expert and still loves to compete, but their two small children have slowed down her willingness to travel on a frequent basis for now. A few more years and it will be back to the Rodeo circuit for Tami with everyone participating. Tami is an overall speed champion and is looking forward to the young prospects that should be ready to hit the circuit in the near future. She has the Need for Speed when it comes to horses.

Kelsie Sink who has developed a love of horses at an early age.

Hayley & Kelsie Sink on Hershey with PaPa Philip Payne

Chris & Logan Sink

The saying "Behind every successful rancher is someone who works in Town" is something that is very true at Rock Creek Ranch. Unfortunately with small operations like ours, it takes more than one person to work in town these days.

Luckily, this is where our father who is a retired coal miner, Philip Payne, has moved into helping with the day to day operations of the farm when the rest of us go to town. Dad has been a great inspiration to all of us and has helped us to acheive our goals of still being part of the American dream of having something of our own. We enjoy that at least on the farm we are be able to "bring our kids to work day" where this is everyday out here.

Not to forget, our mom, Rosemary Payne, who is the one who keeps us all in line and the grandma who helps with everything so we can keep it all going in the right direction. When the weather is too hot or to cold, grandma is the one who is glad to keep the kids and let the rest of us go outside to get it done.

Chris & Lori Sink are more on the technical side nowadays.

Chris grew up around horses with his grandfather, Bud Overturf, but Bud lived on the adventerous side and was involved in chariot racing with horses in Southern Illinois. Both of Chris' grandparents were farmers and it is hard to move away from those roots.

Lori was raised around horses and was riding at a very young age with my Dad, Philip Payne. Of course growing up on the farm is something that I have never outgrew also.

Both Chris & I have lived away from Southern Illinois, but there is something about raising our kids on the farm that has brought us back to live close to the family.

We have 3 kids, Logan, Hayley, & Kelsie Sink.

We are in charge of the website, the photography, the hay operation, pasture, and the cattle. So just a few things to manage in our lives.

Impromptu family photo and the huge Oak tree on the farm.