H/J Barns DENVER CO

[Henley497]

Hey all, I’m looking for some recommendations on reputable H/J barns in the Denver area!
Within 30-40 mins of Highlands Ranch would be wonderful. I’m from Ontario and totally unfamiliar with the horse culture near Denver and thought this might be a good place to put out feelers (:

Looking for a program that has plenty of current A circuit experience and knows the hunter breeding (line classes) world relatively well. Was planning to take my 2022 foal to the Royal in Toronto, down to Devon, etc but now considering the move and unsure of what’s out west in that field!

Anyways- looking for a strong program with the necessary experience/resume that also prioritizes happy horses and is minimal drama/very straight forward. Would also love a barn that doesn’t have a ton of lesson kids and is more of an adult ammy environment but that’s not a must!
Happy to have my horses out in a group most of the time, just being horses. Zero expectations of grooming or tacking up for me, mostly looking for nice, no drama folks with a solid knowledge base and the experience to guide me in turning my youngsters into good citizens and nice investment projects. Bonus points if they also typically have packer types available for PB lol.

Minimal to no yelling in a coach would also be fantastic lol, I promise I can take criticism, I’m just 100% a crier even as a grown ass adult LOL.

Thanks for all your help guys!

[Mander]

Hey there!

I just moved to Littleton area about a month ago, so I don’t have any personal recommendations for H/J barns (yet, anyway) and I don’t have my own horse, so my needs are quite different than yours. There have been a number of posts on here (from myself as well) looking for barns in this area, but they don’t drum up much attention. I highly recommend joining the FB group “Denver Area Horse Community” (or something like that) and posting on there.

In general though, Parker is the “horse mecca” around here, although there are some nice barns just south of you as well (I believe I’ve heard good things about Savoy and Little Raven Ranch). For rated shows, I think there are a handful in the Denver area, and then there’s HIPICO in Santa Fe (although I think they’re selling the facility, so that may be up in the air). It’s a bit sparse outside of that though - a lot of people just end up heading to the coasts if they want to do big shows I think.

[Henley497]

Thank you so much! I’ll definitely check out the fb group, Parker is definitely within reasonable driving distance for me so hopefully something around there will work (:

[showy]

I only ever showed out in Parker but some people I think might fit your bill:

Molly Rhinedollar Helicon Show Stables]
Her mother bred ponies so she would have hunter breeding knowledge.

Laurie Juneman Snowfield Farm Parker Colorado Riding Lessons Horse Shows Training]

John McConnell (large hunter/jumper family)

[RAyers]

John McConnell doesn’t do the hunters. Jennifer Rhoades who is also at Castle Cliff does.

Try Savoy stables basically in Highlands Ranch. I have no idea of the trainer (I have been out of the h/j scene here for 30 years even though my family are still significantly involved).

[Henley497]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the recommendations.
Is Savoy ($1100 USD) typical as far as board prices go for H/J barns? Just curious bc for the same services at a facility with a coach of the same tier I’m paying a lot less right now (at home in southern Ontario).
I know prices of everything have gone up recently but is that typical of the area? Definitely hurts a bit more considering the exchange as well lol. Thanks again!

[DawgLady]

I haven’t lived there for a few years, but yes, I think you can expect board in those top level barns to run $900 plus.

Savoy and Castle Cliff both have very limited turnout. It can definitely be an issue in Colorado. (I used to board at Castle Cliff and each horse got 2 hours a day). Just something to ask about when you’re calling around.

[IPEsq]

Yes it is very expensive to board in the Denver metro area. $1000+ for most good facilities.

[Henley497]

Thanks for letting me know! 6-8 hrs minimum is about normal here so I appreciate the heads up!
I like leaving my young ones out almost 24/7 (barring extreme weather) so that would definitely be an adjustment. Thanks again guys!

As you get further from Denver do board rates drop/does turnout availability increase?

[Roni4444]

I am a dressage rider south of Denver but I can tell you that good quality boarding barns here are VERY expensive. $1000++ board only. There is mostly no grass and its best to have a heated indoor as it gets very cold here at night. The next storm will bring overnight temps of -8 in our area.

[skrosenthal]

Definitely call Dan Scheifen at Legacy Valley Farms in Arvada. Not that far from you, board is well under $1k, and he’s a wonderful human and a lovely, lovely rider. He shares the facility with a well regarded dressage trainer and his group is all down to earth amateur ladies. I’ve left the h/j world for dressage but if I were still jumping I’d be there in a heartbeat, even coming from Boulder.

[BAC]

I know nothing about the Denver area, but didn’t Wilson Dennehy used to be in Denver? I know he has passed on, but at one time weren’t all of his children in the business? I guess I am showing my age as I doubt most of you even know who I am talking about.

[Tini_Sea_Soldier1]

Lived in CO for about 5 years now.

@BAC Michael Dennehy is still there. He’s in Littleton area and his barn is Bridlewood Farms. However, I think the boarding price might not align with this specific person’s needs if they’re choking at $1100.
But he does the big shows (might even do a few in Canada) and would have a top A Show program.
I believe he does either Thermal or Wellington in the winter, not 100% sure which one.

Most people will travel out of state for the winter, although Front Range now has a winter series that is smaller A rated or B rated stuff, so there are options to stick close to home. Front Range and Claire are a bit north of Denver, so not really a good option for someone from Littleton on a day to day basis. Especially if rush hour traffic returns to the disaster that it was pre-Covid. You don’t want to be anywhere near 25, 225, or 70.

Laurie and Marisa have a lovely program and do the A Shows. They’re at Thermal right now. Love their barn and their structure. Good turnout. Friendly people. Good horses. Located about 5 minutes from CO Horse Park.

Savoy also does FL in the winter for a few weeks, and might also go to Thermal. Not 100% sure. I think they went to Welly last year and maybe WEC this year?

Erin and Kindra are both lovely people and Little Raven is a good option if you’re close to Roxborough (far side of HR) near 470. Their board is slightly under Savoy’s unless it’s gone up, but it’s not much less.

Arvada and Dan are REALLY far from where this person is asking for suggestions. That’s quite a haul but he seems to be nice enough. Haven’t seen him out much at shows aside from judging here and there. But I do think his board is considerably less, so if you’re struggling for board options that are less expensive, but want competitive training, that might be an option.

Something else to consider is that on top of board, most of these programs will expect training to be added, so best to factor in another $700-1000 on top of it for monthly training costs.

CO Horse Park used to do board and have trainers work out of there. I think they did away with it a few years ago, but heard that they went back to it for a brief period. It was quite expensive to board there, BUT you saved in terms of needing to ship in and out for horse shows because you were already there, so that was a factor.

Keep in mind that turnout in CO, especially near Denver is CONSIDERABLY different than other areas.
Think lots of dirt and very tough to find lush grass turnout. Also, lots of panel/ranch style fencing… not post and fence boards. So when thinking about a foal, consider if they’re going to try to climb it or get stuck under it. Take the time to really visit and walk the grounds and determine what works best for your needs. It’s a tough place to just view on websites and board on a whim.

Feel free to PM if you’d like some further suggestions or ideas.

[DawgLady]

TBH, I thought Denver was a tough place for owning/riding/showing. Lots of reasons. Are you moving for work? Is there any flexibility on where you can live?

[BAC]

@Tini_Sea_Soldier1

Lived in CO for about 5 years now.

@BAC Michael Dennehy is still there. He’s in Littleton area and his barn is Bridlewood Farms. However, I think the boarding price might not align with this specific person’s needs if they’re choking at $1100.
But he does the big shows (might even do a few in Canada) and would have a top A Show program.
I believe he does either Thermal or Wellington in the winter, not 100% sure which one.

Thanks for the update on the Dennehy family business, I remember they did the big shows so expected they would be expensive but OP also mentioned wanting to show at Devon and the A shows so I thought they might be an option.

[Tini_Sea_Soldier1]

Yeah. True. There are a few that go out that way, but I do think Michael tends to be the highest in the area when you factor in board and training. But it’s a great operation and they go to the big shows, so if the budget is there, it’s worth investigating.

[IPEsq]

I think Claire (already mentioned) and Elisabeth Hare are probably the most involved in the hunter breeding. Elisabeth is also too far for you with her base out in Firestone I think, but they could maybe give you some information on that. Not many shows here offer in hand classes for either h/j or dressage.

[Tini_Sea_Soldier1]

Agree. 100%.
You’re really challenged in geography if you want to chase points.

[RAyers]

My mom boards at Legacy, increased to $900 a month, possibly $1k.

I’ve been in here for 50+ years. We are definitely different than the east coast. I board my horses in pasture at an eventing barn in Larkspur. That is about the only way I’ve been able to continue to do what I want to do. I grew up competing against Michael, Charley, and Liza, as well as most of the folks listed. Tini_Sea_Soldier1 has a good grasp on the scene here.

Now, that being said, I will say what John McConnell and I were talking about with somebody who was asking where the best place to have horses in the US is. Colorado is actually a great place to have them. Access to both coasts and the ability to ride outdoors almost year round (we were schooling outside in December and only moved indoors to prepare for Stock Show). Even in the coldest days I still can head out and ride in the forests etc.

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[Henley497]

Thanks guys, this has been 1000x more helpful than google and Facebook lol.

@skrosenthal I’ll definitely check out Dan at LVF, hopefully it’s not too far!

@Tini_Sea_Soldier1 thank you so much for all of this! Yes I checked out Bridlewood and while lovely it looks like they run about $1800 for board right now which is definitely beyond what I’m looking for right now

Sorry I think I missed this, what’s the name of Laurie and Marisa’s program?

Board and training costs are definitely adjustment, full training board in the GTA runs on average around $1400-1600 CAD at an A barn for horses under saddle. It’s considerably less for youngsters showing on the line and learning manners/basic life skills from a professional. I’m having a bit of sticker shock given my student budget . Thank you so much for all the info though, that was super helpful!

@DawgLady I’m considering the move for grad school! I’ve gotten in closer to home as well but I have really close family out in Denver that have been pestering me to make the move for some time so I thought I would look into it logistically since I got in at DU and CSU. It’s looking like keeping horses the way I have been (as a poor student whose every spare penny goes into ponies lol) isn’t going to be super feasible in Colorado though. Other options are Cleveland OH, Western NY and potentially Richmond VA (have been shying away from Richmond bc lack of a support system there despite more horse opportunities). Or just staying in Southern Ontario lol.

@IPEsq I’ll look them up, thank you!

@RAyers that sounds like a smart option, I’m happy to have my guys out most of the time as long as there’s occasional access to a stall for teaching purposes. I’d also be happy to ship in for lessons or have someone come to me at a different barn provided the boarding barn still had professionals handling my horses vs 14 yr olds who are working off lessons. Absolutely nothing wrong with the 14 yrs olds, I’ve been there, I’ve just had a bad experience in the past where casual barn staff (that interacted with my young horse on a daily basis) shaped some unfavourable habits that were a pain to undo, including some very bad head shyness. When they’re really young every interaction they have is shaping their perspective of the world and I like to make sure that I can positively control that as much as possible lol.

I definitely have an appreciation for the Denver winter vs Toronto winter, I was in Denver for Jan/Feb/March last year and it was so pleasant even when cold and snowy, way less biting than at home, which I imagine makes winter barn outings more fun lol.

Thanks again for everyone’s help, I really really appreciate it!