Meet Our Team

John Longhill – Executive Director/Founder

John’s credentials include 30 years in youth development, a private practice as a landscape architect, co-founder of Swan Center Outreach and executive director and founder of Blue River Horse Center for Education. His 40 years as a business entrepreneur, life coach/youth mentor, working with clients nationwide, equips John with an in-depth understanding of the demanding world we live in today. His compassion, skills, and “lessons learned experiences” help guide youth and adults to navigate the world with a personal focus, while maintaining a sense of balance and peace in their lives.

Nancy Spears – Board of Directors, Marketing and IT

Nancy is now retired from IBM, and has lived in Summit County for 18 years. Her search for meaningful volunteer work led her to the Blue River Horse Center, where neglected and abused horses regain their trust in human beings and many find forever homes. People of all ages and abilities who interact with the horses in educational programs learn leadership and self-confidence and find new ways of dealing with life’s challenges. Helping horses and people while contributing her marketing and computer skills to this successful nonprofit has been very rewarding.

Carole Weller – Board of Directors

Carole is a retired Executive Recruiter who is originally from the UK. After moving to the US in 2005 she lived and worked in San Francisco for 8 years. Carole and her husband learned to ski in Breckenridge in 1991, and they loved Summit County so much they moved here in 2013. By 2015 they were lucky enough to retire from paid employment and concentrate on skiing, hiking, and biking as well as walking their two Bernese Mountain dogs. Carole volunteers for the Frisco Animal Shelter, the Breckenridge Theater, the Summit Foundation, and is on the board of the Breckenridge Music Festival. She has volunteered at BRHC since its inception and enjoys sharing her love of horses with others. She finds it rewarding to help the BRHC program participants realize their potential while assisting in the rehabilitation and adoption of rescue horses.

Sarah McClain - Board of Directors

As a Colorado native Sarah grew up in the San Juans skiing, camping, hiking and riding horses. She and her husband recently moved to Summit County with their two children, Claire (6) and Ajax (4). She has been overwhelmed with the generosity and welcoming spirit of the community.

Sarah has a Masters degree in Urban Planning with a focus on Civic Tech and Community Engagement. Her technical skills combined with her lifetime experience with horses are a valuable asset to the Center. She enjoys teaching, being outdoors and working with animals.

Craig Robelen - Board of Directors

Craig and his wife, Lisa, were involved in boarding horses for the past twenty years on their ranch in Delray Beach, Florida, prior to moving to Breckenridge five years ago. Their two daughters were raised tending to the horses and riding from the time they were six years old through high school. Equine therapy was a natural part of their family life!

Craig ran a custom home building company for thirty years, so working around a ranch comes naturally. Hands on carpentry is one of his favorite pastimes, as well as fixing all sorts of machinery and buildings. In addition, Lisa both loves horses and ran a preschool in Florida, and she was a counselor for young adults and couples. All of these past pursuits fit so well with the BRHC mission.

Braun Horner – Ranch Caretaker

Braun has been with BRHC since 2016 as animal caretaker and class assistant. He is new to the high country having been born and raised in Hugoton Kansas. Braun has excellent skills as a horse handler and a father of 3 young boys, which makes him a great addition to our staff. He is also the chief “Chicken Wrangler” introducing the visiting kids at our camps to our flock of chickens and ducks.

Patti Worthen - Board Member

Patti and her family bought a cabin not far from BLue River Horse Center 26 years ago. Over the years living between Del Mar, CA and Silverthorne, CO she realized Summit County would eventually be her permanent home. Raised in a small village on the coast of MA and early skiing in the mountains of VT started her love of water sports and the mountains. Careers included years as a pediatric Respiratory Therapist, realtor, investor, and portfolio manager, but being a mom and her volunteer work always felt like her most important time. Volunteering included 12 years as a guidance counselor for college placements, member of the Board of Directors at a small private school in Encinitas, CA, and training her dog for Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Love of horses, animals, and the experiences with her own family and the children at her CA school inspired her to volunteer at BRHC. The ranch experience; leadership classes, learning the skills to train horses, and spending hours in the beautiful valley is the perfect fit to guide her into a Summit County "retirement" lifestyle. She can often be found at the ranch, hiking and snow-shoeing with her dog behind her mountain cabin, kayaking, or feeding the flocks of birds who claim her cabin deck year round.