Meet Our Team

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 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.

Amy Young is a Summit County school teacher and 12-year resident of Summit County with BA and Master of Education degrees. She brings her special talent as an educator for 40 plus years and her lifelong love of horses to the Blue River Horse Center, where she combines her love for children and animals. Amy understands that the connections we make with horses are directly related to the connections we make with others and most importantly with oneself. Amy is a firm believer that animals teach us responsibility, leadership and help develop our inner strength.

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.

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 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 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.