I only got involved with horses on an ongoing basis in 2002 when my daughter joined Westernaires. Shortly after that I became a volunteer Wrangler with Westernaires – which also introduced me to mustangs. We got our first horse in 2005, and six days later, on Friday July 22, 2005, I was introduced to the Jefferson County Horse Council and the Emergency Evacuation Team when our horse was evacuated from the North Table Mountain Wildfire. From that experience I joined Jefferson County Horse Council and have continued getting ever more involved with horses. Today I do trail rides, patrol as a Jefferson County Open Space volunteer, reenactments, obstacle courses, some driving with my daughter’s carriages, and most anything else if it involves a horse. I currently have two mustang saddle horses, Riley and BoJack, and one retired Westernaire pony, Barney. Too much fun!

For as long as she can remember, Suzi has had a deep love and appreciation for all animals—but horses have always held a special place in her heart. Growing up in Applewood during the 1970s and ’80s, it was common to see horses in backyards and paddocks, with local barns and boarding facilities all around. Horse ownership was simply part of the community—you’d saddle up, hit the trails, and wave to neighbors along the way.

Without a horse of her own at first, Suzi borrowed a friend’s horse, Nashville, and spent hours exploring the ditch trails around South Table Mesa. When her parents realized this passion wasn’t going away, her mom introduced her to 4-H and Westernaires. The idea of parades, costumes, and “riding at speed” was irresistible, and Suzi dove right into Westernaires. Riding the Westernaires’ string horses taught her that every horse has its own personality—lessons that built her confidence and deepened her connection with the animals she loved.

At 14, Suzi got her first horse, Van Deck (“Vandy”), a spirited four-year-old who became her best partner. Together they rode local trails, performed with the Westernaires Precisionettes (grad 1987), and later tried their hand at barrel racing, English riding and jumping, CSU Polo, and guiding trail rides along the Poudre River. Suzi began her studies in Equine Science at CSU before shifting to Social Work, later building a career in insurance and contracts—all while keeping horses a central part of her life.

She’s also earned a Level II Certification in Equine Massage and completed the Equine Training, Industry, and Management program at Arapahoe Community College in 2017. From 2007 to 2014, Suzi returned to Westernaires as an instructor, where she loved mentoring young riders and staying active in the horse community. Over the years, she’s enjoyed friendships with many wonderful Colorado trainers, clinicians, and fellow horse enthusiasts.

After 24 wonderful years with Vandy, Suzi found her next equine partner, Tucker, who now calls G&J Lazy P in Arvada home. Her early experiences riding freely around South Table Mountain inspired a lifelong passion for trail riding, open spaces, and protecting access to equestrian trails. That passion led her to the Jefferson County Horse Council, where she continues to support open space preservation, trail safety and accessibility, emergency preparedness, and community education.

Before my daughter joined Westernaires in 2010, I had no experience, and in fact, no interest whatsoever, in horses. But after watching her ride and spending time with the Westernaires herd, I got hooked. Over the next several years, I volunteered as a wrangler, instructor, head wrangler, and tack repairman in addition to spending many nights camping with the herd as a barn dad for my daughter’s, and later, my son’s, Red Division Teams. I bought my first horse, a palomino quarter horse named Baywatch. Not wanting to ride a horse named Baywatch, but also wanting to respect his previous owner’s choice, I renamed him Mitch, the name of David Hasslehof’s character in Baywatch. Others have since suggested that David Hasslehoof would have been a better choice. Since then, a playful Quarab named Zip and a Colorado Ranger mare named Dusty, a retired Westernaires string horse, have joined the herd.

Living in a fire prone area of unincorporated Jefferson County, I joined the JCHC in 2020 as an EET volunteer. I have served on the Board since 2022 and am currently focused on member communications and maintaining the organization’s website.

I hail from Massachusetts and my first horse was my imaginary friend. At riding lessons, I loved jumping, but my instructor based everything around dressage. Horses were my passion and learning to draw them led me to become an artist.

For 20 years my husband and I kept our horses at home in Colorado Springs, and we evacuated them for both the Waldo Canyon Fire and the Black Forest Fire. Both times we had to scramble and impose on friends to take them in. When we moved to Jeffco, the Morrison Road Fire blew up on Super Bowl Sunday in 2021. At the fairgrounds, the Jeffco Horse Council Emergency Evacuation Team greeted us and cared for our horses and our neighbors’ livestock. That evacuation spurred (pun intended) my involvement in JCHC.

My experience on the board of the Trails and Open Space Coalition in Colorado Springs led me to serve on the JCHC Board. By supporting space and trails for equines in Jefferson County, JCHC also helps sustain agriculture, nature and human health, to ensure that horses and the natural world can be a balm and a joy for future generations.

I am a 4th generation Colorado horseperson and as such have seen a lot of change to trail access, attitudes and knowledge about horses and horse ownership, and understanding of land stewardship.  Preservation of open land, and sharing that land with each other and the wild flora and fauna that live there are critical now, and especially in the future.  Preservation of our Colorado equine heritage, and agricultural heritage is part and parcel to the issues around preservation of open land, and it is essential for the equine and agricultural communities to work together to ensure a future through community, advocacy, and education.  I firmly believe that local grass roots organizations are the key to making this happen, and JCHC is one of those key organizations. 

My background in this community was having the privilege to grow up in Golden Gate Canyon with horses and the freedom to ride all over those mountains; riding from home to Golden, Golden Gate State Park, and Central City, among other places.  I was heavily involved with 4H, raising sheep, rabbits, chickens, and of course participating in all the horse programs.  Career wise, I graduated from Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine, followed by an additional 6 years of training in Veterinary Pathology with Purdue University, and am currently a pure researcher focused on diseases affecting vision, brain, and skin.  My current equine partner is Sophie, a Saddlebred/Friesian cross mare, who will go anywhere and do anything.  We do a lot of trail riding, including patrolling together for Jeffco Open Space Equine Ambassador program.  Sophie is the latest in a long line of American Saddlebreds in my family; my grandfather and great grandfather  bred these amazing horses for ranch work in the Colorado Rockies due to their stamina, can-do attitude, level-headedness and easy gaits, which perfectly describes Sophie.  Horses are an amazing partner to mankind in so many ways… and they deserve a future.

My name is Lexi Letts, and I have been a part of the Jeffco Horse Council since November, 2024.

I bring over eight years of experience as the Director of Marketing and Operations at Comfort Dental, where I organized and managed more than 100 community-related events. During that time, I also served on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Colorado, where I was heavily involved and attended nearly three-quarters of their events.

Currently, I work as a real estate agent, volunteer with Miracles Therapeutic Riding Center, and occasionally work rodeos. I am also an active Kiwanis member and part of the Wheat Ridge Chamber of Commerce, furthering my dedication to community service and engagement.

My love for the western lifestyle and horses runs deep—I grew up with cattle, hogs, chickens, and horses, which sparked my lifelong passion for the western way of life. I know that I can deliver a fresh perspective, strengthen community involvement and engagement, and contribute my marketing skills through videos, social media, and educational outreach to benefit both the Council and the broader community.

I truly value what the Jeffco Horse Council offers and am eager to contribute to its continued growth and impact.

I heard of the Jefferson County Horse Council last summer when a request went out to the Westernaires Wrangler email thread requesting help with the Quarry fire evacuations.

I jumped at the opportunity to help these animals in need. It was extremely rewarding to not only help the animals, but their owners at this very traumatic time in their life. I immediately paid my dues and knew I wanted to be a part of this team.

I am a registered nurse so when I met Lydia Andrews-Jones, she very graciously invited me to be a part of the special care team with the emergency evacuation team, I was thrilled to accept the offer!

Since joining JCHC, I have attended all of the Code 3 classes as well as several other training events and have gained a wealth of knowledge that I can use in my everyday life with my own horses.

I have three horses, a rescue mustang, a rescue off the track quarter horse and a 4-year-old Friesian.

I have been a volunteer with Westernaires since 2014 and have always loved being involved with horses. This is why I became a board member with JCHC. I would like to help promote and protect equine activities in beautiful Jefferson County, Colorado.

Although I am a former educator and social worker, a great passion in my life has always been animals, especially horses.

I have lived in Jefferson County since 2013, becoming involved with horses here the following year when I assumed the care for an absentee owner’s horse, and then in 2022, adopting my own rescue horse from Harmony Equine Center – a sweet, old, flea-bitten grey named Smokey – with whom I am pictured.

During my childhood in Illinois, I spent most days with my beloved Shetland pony, Paint. Then as a youth, I competed extensively in local horse shows with Coco, the competition horse my folks bought for me, while also being an involved member of an equestrian 4H club. Years later as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala, I bought a horse that became known as “El Famoso Don Shuco” to carry me to my remote mountain work sites. Being dissatisfied with the poor quality of the local farrier’s work, and already knowing how to trim hooves, I learned to shoe my horse myself with much better results. That, and the fact that women were almost never seen on horseback there, led the locals to view me as something of an Amazon.

Nevertheless, now back in the U.S., I now leave the farrier work to a professional with more experience and a younger and stronger back! I have been a Jefferson County Horse Council member since 2022 and now a seasoned member of its Emergency Evacuation Team that received and cared for the nearly 300 animals evacuated to the Jeffco Fairgrounds during the 2024 Quarry Fire. I am honored to serve and be involved with this invaluable equestrian organization.

I have always loved horses as far back as I can remember. I was happy just to see or be near them. My family moved from Tahoe, California to Jefferson County, Colorado in 1982. I learned of Westernaires in the 3rd grade from my new found BFF Jennifer & joined immediately. I loved everything about Westernaires! I got my 1st "real job" mucking stalls for .85 cents per hour at 11yrs old. I saved for almost 2 years until my dream came true & I got my very own horse! A quarter horse named Darlin Dyna's Pride! Dyna-roo was my heart horse & my whole world. I've been blessed with many amazing horses in the decades since & loved them all. I currently have a rescued Mustang~ Blaine, my riding horse is a Tennessee Walker-Morgan cross~Elly, & 3 miniature horses June Bug, Napoleon & Squiggy. Jenn is still my BFF & we work together at Rhythmic Equine Inc. We educate people & share the healing powers horses provide, both mentally & physically. I have had the honor of serving on the Board for the Jefferson County Horse Council 3 years now. I am also a Volenteer for our Emergency Evacuation Team that provides an invaluable service when the wild fires come.

Mike Skelton is a life-long Jefferson County resident who has helped hundreds of clients in his 38 years as a Real Estate Broker. When he’s not showing homes, Mike is an active member of and advocate for the equine community. This includes serving on the Jeffco Fairgrounds Advisory Committee from 1993-2019 and serving on the Equine and Agriculture Heritage Commission from 2019 to present. He has spent over 40 years helping develop and grow the Jeffco Fairgrounds facility and equine activities. Mike also serves on the Board of Directors and volunteers with Westernaires and is on the Board of Directors and is a member of Jefferson County Horse Council.

Lisa Woodward has had a horse since she was five years old. She grew up riding horses on the trails and joined Westernaires where she graduated from the Varsity Bid Red Team in Westernaires. She has been a long-time trails advocate and She and her husband Rick planned all of the trails in Bear Creek Lake Park as well as the horse arena in the park and they were recognized for their work by Open Space. Professionally she is an engineer (Colorado School Mines alumni) as well as a pharmacist (University of Colorado).

In September, 2004, Lisa was appointed to the Jefferson County Equine and Agriculture Heritage Commission for a three year term. The Commission was formed in 2021 and is tasked with assisting the Board of County Commissioners in their efforts to preserve the equine and agriculture activities currently hosted at the Jefferson County fairgrounds.