{"id":2453769,"date":"2020-01-27T02:45:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-27T09:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=319923"},"modified":"2020-01-27T02:45:00","modified_gmt":"2020-01-27T09:45:00","slug":"business-monday-windwalkers-set-to-secure-future-with-missouri-height-ranch-purchase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/business-monday-windwalkers-set-to-secure-future-with-missouri-height-ranch-purchase\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Monday: WindWalkers set to secure future with Missouri Height ranch purchase"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Turner Fautsko, on horseback, with Beth Gusick, program director and<\/strong>
Courtesy photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Riding arena renovations and new classroom space to support expanded programming are now the focus for the WindWalkers equine-assisted therapy center near Carbondale, as the organization is set to take a big step toward securing its future.<\/p>\n

WindWalkers, now in its 15th year, announced earlier this month that it is set to close in February on the purchase of its now-leased 15-acre ranch in Missouri Heights.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe opportunity came quickly, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, in the middle of our year-end campaign. But we couldn\u2019t pass it up,\u201d said Gabrielle Greeves, executive director for the operation.<\/p>\n

A group of anonymous donors put up the money to allow WindWalkers to proceed with the down payment on the $1.45 million purchase.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are so pleased to announce that WindWalkers will now have a secure permanent home that will allow us to grow and thrive for years to come \u2014 a place we hope you will continue to be a part of and dream with us about what it can become,\u201d according to a statement announcing the purchase plans.<\/p>\n

With the decision, WindWalkers is also launching a new capital campaign \u2014 \u201cHearts and Hooves Make the Difference\u201d \u2014 to secure the remainder of the funds for the purchase and begin a three-year renovation plan.<\/p>\n

Another $1.7 million is needed to complete the campaign.<\/p>\n

WindWalkers has had an option to purchase the ranch for the past four years since the ranch, located on Garfield County Road 102, was put on the market.<\/p>\n

When two other offers came forth late last year, WindWalkers had to make a decision, Greeves said.<\/p>\n

The deal actually comes in under the listing price, and will allow the organization to trade its monthly lease for a slightly smaller mortgage, she said.<\/p>\n

The ranch purchase means they can also proceed with some capital improvements on the property, Greeves said.<\/p>\n

In addition to updating the insulation in the indoor riding arena and adding new heaters, WindWalkers plans to build a new heated classroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will allow us to do more year-round programs and camps,\u201d she said, adding the organization is expanding to offer services geared toward behavioral and social-emotional health using the equine approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not just a therapeutic riding facility. We are branching into more social\/behavioral health support,\u201d Greeves said. \u201cThat focus has grown for us throughout the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

WindWalkers, which has an annual budget of $600,000, now serves over 75 clients per week during the warmer months, using 15 to 18 equine therapy horses.<\/p>\n

A successful annual campaign will also allow WindWalkers to add some staff to support the new programming, she said.<\/p>\n

Currently, WindWalkers has a staff of seven people, including three full-time staff, plus a herd of 18 horses to feed and take care of. Some hay is grown on the ranch, but most is purchased, which is a significant expense that needs to be maintained.<\/p>\n

Most of the horses are older and have been retrained as therapy horses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are animals that are getting second and third lives, and it\u2019s a huge offering to the community for us to be able to do that,\u201d Greeves said.<\/p>\n

The regular routine of therapy sessions is set to start back up next week, after a reprieve during the colder winter stretch.<\/p>\n

More information about the capital campaign, as well as the annual campaign and WindWalkers\u2019 horse and rider sponsorship programs, can be found on its website.<\/p>\n

jstroud@postindependent.com<\/a><\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Turner Fautsko, on horseback, with Beth Gusick, program director andCourtesy photo Riding arena renovations and new classroom space to support expanded programming are now the focus for the WindWalkers equine-assisted therapy center near Carbondale, as the organization is set to take a big step toward securing its future. WindWalkers, now in its 15th year, announced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2453769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 18:46:31","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2453769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453769\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2453769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2453769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2453769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}