George LaRoe

Not unlike a lot of kids born in my generation, I grew up watching westerns. As a kid, our family had horses and riding stables, and any chance I got, I wanted to be around the horses and play cowboy. Then, of course, life got in the way. I grew up, got married and had a family and my dreams of owning my own horses faded into the background. Playing with other people’s horses seemed to be the best chance I had to be around them. As my youngest daughter (1 of 5) grew up and entered high school I begin to see opportunities present themselves … there was no longer a need to put my own dreams on hold. I purchased my first horse Chloe, an untouched Spanish Mustang, and soon after my second horse, an Appaloosa named Ghost Dancer, both of which I had the opportunity to train. These two horses started me on my way to becoming the trainer that I always had dreams of being. I wanted to work with the horses and let them have the time to figure things out. It seemed the slower I went, the faster the horses learned. From there, I learned to drive carriage teams and I worked downtown Denver on the mall. I then worked for a carriage business outside of Longmont. We drove teams for weddings, parades, the Denver Stock Show and other special events. I had the opportunity to drive single coach, and even a stage coach in Greeley.

Soon, that wasn’t enough and the opportunity to run my own barn, in Erie, Colorado, presented itself. My experiences with boarding at other facilities prepared me for this opportunity. I knew what worked and what was important to the boarders. Now, I was in charge. The barn had a good set-up with indoor arena, big outside arena and housing for about 35 horses. It took a lot of work on my part as it was rundown and didn’t have the best reputation. I put together a plan and offered kid camps, riding lessons horse starting under saddle. Life was good … a dream come true. I started the barn with three of my own horses and as the need for lesson horses grew, I begin to add to my herd.

As often happens in the boarding business, this good thing came to an end in December 2014. But, as often happens, the closing of one door leads to the opening of another. With my marriage ended, my barn gone, and no other plan, I begin to envision a dream of taking two of my horses and venture out on a journey from Colorado to Canada. Well, as they say, be careful what you wish for, it just might happen. After three years of manifestation, on June 1, 2018, me, with two of my own horses and my partner-in-crime and two of her horses will head out and make our way from Colorado to Canada.