DOUGLAS COUNTY — The Colorado Horse Park is up for sale and has sparked one woman to start a campaign to save it as a state park.
Founder and president of the horse park, Helen Krieble, who is in her 70s, said she needs to retire at the end of this year. She has put the 148-acre park up for sale for $11.9 million and hopes that another equestrian organization will take over. The park is currently managed by a nonprofit. Krieble bought the former boarding facility in 1993 and expanded it.
“It’s one of the great horse parks in the country, and it ought to continue and perhaps do a bid for the equestrian piece of the Pan American Games,” Krieble said. “It brings an enormous amount of recognition to the equestrian sport and the Colorado area, and I just hope that someone as enthusiastic about it and who loves the facility as much as I have will take it on and take it to the next level.”
The sale comes at a time when the park is more popular than ever. Brian Curry, vice president and general manager of the Colorado Horse Park, said this year was the park’s best, selling out the six-week circuit this summer.
“For six weeks you cannot get a hotel, you can’t go to a restaurant without running into one of our people. You can’t go into the grocery store without running into one of our people,” Curry said, adding that if the horse park closes, “it’s going to be devastating to the economy here.”
That’s why 25-year Parker resident Kris Garrett, who works with horses, has begun the Save Our Horse Park campaign to make the site a state park, something Krieble attempted about a decade ago.
Krieble said there being a low amount of buy-in from surrounding governments — Douglas County, Parker and Castle Rock weren’t interested in the project. While the park has a Parker mailing address, it’s located in unincorporated Douglas County and is surrounded by Douglas County Open Space.
The equestrian industry in Douglas County accounts for about $100 million-$135 million in economic impact, about $15 million of which comes from the horse park, said Doug DeBord, Douglas County manager.
Garrett is concerned the horse park will be sold to developers and turned into houses.
“It’s such a unique gem of a location, and to just have it get plowed down for houses is tragic,” Garrett said. “I figure I gotta at least try.”
So far Garrett has gathered a group of fellow horse lovers to brainstorm. She is looking into seeing if they can leverage some Greater Outdoors Colorado grants to purchase the horse park, then have it designated a state park.
Suzy Sweitzer, a realtor with Re/Max Alliance in Parker, is selling the property and said there’s a 90 percent chance the property will be sold to another equestrian organization or company. There is a 47-acre piece of land adjacent to the park on sale for $3.9 million that will likely be sold to developers, she said. Sweitzer said it’s likely the property will be sold before Jan. 1.
Sweitzer said she and Krieble welcome Garrett’s campaign.
“The more publicity and the more horse people and people that we reach, the better,” Sweitzer said.
Krieble said there’s already been a lot of interest from equestrian organizations.
“I’ve spent 22 years of my life creating an internationally famous horse park,” she added, “and I would be more than sad to see it disappear.”
Clayton Woullard: 303-954-2953, cwoullard@denverpost.com or twitter.com/yhClayton