Tuxon Ranch is gradually expanding and reintroducing itself to equine enthusiasts in and around La Plata County.
The 115-acre property, located about 5 miles south of Breen in southwest La Plata County, opened to the public more than two weeks ago and is conducting tours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to educate people on the equine industry’s history, the area’s equine and agricultural history, different horse riding disciplines performed at the ranch and general care of horses.
“People are definitely getting excited about the equine (industry) and the agriculture industry scene firsthand like this. (On Thursday), we had a tour group from Denver, and they were talking about how awesome it was to see it firsthand,” said ranch manager Haley Chumley.
The ranch also held an equestrian jumping event on Aug. 10, featuring nearly 40 competitors taking part in 175 jump rounds.
“I do think things are progressing well,” said John Harper, Tuxon Ranch’s chief operating officer.
Harper acquired the property and took over operations in August 2023. The warranty deed, which ensures the property has a clear title and the seller has no outstanding liens or mortgages, was sold on July 7, 2023, for $2.5 million.
Aside from adding the educational tours, the ranch is building new animal stalls and three new pastures.
“That’s going to just enable us to bring more horses to the property,” Harper said.
The three new pastures will be 0.38 acres apiece. The pasture brush was cleared Friday to begin construction, and the new stalls are projected to be completed by winter, according to Chumley.
Tuxon Ranch also looks to add a new A-rating event center with 160 show stalls. A-rating equine shows are nationally recognized and feature bigger prize money sums.
The ranch even plans to renovate its outdoor arena for events to help bring in another 150 to 200 horses.
“The idea is that we have a facility that is going to have the perfect and proper ground for the different events,” Chumley said, adding that the warmup pen and lunging circles will have the same surface as the arena. “That way, nothing changes when they go to compete from when they’re warming up.”
As part of its breeding program, the ranch just brought in its first broodmare, a female horse used for breeding, from Canada. That horse is due to give birth in April, according to Harper.
At this point, Harper said the ranch hasn’t made further progress on rezoning the property to host indoor rodeo events, adding the ranch is focusing on equine activities on that portion of the property and the educational tours. The ranch still has potential to hold such indoor rodeo events in the future, he said.
As for the equine education internship programs, Chumley said the ranch is still working out program logistics involving Durango School District 9-R and Lamar Community College.
mhollinshead@durangoherald.com
