Lee Wynkoop hails from Littleton, Colorado. He studied natural resources with a concentration in parks and protected area management at Colorado State University. When Lee “grows up,” he wants to be a park ranger, but for now he’s playing with the horses and living the cowboy life. Overseeing a herd of 80 plus horses might make the “people part” of being a park ranger seem like a piece of cake when he does grow up.
Rusty Chadwick is a true renaissance man. Although you’ll see him wrangling and training horses like it’s all he’s ever known, he’ll surprise you with some of his more domestic hobbies, such as knitting! Rusty grew up in North Carolina and graduated with a history/teaching degree from Grove City College,
Pennsylvania. He’ll help Lee up at the barn this summer when he’s not organizing activities for all of you.
Caleb Jones is a Colorado native, but grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Ohio State University’s Agricultural Technical Institute with a degree in Horse Production and Management. He’s been a riding instructor at a YMCA camp as well as a wrangler at two other guest ranches. In fact, we think Caleb has horses on the brain for at least 23 hours of the day, and his passion is evident as you’ll find out on the trail.
Dan Moyer is from Ann Arbor and a recent graduate from the University of Michigan, with a degree in economics. Like other past staff members, Dan first came to the ranch as a guest and loved it so much that he decided to come back and get paid for spending his summers here! He’s put his cowboy hat back on for his fourth summer at the ranch. Don’t be confused if you see Dan cruising the trails on his mountain bike every now and then. He is a cowboy who crosses the lines to athletic heartthrob occasionally.
Nicky Throgmartin hails from the Hoosier state of Indiana. Her love of horses and riding pulled her away from the University of Indianapolis, where she rode on the equestrian team. She has been seeking to continue her equine education by accompanying Lee to several horse sales, riding clinics and volunteers her time at a nearby equine facility. If you wander up to the barn, chances are you’ll find Nicky in the saddle.
Jess Decker grew up in the rural South just outside of Tiger, Georgia. He’s been attending school to be a diesel mechanic. Jess is our “handyman” and enjoys fixing things. He’s been around farm animals and machinery his entire life. Jess was a ranch hand for us this last winter, but now will bring his wrangling skills, easygoing personality and Southern smile to the barn.
Lindsey Skinner hails from Muskegon, Michigan. A graduate of Aquinas College, Lindsey is a sports enthusiast. She has played soccer, tennis, and was even the kicker on her high school football team! Over the last few years Lindsey has pursued her love of horses through trail riding and riding her own horse, Buddy. This summer she’ll bring her skills and passion for horses to the corral at Vista Verde.
Leslie Morgan is one of the gals keeping Lee and the guys in line up at the corral. She is a pre-nursing major at Indiana Wesleyan in Marion, Indiana. Leslie brings a beautiful singing voice with her to Colorado, and we hope to have her share it with us around the campfire. She’ll be riding herd with the kids this summer and filling them with her infectious smile! When she’s done being a cowgirl, Leslie hopes to become a registered nurse.
Rachel Ratkovich has been around horses all of her life. She loves to ride, and she loves teaching others to ride as well. She’ll have the opportunity to do both this summer as one of our wranglers. Rachel holds an associate’s degree in photography from the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay. Blazing into the untamed West has been a dream of Rachel’s for a long time, and she is excited to share that adventure with all of the staff and guests of VVR this summer.
Amanda Baumann loves meeting new people and riding horses. She also has tons of experience working with kids as a camp counselor and through the YMCA. What more could we ask for in a VVR kid wrangler? Although Amanda grew up mostly in California, she has fallen in love with the Midwest! A former Business Administration major at the University of Mary in Bismarck North Dakota, Amanda has graduated and is back in Steamboat Springs for her next adventure. I say “back” in Steamboat Springs because Amanda is technically a local—she was born here twenty-three years ago.
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