Saving Gracie Equine Healing Foundation

Saving Gracie Equine Healing Foundation is a horse-rescue sanctuary founded by The Lodge at Blue Sky's owner, Barb Phillips.

The Lodge at Blue Sky Owner Barb Phillips on Gracie.

History of Saving Gracie

In 2013, The Lodge at Blue Sky’s Owner, Barb Phillips, discovered a nearby ranch that was neglecting their animals. Several animals were in dire condition. Each day, Barb would take food and water down to the ranch and try to feed them and care for them over the fence to ensure that they got some much needed care. Barb developed a profound connection with one horse in particular, whom she visited every day. The horse was declining quickly and had an untreated wound and Barb knew that, if she did not intervene, this animal wouldn’t make it. Barb convinced an officer to trailer Gracie to a nearby veterinary hospital and took financial responsibility for her. Once Gracie had been given a clean bill of health by the vet, Barb loaded the horse into her own trailer and took her to an undisclosed location, vowing to care for her for the rest of the animal’s life. She named her Gracie, feeling that it was a “Saving Grace” that she was able to rescue this special creature. A year later, officers knocked on Barb’s door to investigate the theft of the horse, and they informed her that there could be legal action. Barb’s response: “You can put me in jail, but I will never allow that horse to go back to those people.”

Barb Philips founded “Saving Gracie Equine Healing Foundation,” named after her inspiration, Gracie.
Saving Gracie Equine Healing Foundation has rescued over 50 horses and 30 cows since 2015.

How Saving Gracie is Making A Difference

Saving Gracie Equine Healing Foundation is a different type of animal rescue. The Lodge at Blue Sky is the only luxury guest ranch in North America that employs their own, full-time on-site vet to ensure that their special animals get the care and attention that they deserve.

Rehabilitation

We take on animals with physical and emotional trauma that no other horse rescue foundation is able to, due to our exemplary resources for critical care. We treat our animals based on their individual physical, emotional and energetic needs which includes acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic work, onsite x-ray services, solarium treatment, therapeutic laser treatment, therapeutic podiatry, CBD oil treatment, dental work and more. Saving Gracie has a strong partnership with CSU for animals with advanced medical needs to ensure that the animals receive the most advanced medical care possible for optimal rehabilitation.

Forever Home

When an animal comes to Saving Gracie, they find their forever home. If a “working horse” is no longer able to work, they can enjoy a beautiful retirement at Gracie’s, which is what happens at a lot of other ranches. It’s not about “not being useful anymore”, it’s about valuing their spirit and providing them with love and nurturing.

It's All About Communication

As with everything in life, communication is paramount to ensuring our horses live a happy and fulfilling life. Using non-verbal communication in the Vaquero style of natural horsemanship, we allow the horse to tell us what they want to do. If they want to keep working and have a “job”, we’ll train them until they can become a working horse again, some of which can possibly be ridden by guests of The Lodge at Blue Sky. If they tell us that they simply want to retire and have a peaceful life, that’s great too. Just like we listen to the individual needs of our guests, we listen to the individual needs of our animals and make sure that we take great care of them.

The Animals of Saving Gracie Equine Healing Foundation

Meet some of the animals rescued at Gracie's Farm.

Gracie, the namesake of Saving Gracie's Equine Healing Foundation and Gracie's Farm. Photo by Patrick Brandenburg.

Cow at Gracie's Farm. Photo by Patrick Brandenburg.

Chicken at Gracie's Farm. Photo by Patrick Brandenburg.

Photo by Patrick Brandenburg.

How to Experience the Saving Gracie Foundation

Natural horsemanship and Wellness Days are some of the ways that guests and locals can interact with our Foundation.

Vaquero

At Saving Gracie, we practice a style of natural horsemanship methodology called “Vaquero.” Where many guest ranches in North America employ a harsher methodology of “breaking the horse” (as in breaking its spirit so that it becomes responsive to instruction), we instead employ a very gentle type of training that values energetic, non-verbal communication which works with the individual energies and personalities of each animal. The end result is that the horse feels valued, learns to build trust, and becomes very responsive to individuals. Vaquero is a style of horsemanship taught by renowned “horse whisperer” Buck Brannaman, one of Barb Phillip’s longtime mentors and teachers of the wranglers at Saving Gracie's and The Lodge at Blue Sky. Guests of The Lodge at Blue Sky can book natural horsemanship lessons to learn about this powerful method of non-verbal communication, and feel the profound transformational effects that it has on both human and horse.

Book an Experience

Wellness & Recovery

On Wellness Days, locals as well as guests of The Lodge at Blue Sky are invited to visit the Remuda, our 36,000-square-foot indoor riding arena, to personally witness the exceptional level of care that our animals receive. As you enter the Remuda, you’ll hear soothing music and be able to see our animals receive massage therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic work, special horseshoe work and time in the solarium. Once our animals receive the physical treatment that they need, we often get them to a place where they are more receptive to receiving emotional healing, particularly for horses that have experienced any sort of trauma. Guests that visit the Remuda will learn about the wide spectrum of healing that horses receive and will be able to experience that profound transformation first-hand.

Visit During Wellness Days

Visit us at The Farm

Life is busy and complicated. Work schedules are demanding; family needs are always present; our phones ping us with notifications all day long. There is arguably a universal desire to simplify, to create some space for internal peace and quiet, and to get back to the heart of what truly matters. When you visit us at Gracie’s Farm, you get the opportunity to get back into nature and connect with the animals that call Gracie’s Farm home.

Tour the Farm

Explore the incredible facilities of at the Saving Gracie Foundation and see the multitude of happy animals that are loved and cared for. The fresh mountain air and presence of creatures that have found a loving home is incredibly restorative.
Meet our Rescue Horses

We have horses spread out across many locations on Blue Sky’s 3,500 acres, but there are always some at Gracie’s Farm which you can help to feed and groom.
Visit with our Rescue Cows

Introduce yourself (each one has been named after a country music singer - our largest rescue dairy cow is a Jurassic Park-sized cow named Hank after Hank Williams); feed them a snack (they are always appreciative!), and even give them a hug. Yes: Cow Cuddling is becoming quite popular due to it’s soothing effects on the autonomic nervous system!
Feed the Chickens

Visit with our feathered friends, feed them, or collect eggs which get used in the daily breakfast menu at The Lodge at Blue Sky. (Egg production slows down in the winter when their metabolism slows down to keep them warm in the colder months, so egg collecting will be more readily available during the spring, summer and fall.) While at the coop, you may also spot Layla the Chicken Cat - our grey kitty who thinks she’s a chicken and spends most of her time in or near the coop.