Warhorse Ranch: Courage and hope on a mission

Warhorse Ranch is a place apart, where the heart of the horse meets the heart of the human in a mystical bond as old as time.

Born of the shared aim of Mike and Valery Lozano to offer something of value to their fellow veterans and law enforcement professionals, the Warhorse mission took its first steps in the summer of 2020 — just in time for the COVID crisis to immobilize the world.

For anyone less determined, the challenges faced by this intrepid pair would surely have been fatal. But Mike and Val are warriors who have fought the most dangerous of battles, traveled through the toughest of times, and it is just not in them to give up. So, they carried on.

In 2021 — Warhorse Ranch’s first full year of operation — Mike and Val and their team saw tremendous growth resulting from a lot of good-old-fashioned hard work, and the remarkable generosity of new friends and supporters.

Through this year of experience, our knowledge and understanding were broadened and important program advances were developed. Serving a wide range of clients — from veterans and law enforcement officers to children and anyone who has suffered any kind of trauma — insights were gained and strategies were cultivated.

This year, in addition to regular daily and weekly sessions, two retreats will be added to the Warhorse summer calendar. Each of these five-day events will incorporate varying activities on alternating days. In this model, one day we’ll offer a mindful, healing experience through interaction with horses. The next day, participants will enjoy relaxation and/or recreation, including opportunities for fly fishing, hiking, golf, an evening at the Steamboat Rodeo or any other desired sort of general fun in the Steamboat summer sunshine. This fall, we’ll also provide an in-depth four-day training retreat for our Warhorse Staff.

The Warhorse Family invites you to visit this quiet place of refuge and restoration where hope and a future live and thrive. Come and learn why the Warhorse mission is based on the powerful connection between the horse and its human counterpart, a relationship that can guide the weary, the wounded, the restless to peace.

Let us know when you’re coming, then take a drive toward Steamboat Lake, up the Elk River Road. Take the left fork at County Road 54, then veer to the Northwest on the Deep Creek Road. You’ll find us on a corner of the Historic Peavy/Semotan Ranch where seven horses and a donkey receive the kindest of care, and in return happily offer their hearts to people in need of healing through the brand of unconditional love that only they can give.