College and professional athlete. Business owner. Mother. Wife. Coach. Philanthropist. These descriptions only scratch the surface of Wendy Ingraham, founder and executive director of Robin’s Nest Foundation, owner of Sky View Farm Equine Center (SVF) in Castle Rock and secretary on the Board of Directors for the Castle Pines Homes Association.

Having grown up on Lake Michigan, Wendy is no stranger to connecting with nature and the opportunities it provides to improve physical and mental health. As a young girl, Wendy was determined to visit her best friend who lived on an island off the shore of the lake, and the only way to get there was to swim. So, she did. This determination eventually led to Wendy breaking every high school swimming record and earning a swimming scholarship to Michigan State University.

After college, Wendy moved to Los Angeles with college friends, started a landscape architect business and began competing in triathlons professionally. She worked as the sports marketing director for Tyr Sports, one of her triathlon sponsors, and helped develop their multi-sports clothing line. During this time, Wendy also helped start a nonprofit in Chicago called Tri-Masters Youth Sports Initiative Programs, providing a youth triathlon-training program for children who are economically disadvantaged.

Wendy met husband Vern Smith at Peet’s Coffee in Redondo Beach. They have been married for 17 years; daughter Skylar was born in 2008. In 2009, Vern’s job with EchoStar Corporation brought the family to The Village at Castle Pines.

Wendy loves the unfenced yards in her neighborhood and close proximity to open spaces and nature. In 2017, she bought SVF to provide her daughter with a place to explore the outdoors.

But Wendy changed course in the wake of tragedy. She lost three close friends to suicide, including late actor and comedian Robin Williams. This, with the knowledge that Douglas County has one of the highest rates of attempted suicide in the country, Wendy was determined to utilize the farm in a unique and impactful way that would help those who are experiencing mental health issues.

In 2019, Wendy helped SVF became an equine-assisted therapy facility, a proven tool for treating people of all ages experiencing depression, anxiety and trauma-related symptoms. Named in honor of her famous friend, Robin’s Nest is a nonprofit that supports the mental health of the community through the animal to human connection.
“Being an athlete, the transition was easy because I look at these horses as athletes,” said Wendy. “A lot of our medical healing devices come from horse racing, and there’s a lot of cross over in endurance sports and horses.”

Wendy sees Robin’s Nest as a resource for the community, for events or just an escape to relax. “The day-to-day crazy life, a breath of fresh air, some humor or a story is what we are about,” said Wendy. “We’re here for our community to reset, whatever that looks like.”

When Wendy is not at the farm, she enjoys family adventures with Vern and Skylar, who just finished her junior year at Rock Canyon High School. And while a severe horse kick accident a few years ago prevents Wendy from competing in triathlons, she is still active riding the farm’s therapy horse Stormy, paddling down the Colorado River, ski touring in the winter and enjoying the company of her Great Pyrenees, Lulu.

 

By Sara Goodwin; photos courtesy of Wendy Ingraham