Halleck Creek Ranch: Past, Present, and Our Future

We are Celebrating Nearly 50-Years of Breaking Barriers

1977 — The Beginning

Halleck Creek Ranch was founded by Duane Irving and Joyce Goldfield with a simple but powerful vision: to bring children and adults with disabilities into the wilderness using the four strong legs of a horse. With guidance from the Marin County 4-H Office, the founders launched a small therapeutic riding program at the Irving Ranch in Nicasio, serving 12 participants every Saturday. What began as two sessions a week quickly revealed the profound emotional, physical, and social impact horses could have.

1980s — Growing Access & Protecting the Future

As demand increased, the program expanded to include additional trail rides on Saturdays and a weekday program offered four days a week. In 1985, prior to the division and sale of the Irving Ranch, an easement was established on the adjoining property to ensure continued access to the trails — protecting the heart of the program for future generations.

2020–2021 — The Pandemic Pivot

The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for in-person programming. For a community built around physical presence, touch, and connection, the sudden pause forced Halleck Creek Ranch to rethink how it served its participants and supporters. Rather than stand still, the organization pivoted to online engagement, developing virtual programming, community gatherings, and new ways to stay connected. That same year, Halleck Creek hosted its first-ever fully virtual Buckles & Bling fundraiser, demonstrating resilience, creativity, and the power of community — even at a distance. This period became a catalyst for long-term innovation and strategic growth.

2023 — The Gift of RockRose Ranch

In 2023, Halleck Creek Ranch was gifted the beautiful RockRose Ranch by local impact philanthropist Maja Kristin — a transformational milestone in the organization’s history. After careful evaluation and planning, Halleck Creek began offering programs at RockRose while launching a long-term vision to make the property fully accessible, inclusive, and safe for all participants.

2023–Present — Two Sites, One Shared Mission

With the addition of RockRose Ranch, Halleck Creek now operates across two complementary sites in the Nicasio Valley, expanding both capacity and program offerings while remaining grounded in a single mission and organizational identity. Together, the two ranches allow Halleck Creek to offer a broader range of experiences — blending mounted and unmounted work, therapeutic riding, life skills, and community-based learning across diverse landscapes.

1977 — The Beginning

1980s — Growing Access & Protecting the Future

2020–2021 — The Pandemic Pivot

2023 — The Gift of RockRose Ranch

2023–Present — Two Sites, One Shared Mission

RockRose
Re-imagination
Initiative

RockRose Re-imagination Initiative is Halleck Creek Ranch’s once-in-a-generation capital campaign to transform the newly gifted RockRose Ranch into a fully accessible, inclusive, and trauma-informed community sanctuary for people with disabilities and the families who love them.

Our Vision

180-Acres of Possibility

For nearly 50 years, Halleck Creek Ranch has been a regional leader in adaptive riding and equine-assisted learning, serving children and adults with physical, sensory, neurological, and developmental disabilities across seven Bay Area counties. The extraordinary 2023 gift of RockRose Ranch created a historic opportunity to expand this mission, not just in size, but in depth, continuity, and community impact.

The RockRose Re-imagination Initiative will fund critical infrastructure and landscape improvements to ensure full ADA access, safety, and long-term sustainability across the site. Key priorities include accessible entry and parking, emergency vehicle access, septic and utility upgrades, community gathering spaces, sensory gardens, therapeutic landscapes, and adaptive interior renovations to create a year-round community hub.

When complete, RockRose Ranch will serve as one of the only fully accessible, nature-based community centers for people with disabilities in Marin County. The center will offer a rare combination of adaptive riding, unmounted therapeutic programs, life skills development, caregiver support, and inclusive community experiences in a rural setting.

More than a facilities project, RockRose Re-imagination Initiative represents a bold reimagining of what access can look like when inclusion is designed from the ground up. It will allow Halleck Creek Ranch to expand program capacity, deepen long-term participant relationships, reduce waitlists, and create a replicable model for inclusive rural access across the region.

This campaign is not simply about building structures.

It is about building belonging and ensuring that for generations to come, people with disabilities have a place in nature where they are not accommodated, but fully welcomed and centered.