Bucking Horse

Bucking Horse is an award-winning project designed around fulfilling the hunger for community. Visitors and homeowners are able to discover a community of opportunities nestled in a safe environment. Local vendors have the chance to share their products and create relationships with those visiting Jessup Farm Artisan Village, while community gardens and gathering places encourage homeowners not only to interact but to bond with their neighbors. A variety of homes are offered within the community, including single family, townhomes, and apartment residences. An extensive trail system, community gardens, a working farm and a garden for the farm-to-fork restaurant were all part of the original Master Plan, which was carefully developed to preserve the heritage of the land. Since the project’s inception, the wants and needs within the community have shifted, which required thoughtful adaptation of the Master Plan to take place. On April 18^th, 2019, the City of Fort Collins Planning and Zoning Board approved the addition of a child care facility on the land previously slated for a working farm. While we are still striving to find a way to include more animals in the neighborhood, we look forward to delivering an amenity that we have always designated space for, child care, in Bucking Horse.       

The theme of the project is based upon the existing Johnson and Jessup Farms, which were established in 1868. Jessup Farm has been rehabilitated in an effort to protect the history of the land, while enhancing the overall ambiance of the project, and Johnson Farm is set to be rehabilitated in the future. Bucking Horse is designed around maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The entire project is designed around trail systems that encourage outdoor exercise. Artisan retailers within Jessup Farm, including Peloton Cycles and The Farmhouse Restaurant, promote good health and a high quality of life in a clean and safe environment.

The community gardens teach kids how a seed in the ground becomes the food on their plate. Not only does the project allow us to educate the community on where their food comes from, but the children of today learn how nature can provide endless opportunities for fun and learning. Whether it is building a treehouse, learning about caring for farm animals, or growing vegetables, the project reflects how plants, animals, and people can live and coexist.

The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann (Part 1) - The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann (Part 2) - Bucking Horse on Morning Edition - Bucking Horse in Kathadin Cedar Log Homes Newsletter - Bucking Horse in American City and County Magazine - Bucking Horse in Lydia's Style Magazine (Page 23) - Bucking Horse mentioned in the New York Times

Five Guiding Principles

From the beginning, five important principles have been a guide for the Bucking Horse project, leading it to become the first of its kind in Northern Colorado. Today, these principles continue to be the foundation for our mantra, “Bucking the Status Quo.” From these principles, we strive to create new standards for a healthier lifestyle.

Community 

Bucking Horse is designed around fulfilling the hunger for community. Visitors and homeowners are able to discover a community of opportunities nestled in a safe environment. Local vendors have the chance to share their products and create relationships with those visiting the Jessup Farm, while community gardens, a pool, pool house, and central plaza encourage homeowners not only to interact but to bond with their neighbors.

Environment 

The 160 acres nestled in Bucking Horse were purchased to safeguard its open spaces and mold the community into a Colorado casual farm destination. A trail system, farm animals, community gardens, and a garden for the farm-to-fork restaurant are all part of the master plan to protect our land. A chicken coop on-site at Jessup Farm, as well as native grasses and robust landscaping planted throughout the neighborhood, help keep the community grounded in its farming origins.

Education 

On-site gardens, a farm-to-fork restaurant and over 1,400 fruit producing trees and shrubs planted throughout the project teach today’s kids how a seed in the ground becomes the food on their plate. Not only does the project allow us to teach the community where their food comes from, but the children of today learn how nature can provide endless opportunities for fun and learning. 

Health 

Bucking Horse is designed around maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This philosophy demands an end to redundancy and lack of creativity, to which we will commit in our time. The entire project is designed around trail systems that encourage outdoor exercise. Fresh grown fruits and vegetables reflect a healthier diet while persuading the community to renew contact with nature. Healthy and mindful retailers, along with a clean and safe environment, promote a higher quality of life and health. 

Economics 

Bucking Horse offers diverse opportunities to a wide range of demographics. We focus on quality, rather than quantity, as one of the main building blocks for this project. The goal is to increase the value of the homes within the community while keeping the cost of living affordable, sustainable, and economically feasible.

Bucking Horse Celebrates the New Neighborhood Pool and Clubhouse!

More than 200 residents - kids and adults alike - came out on a unseasonably warm day on September 29, 2013, to help celebrate the neighborhood's newest amenity! The junior olympic-sized swimming pool, wading pool and clubhouse were recently completed in time to enjoy one last splash before fall arrived. With the help of a great design team and an efficient and mobile construction crew, Bucking Horse can now celebrate this neighborhood asset and look forward to its annual opening in the spring. Thanks to everyone who helped see this project to fruition and a big thanks to the  residents who helped us to celebrate the grand opening and ensured that Bucking Horse is a neighborhood where we’re building a great community, not just great amenities!

Bucking Horse Honored for Sustainability and Healthy Living

Our community was selected as one of the leading projects in the state by the American Planning Association's Colorado Chapter. The project was chosen for the way our planning has addressed agriculture in a new community in an interesting way. Our emphasis on partnerships with non-profit organization to make a development project forward thinking is a measure of its social sustainability, not just for environmental sustainability. Our re-purposing of the historic farm buildings and incorporation of an edible landscape provides transferable lessons that impressed the APA. Bucking Horse also has demonstated community progress by contributing to the  modification of local codes to change development models to incorporate urban agriculture. The Colorado Chapter of the APA held an awards ceremony and reception on October 3, 2013, to highlight the great work going on in our state, including Bucking Horse. Learn more about the Colorado Chapter of the APA.

Bucking Horse "Ponied" Its First Annual Float in the St. Patrick's Day Parade

The St. Patrick's Day Parade is a local Fort Collins highlight, with thousands coming to Old Town to watch the parade and revelling in the all-day festivities. We built our float this year, literally from the ground up, and had many people active in the project ride along. We even had goats, chickens, a bunny and pony - oh my! Next year we hope to have the Bucking Horse residents continue the parade float tradition. Thanks to everyone who turned out!