Clare Tone

BCHA Announces its 2021 BCHA Youth Scholarship Recipients!

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PRESS RELEASE: AUGUST 20, 2021 The Boulder County Horse Association (BCHA) is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2021 BCHA Youth Scholarships: Nora Ditzel, $250 Teen Scholarship Madeline Williams, $750 Collegiate Scholarship These two very impressive young horsewomen demonstrated equestrian dedication, along with high standards of character in their community involvement and educational achievements. About Nora Ditzel Nora plans to use her BCHA Teen Scholarship award to further her education in reining and ranch horse versatility. She credits her pony, Butch, with getting her hooked on horses at the ripe old age of eight. Nora has had many mentors—both horse and human—especially Liz Johnson of Windy Creek Ranch. Through Liz, Nora has had the experience of helping to train four ponies over three years, and has been able to ride and show Liz’ horse Chex. Nora is now in her ninth year of Blazing Saddles 4-H. She has done everything from serving as the social director, parliamentarian and even historian. To think I didn’t even know there was such a thing as ‘parliamentarian’—way to go Nora! BCHA will be watching your progress and cheering you on, and we look forward to seeing you at BCHA events and activities! About Madeline Williams BCHA Collegiate Scholarship recipient Madeline (Maddie) Williams will apply her scholarship funds toward studies at Colorado State University, where she is pursuing a degree in Animal Science with a focus on Equine Sciences. On top of her studies, Maddie is the 2021 Boulder County Fair Lady-In-Waiting and 2022 Queen! As Rodeo Royalty she’s an […]

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Horse Trailer Loading: New tools for your “Horse Tool Box”

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By Mary Cook, BCHA member and contributing Writer On my journey with horses I have always liked adding new tools to my “horse tool box. This past May I decided to attend the Colorado Horse Rescues’ (CHR) free Trailering and Loading clinic led by Sarah Hofkamp, Training Manager at CHR. What a great clinic! Sarah worked with Oliver, a very handsome 4 year old BLM branded mustang. Oliver was recently rescued from a local auction, and she had had no interaction with Oliver prior to this clinic. Sara took us and Oliver step by step, beginning with round pen groundwork. This included basic halter leading, disengaging the hindquarters, and moving away from pressure using both positive and negative reinforcement. She stressed the importance of building trust, confidence and fairness with your horse. After, Sarah and Oliver moved over to the large arena where a large stock trailer was waiting! She applied the groundwork skills used earlier to the trailer loading. There were no time constraints, and Oliver was never forced to do anything he didn’t want to do. He poked a head inside, then a foot, then another foot and then all four!  By the end of the session he was easily loading and slowly unloading. Don’t wait until the last minute to (hopefully) load your horse into your trailer for a show, clinic or emergency. Practice loading on a regular basis so when the time comes, your horse will easily load! And, don’t forget to attend the last of these free clinics at Colorado Horse Rescue—and add some

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More Than Just An Exam: the real value to the annual examination of your horse

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By Dr. Meg Bacon, DVM, MS, IVCA and Fear Free Certified Just because your horse seems to be doing great does not mean you should skip out on your annual exam with your veterinarian. Why? Your veterinarian is a trained professional that can let you know when there are early indicators for disease or pain. Some of those conditions can be much more easily managed in the early stages to reduce progression or stop secondary symptoms—keeping your horse’s overall well-being the best it can be. In the long-run it can save a lot of money. Every veterinarian may be different on what they consider part of their basic exam, so make sure to ask questions. It is a time to discuss body condition concerns, nutrition, and behavior, as well as a chance to discuss any long-term goals or plans for your animal. In this author’s opinion, a complete annual wellness exam includes: temperature heart and lung evaluation gastrointestinal sound evaluation unsedated brief oral evaluation brief eye evaluation overt lameness impression, and general body palpation for areas of swelling, sensitivity, reduced motion, muscle loss Horse care can get expensive but identifying medical concerns early can often mean the ability to begin preventative measures. Think about how much is spent on a car’s annual upkeep to make sure that major mechanical parts last as long as possible. Dedicated annual care can keep your horse feeling his or her best, allowing for peak performance. After a complete evaluation the veterinarian should discuss and/or e-mail the findings with any further

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On the Trails: What’s New!

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By Randy Winter, BCHA Trail Advisor I recently met with City of Boulder Open Space staff on a variety of topics. We covered a lot of ground—so to speak. Here is a April update on trails around Boulder County. Hall Ranch Thanks to trail maintenance crews, it’s smooth sailing into the horse trailer parking area at the Hall Ranch in Lyons.  That huge hole that rocked your trailer has been fixed. Monarch Trailhead You no longer have to hassle with those spring loaded gates. The car gates have been unlocked so you can now safely pass through on or off your horse without getting slapped in the butt! There is just a chain over a post, but please be sure to CLOSE the gate! Lagerman Preserve Plans are in the works for a 6 to 8 horse trailer lot expansion at the Lagerman Preserve in Longmont. Funding still needs to be acquired as money was diverted due to the Heil Ranch fire last year. Boulder Valley Ranch I brought up the issue of addressing the North TSA (Trail Study Area) Plan recommendations to add or update horse trailer parking at three access points to Boulder Valley Ranch. These would include the: Degge trail Eagle trail Left Hand trail [divider style=”solid” color=”#cccccc” opacity=”1″ icon_color=”#666666″ icon_size=”15″ placement=”equal”]It is important that we hear from you, so BCHA can understand how much this is wanted by our horse riding community. Please send me an e-mail today. (e-mail link)[divider style=”solid” color=”#cccccc” opacity=”1″ icon_color=”#666666″ icon_size=”15″ placement=”equal”] Left Hand Trail If you have

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Liz & Stitch

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This BCHA Share Your Story is by Liz French Liz French was awarded the BCHA Teen Scholarship in 2018. In her scholarship application she wrote about using the $250 award to further her dream of adopting a wild mustang. Fast forward several years and now Liz is a senior at Silver Creek High School in Longmont with applications out to numerous Universities. Before attending college, she plans to take a gap year to enjoy time with her adopted mustang and to travel abroad. BCHA is delighted to share this Here is an update from Liz on her experience adopting her wild mustang, Stitch. After attending a mustang makeover competition about five years ago, I started learning everything I could about the process of training a horse from scratch. I attended clinics, read books, watched videos, and generally furthered my horsemanship by riding and working with as many horses as possible. When the pandemic hit, I knew I wanted a project to keep me occupied during my senior year in high school and so I took to upgrading my facility to contain a wild horse (when I say “I,” I really mean that I oversaw my ever-supportive father as he built an overhang off our barn and extended the panels to reach the 6 foot minimum required by the BLM… thanks, dad!). Purchasing such building supplies is where my BCHA Youth Scholarship funds were allocated. Once the adoptions started opening back up was when the real work began. The process to adopt a mustang is a lengthy

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BCHA Gallops Towards 50: 2010 to the Present

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A couple of  weeks ago I put the last of the physical archives back in storage. Without tangible clippings, photos and newsletters in my hands I feel my grip on the magic of the past loosening—and perhaps that’s fitting. I turn now to the digital landscape and our amazing boulderhorse.echoquestinc.com website. I have to dig a little, but thanks to the vision and technical know-how of recent leaders, I can travel back in time online all the way to 2010. I pick up the thread of history there, and begin to weave together the most recent decade and the years leading up to our pivotal moment in time as we gallop into our 50th year! Floods, Fires, VS, and a Pandemic—Really? The Floods How could any of us forget September 2013. Between September 11–15 more than 18 inches of rain fell in Boulder County and the neighboring front range areas. The historic flooding along Boulder’s 15 drainages, earned its designation as a Federal Disaster Area. In all, 17 counties were affected in Colorado requiring the biggest airlift rescue operation since Hurricane Katrina. Boulder County horse owners had to cope with extremely scary weather conditions, on top of concerns about the health and wellness of their equines and the land they lived on. Foothills communities were cut off and experienced extensive damage. Emergency evacuations were ongoing over the course of several days. Sitting above the floods at an elevation of 9,000 feet, the hilltop pasture at Broken Arrow Ranch provided an impromptu helicopter landing area for crews performing

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BCHA Gallops Toward 50: 2000 – 2009 in Boulder County

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Against all odds—or so it seemed at the time—the Boulder County Horsemen’s Association (BCHA) survived Y2K. BCHA delivered itself safely into the first decade of a new millennium as a freshly minted 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Shortly thereafter, in a nod to more progressive times ahead, a minor name change reflected major cultural shifts when the organization’s name was changed to Boulder County Horse Association. The new millennium launched with a standing room only crowd at the BCHA’s annual meeting in February 2000. At that time 17 members graced the board. Suzanne Webel was at the helm as President, with Judd Adams, Margaret Lewis and Cathy Swanson in various VP roles. At the meeting: Mary Midkiff and Margot Nacey presented Fit to Ride: Body & Mind The annual achievement award was presented to local equine veterinarian Dr. Nancy Loving The gorgeously glossy millennium edition of the BCHA Horse Services Directory was distributed Notable trends of the BCHA Horse Services Directory showed: 9 listings for acupuncture/herbal medicine/massage and chiropractic 9 listings for Natural Horsemanship (including Tai Chi for Horsemen) 5 listings for equine supplements and vitamins A whopping 10 listings for ‘horse therapy’ Horses and the New Millennium in Boulder County In the years 2000–2003: The  Colorado Horse Rescue moved to its current location on 65th Street in Longmont Local hay cost only $4/bale (but the price was beginning to be unsustainable for some farmers growing and harvesting it) Mounted Search & Rescue was in full swing in collaboration with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office BCHA launched its

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BCHA Gallops Toward 50: The 1990s in Boulder County

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The 1990s opened by showcasing a horse-human relationship in a film that went on to win the 1991 Best Picture Oscar Award. When “Dances with Wolves” filled movie theaters (remember those?) hearts thumped loudly. But for horse lovers everywhere the question remains, did hearts thump louder for John Dunbar or the dun horse ‘Cisco’? It was clearly a dynamic, productive and energizing time for the Boulder County Horse Association, and horse folks throughout Boulder County. The BCHA archives for the 1990s provided me with huge stacks of material. In the BCHA Horse Services Directory from that era it lists: a bale of brome grass/alfalfa mix hay for $4.00 a annual BCHA individual membership for $5.00 horse boarding near Rabbit Mountain for $40/month ($50 in winter including hay)! In the early 90s, Randy Winter was at the helm as President of BCHA. He was followed by Creighton Stewart. After his stint as president, Randy continued to write articles with a philosophical bent for the BCHA newsletter. He cleverly titled his column Centered Writing, a nod to famed New England horsewoman of the time, Sally Swift. For example, in February 1990 Randy wrote: Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. There must have been something over there it wanted. Why does my horse, Gus, move on down the road? Usually it’s because he wants to get home quicker. Why do a group of dedicated people continue to travel the road? It’s to get to meetings….to discuss the future of a bunch of

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Local Horse Judging Team Earns National Championship

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For Immediate Release: November 16, 2020 Contact: Kendra McConnell, Coach 303-956-2885 The Colorado Arabian Horse Club (CAHC)/Region VIII Arabian Youth Horse Judging Team dominated the U.S. Arabian & Half-Arabian National Championship Youth Judging Contest on November 14, 2020. The contest is typically hosted during the national championship show held at Tulsa Expo Square, Tulsa, Okla., however this year it transitioned to a virtual format. The team members competed in both team and individual categories. As a team, they finished second in halter, first in performance, first in reasons and first overall, winning the National Championship by a significant margin. Team member Lily Thomas was named the Reserve High Individual Overall. Contestants from 4-H, FFA, Arabian Horse Association (AHA) affiliate clubs and collegiate teams from across the U.S. and Canada competed in the day-long contest split into three divisions totaling 23 teams and over 100 individuals. They evaluated ten classes of Arabians and Half-Arabians then delivered four sets of memorized oral reasons defending their placings in select classes which are scored on accuracy, terminology and presentation. CAHC/Region VIII team members included Madalyn Gabel of Lafayette, Colo., Jessica Jacobucci of Brighton, Colo., Moriah McQueen of Berthoud, Colo. and Lily Thomas of Longmont, Colo. Ava Wright of Erie, Colo. competed as an individual. Madalyn was ninth in halter, fifth in performance, first in reasons and fourth overall. Jessica was seventh in halter, eighth in performance, sixth in reasons and seventh overall. Moriah was third in performance, fifth in reasons and third overall. Lily was fourth in halter, first in

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A Fire Season of Historic Proportions

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By Clare Tone Photo: Joe LaFollette, temporary pens at Boulder County Fairgrounds It’s likely residents of Boulder County were in a heightened state of wildfire awareness as drought conditions persisted through October and historic wildfires raged elsewhere throughout the west. When the Calwood and Lefthand Canyon Fires broke out in Boulder County in mid-October, the horse community seemed on their toes and ready. Boulder County witnessed a late fire season of historic proportions, and to be sure, the equine community rose up in equal measure to provide support of epic magnitude. On Saturday October 17th, around mid-morning at my house west of Gold Hill in western Boulder County, my landline rang. It was my sister, Mea French, alerting me to a big plume of smoke she saw rising up in the foothills in our general direction. I scooted out to the end of my driveway to have a look. I watched as the wind, blowing strong and hard from the west, whipped the plume ferociously to the north and east. I made a quick call back to Mea. I could see the fire was more of a threat to her in west Longmont than to us southwest of Jamestown. Sure enough, by that afternoon the Calwood Fire had advanced rapidly to the east and by evening had jumped across Highway 36. Evacuations were ordered throughout the area, including the heavily horse-populated regions between Boulder-Longmont west of the Diagonal Highway. The largest-ever horse evacuation in Boulder County history was underway. Friday, October 16, 2020 Boulder County Fairgrounds

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