archives

Pre 2022 material from the old website

Kudos and Achievements

archives, Archives-BCHA history /

In 2022 We Have: Grown and stabilized our leadership team coming out of the Covid Pandemic era by welcoming Jonas Balloga to the Board as Secretary and Jodi Fowler as Chair of our newly formed Emergency Preparedness Committee. Hosted our first Emergency Preparedness Clinic alongside Boulder County Mounted Search and Rescue, Boulder County Animal Control and the Boulder County Fairgrounds. Fundraised for and awarded two youth scholarships Provided education on how to interact with horses on shared trails to over 215 mountain bikers in collaboration with the City of Boulder OSMP, Boulder Mountainbike Alliance and the Singletrack Mountain Bike Alliance. Gathered for a trail ride up at Caribou Ranch, with picnic and guest speakers. Held a fun and successful Fun Show in October with broad support from key community business partners and dedicated member volunteers. Engaged with Boulder County in key areas of impact to equestrians including evolving rules & regulations around e-bikes and firearms/shooting. Established a strong Facebook presence thanks to our hard-working social media team. Started updating our website to ensure a lasting and easy-to-manage presence that will span into the future. Held board meetings and sent out newsletters every month through 2022 to keep the work of the organization moving forward! If you are glad we did any of the above, or if you have an idea of how you could do it better, WE WELCOME YOUR HELP!

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A Tribute to Jay Hearst

Archives-Our Community /

Jay and his horse Sonny, up Niwot Ridge in 2000. Photo Courtesy of Suzanne Webel   JAY W. HEARST (1931-2021) A belated tribute to longtime BCHA member and Board member Jay Hearst by Suzanne Webel   I met Jay in about 1998 when he called me to announce, “We’ve never met but I ‘m calling to tell you I bet you’re glad we are not going to become neighbors!”  I had no idea what the heck this complete stranger was talking about, but less than a couple of minutes in to the conversation it was clear we were going to be good friends. It turned out that Jay was shopping for land to establish Colorado Horse Rescue’s new facility somewhere in Boulder County.  The landlocked tract just east of ours was for sale, but the only legal access was along a very narrow strip of land that passed uncomfortably close to the front of our house.  Physical access for a busy outfit like CHR would be long, expensive and fraught.  But the final death knell for the deal was that Jay and his Realtor got hopelessly mired in the mud during their attempt to view the property and had to get towed out.  So, instead, he found and purchased the much more appropriate property on 65th Street that people know of today as CHR. Did you know that Jay was behind the CHR purchase, its multiple building construction projects, and its move to Boulder from Arvada?  Did you also know that Jay was behind two big

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Lily Thomas is Awarded the 2022 BCHA Youth Scholarship!

archives, Archives-Youth /

Lily and her colt Westley from the AQHA young horse development program My name is Lily, I have been riding pretty much my whole life but started showing when I was eight! I have been so blessed to get to learn to ride and care for horses as a youth and get to continue on to college! I ride all around locally and show in versatility ranch horse. I love the strong community Boulder County has given me to grow up in! I’m super excited to start my next chapter at Texas Tech where I will major in Agricultural Business and minor in Agricultural Communications. I am also very passionate about horse judging and will continue to learn and develop skills for judging in college. I’m furthering my equestrian experience by not only being on Tech’s Judging Team (and hopefully Ranch Horse Team), but I want to work in the equine industry. I would love to be a show manager. I’ve grown up in the industry and have loved showing, being a show manager, and working on getting people to my series as well as working with organizations like AQHA, PTHA, and APHA to get shows sanctioned. I’ve had horses my whole life. My family moved out on land when I was only a few months old, and horses followed. I rode for the first time when I was three. The horse was three also and he spun and bucked me off right away. There was nowhere to go but up! At eight I joined 4-H

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Fires Bring Action to Colorado Horse Communities

Archives-Guest articles & contributions /

Originally published by Nicker News Written by Randy Winter Feature phot0: Helen Richardson, Photographer, Denver Post [divider style=”solid” color=”#cccccc” opacity=”1″ icon_color=”#666666″ icon_size=”15″ placement=”equal”]EDITOR’S NOTE: Randy Winter is an experienced endurance rider, an active horse community member, a Best Horse Practices Summit sponsor, and creator of Rein Safe. He sent this report from his home in Boulder, Colorado, which the Middle Fork and Marshall fires narrowly missed. Those fires forced the evacuation of 35,000 people and destroyed 900 homes.[divider style=”solid” color=”#cccccc” opacity=”1″ icon_color=”#666666″ icon_size=”15″ placement=”equal”] Randy Winter writes: December 30 was quite a day. The wind was howling. Around 11 am, we saw emergency vehicles go by and saw smoke just west and south of us. A friend lives directly in that area and she kept us posted on the progress of what would quickly be named the Middle Fork Fire. We prepared to evacuate. The fire roared past us to the south. Fortunately, fire crews got this fire under control quickly. But then we started hearing about a new fire, dubbed the Marshall Fire. This fire was 15 miles south of us. We had winds of 80 mph. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)  is located in this area because of high winds generated by the terrain. Huge wind turbines dot the landscape. Winds funnel down through the canyons like when you put  your thumb over the end of a hose to increase the distance of water spray. The Schnook winds can be fierce as they travel west to east coming down out of the Rockies. Officials

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Galloping Into 2022

Archives-Our Community /

For BCHA, 2021 was a great year of promoting, protecting and advocating for the equestrian community of Boulder County. We are galloping into 2022 with new energy and enthusiasm, but let’s do a half-halt and recap what we have accomplished: BCHA grew our Board of Directors and retained important committee leadership! Want to collaborate with a great group of board and committee members? Please reach out to Clare Tone to see how you can help us accomplish more in 2022. BCHA re-upped our educational offerings by pivoting to monthly guest presentations via Zoom. We are fortunate to have so many knowledgeable folks who are so generous in sharing what they know with our horse community. Have something to offer our community in 2022? Reach out to Brittany Steffensen BCHA worked with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) to make available the H.O.O.F. Livestock Operation Find Form. Filling out and submitting your information allows the BCSO to maintain a central livestock database, and enables them to quickly contact you during an emergency. Find out more, fill out the H.O.O.F Form today! BCHA awarded two Youth Scholarships in June. Spread the word. We are accepting rolling applications through April 2022. Find out more.  Your BCHA Board of Directors attended a retreat in July at Broken Arrow Ranch to clarify goals and cement relationships. BCHA expertise was sought out numerous times throughout the year for insights on equestrian trail access from community partners. These included the City and County of Boulder. We are grateful for our long legacy of leadership

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Boulder County Horse Association Celebrated 50 Years of Service with their Community

Archives-BCHA history /

By Brittany Steffensen, BCHA Community Offerings It’s not every day you get to celebrate a 50th year of service as one of Boulder County’s most impactful and long lasting nonprofit organizations, but we did it this year with all of you. On the evening of September 26th the Boulder County Horse Association (BCHA), with its supportive and fun community, gathered at the Longmont Museum Swan Atrium to celebrate. It was a long awaited special event, with the joy and comradery seen and felt amongst the new and familiar faces. The 50th Anniversary & Annual Gathering was a sight to behold. Centerpieces made of horse snacks caught your eye with their bright colors, mouthwatering hor d’oeuvres floated throughout the crowd while everyone sipped from their complimentary BCHA glasses and the tunes from a lone guitarist sounded throughout the space. The room was filled with In-kind donated gifts from local artists and business owners that instigated some friendly silent bidding in support of BCHA. From paintings and jewelry to handmade goods and professional equine services and learning opportunities, we had it all. Not only were the silent auction items unforgettable, so was the special guest speaker Dr. Tamar McKee, PhD. A local of Boulder, Colorado, Tamar had us all captivated with her presentation; Horse Empowered: how equines help us hold space in times of historic and ecological change. You could hear a pin drop in the room as she so eloquently spoke to the group. Through a mixture of storytelling and historical analysis, McKee created a cinematic view of the

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BCHA Bike/Horse Educational Presentations

archives, Archives-Advocacy & public lands /

Randy Winter, BCHA Trail Advisor On September 28, 2021, Randy and Cheryl Winter, along with their horse, Ellie, met up with a few cyclists from the Boulder High School Mountain Biking Team. Randy, BCHAs Trails Committee Advisor, and his herd mates have provided bike-horse interaction presentations to multi-trail user groups for quite a long time. As Cheryl described, “their horse Ellie had her early in-hand training days at trailheads. Bikers helped us train her to accept bikes by giving her cookies when she did well. So when Ellie saw the onslaught of bikes coming at her she had visions of cookies dancing in her little red head.” The day (pictured here) was the fourth consecutive session covering a total of 130 high school students. These presentations were about 30 minutes, and seemed to be well received. Afterwards, attendees were invited to come meet Ellie and give her a cookie. WEEEELLLLL, Ellie sure charmed them all and she was soon swarmed over by students.  Some were petting and laying over her back because she was “so soft”, others were taking selfies with her. For many it was their first up-close and personal time with a horse. While others who had ridden before said the experience made them want to start riding again. Whichever way you took it, Ellie was there to help. Needless to say she was a star and helped get the bike/horse world off better connected! [divider style=”solid” color=”#cccccc” opacity=”1″ icon_color=”#666666″ icon_size=”15″ placement=”equal”]To arrange a bike/horse educational presentation with your group please contact Randy Winter

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BCHA Announces its 2021 BCHA Youth Scholarship Recipients!

Archives-Youth /

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”

archives, Archives-education /

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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On the Trails: What’s New!

Archives-Trails History /

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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