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

Community News /

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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