Clare Tone

Study: Horses Able to Stay Fit When Kept at Pasture

archives, Archives-Advocacy & public lands, Archives-education /

By Kristen M. Janicki, MS, PAS Oct 01, 2013 I found this article of interest. Hope you do also. I know it can be hard to find a place in Boulder County to board your horse that can provide adequate pasture. Boulder County Horse Association continues to advocate for land use in Boulder County. We are able to do this by your continued support thought membership, donation and volunteer efforts. Please contact us if you have time to volunteer to help us to continue supported equine-related activities in Boulder County. There are many theories on how to best manage performance horses during periods with no forced exercise (whether after sustaining an injury or just for a rest period), and owners are often left with a dilemma: stall rest or pasture turn-out? To find the answer, a team of researchers recently completed a study evaluating how well horses maintain a certain fitness level with either pasture turnout or stall confinement. Patricia M. Graham-Thiers, PhD, and a team of Virginia Intermont College researchers assigned 16 horses in light to moderate work to one of three groups: pasture turnout (P), stalled and exercised (E), or stalled with no exercise (S). During the 14-week study, horses in the P group roamed on approximately 100 acres of pasture, while horses in the S and E groups stayed in stalls during the day and were allowed access to a one-acre paddock at night. The researchers exercised horses in the E group five days per week for one to two hours per day […]

Study: Horses Able to Stay Fit When Kept at Pasture Read More »

A job well done on the Sage trail

archives, Archives-Trails History /

I was looking for a way to give back to the community after the flood. This volunteer opportunity, organized by the City of Boulder Open Space and the United Way, was perfect! On Thursday, October 3rd I worked alongside 14 other volunteers of all ages, and four City of Boulder Open Space employees. Volunteers met at Boulder Valley Ranch at 9 AM and worked until 12 PM. It was a very well organized trail restoration project. All the necessary equipment was provided along with water and snacks (donated by Cliff Bar and Kind Bars) for the volunteers. We had a specific plan about the work that needed to be done, and an overall good feeling that all of us were involved in an activity that benefited the Boulder Community. We rotated jobs shoveling new trail material into eroded areas, moving soil filled wheel barrows, loading dirt into the back of pickup trucks, and spreading and tamping the soil to restore a portion of the Sage trail. We were all happy to be able to help, and finished the project knowing we had done a good job. Thank you City of Boulder Open Space staff, you were so well organized and upbeat. It was a day well spent! I’m looking forward to my next opportunity to work with this group, and help with the flood relief effort. Smiles…Samantha M

A job well done on the Sage trail Read More »

Risk of Spontaneous Combustion of Wet Hay

archives, Archives-education /

Information sourced from an article published by Steve Fransen and Ned Zaugg, Washington State University The recent flooding in Boulder County requires close monitoring of stored hay for signs of spontaneous combustion. Dry hay (stored at 15 percent moisture or less) is safe for long-term storage. However, if the hay has become wet the quality has been permanently changed and there is an increased potential of a fire hazard from spontaneous combustion. As microbial  organisms grow in wet hay they produce heat while drying out the surrounding surfaces of the hay for energy. More drying surfaces produces more microbial growth and different types of microbes live and die as the internal bale temperature climbs. When the bale temperature reaches about 150 Fº the hay is on a one-way street and going the wrong direction! The larger the haystack and the more densely packed the hay is the longer it may take to show signs of internal bale burning. Internal bale temperature may take several weeks before reaching 150 Fº, but from this point on more heat resistant bacteria start a process of chemical change that rapidly increases temperatures to the point of spontaneous combustion.Chemical reactions and microbial growth in hay occur because of the change in availability of moisture, oxygen, and pressure to create heat to the point of ignition and fire. Early warning signs are: Steam rising from bale surfaces and condensing on the roof and eves of the barn. Often molds will start to grow on all these surfaces too. An acrid, hot, tobacco

Risk of Spontaneous Combustion of Wet Hay Read More »