Clare Tone

 ~By Megan French & Clare Tone   The 96th National FFA Convention took place Nov 1-4th in Indianapolis and BCHA & 4-H member Megan French was there. FFA stands for Future Farmers Of America. It is an intracurricular student organization for those interested in agriculture and leadership. FFA develops members’ potential and helps them discover their talent through hands-on experiences, giving members tools to achieve real-world success. Megan is a senior at Silver Creek High School and attended the National FFA Convention as part of the horse judging team. Here is her dispatch:   My team from St. Vrain Valley School District went to Indianapolis to compete in the horse judging event at the National FFA Convention. We were representing the only Colorado horse judging team at the convention, competing with teams from all over the United States. Our members were (pictured from L to R above): Jack Dolbeare (placing silver), Anna Thomas (placing gold), Shaena Putman (placing silver), Megan French (placing silver). Collectively, our team placed 8th nationally! At the annual National FFA Convention, FFA members and their advisors come from all over the country to compete or just learn more about agriculture. Examples of some events people compete in are livestock judging, dairy cattle judging, meat judging, horse judging, public speaking contest, and so much more. There are also events like a rodeo, concerts and expos put on just for the kids at the convention. This was my first time ever at the convention and I competed with horse judging. It was an amazing experience and I’m so glad I […]

Newsflash: Colorado Therapuetic Riding Center receives $37,500 from the sale of the Denver Broncos!   CTRC was one of over 35 agencies and organizations to receive a portion of the nearly $1 million awarded to Longmont thanks to the sale of the Denver Broncos. For a therapeutic riding center to be recognized by civic leaders in this way reflects positively on equine organizations in general. And with it’s two-year waitlist, the hope is to expand programming to help more people receive equine assisted activities.  Read the Longmont Times-Call article here

~By BCHA Board President, Clare Tone Authors Note: At the Annual Fun Show on Oct 22nd, 2023, the Recognition Award was presented to Dr. Fitch’s daughter, Lindsay Fitch. Before he was Dr. Fitch, Mark grew up on a cattle ranch outside of Gillette, WY where his passion for horses budded through participation in 4-H and rodeo throughout his childhood. While attending the University of Wyoming, Mark continued to rodeo, while earning a degree in veterinary sciences. He went on to graduate in 1976 from Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and completed an internship at Littleton Large Animal Hospital in 1977. Dr. Fitch established his practice, Quality Equine Services in Boulder County that same year and practiced equine veterinary medicine for 46 years in the Boulder County region. The practice he established 46 years ago continues to thrive to this day. Sadly, our community lost an equine friend and hero on Nov 9th 2022. In addition to dentistry and expertise in lameness, Dr. Fitch’s standout skill and passion was in behavioral counseling. He was passionate about presenting–to fellow equine professionals and horse owners alike–on horse behavior and handling. He filled his spare time with training horses, team roping and, especially, spending time with his daughter, Lyndsay. So here’s a little known fact which speaks volumes about his character: in 1969 Dr. Fitch was featured in Sports Illustrated magazine, ‘faces in the crowd’ column. He was starting as a freshman at the University of Wyoming, coming off of an impressive high school athletic