Archives-BCHA history

Kudos and Achievements

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

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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 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.org 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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