Archives-Our Community

A Tribute to Jay Hearst

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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Galloping Into 2022

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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Local Horse Judging Team Earns National Championship

For Immediate Release: November 16, 2020 Contact: Kendra McConnell, Coach 303-956-2885 The Colorado Arabian Horse Club (CAHC)/Region VIII Arabian Youth Horse Judging Team dominated the U.S. Arabian & Half-Arabian National Championship Youth Judging Contest on November 14, 2020. The contest is typically hosted during the national championship show held at Tulsa Expo Square, Tulsa, Okla., however this year it transitioned to a virtual format. The team members competed in both team and individual categories. As a team, they finished second in halter, first in performance, first in reasons and first overall, winning the National Championship by a significant margin. Team member Lily Thomas was named the Reserve High Individual Overall. Contestants from 4-H, FFA, Arabian Horse Association (AHA) affiliate clubs and collegiate teams from across the U.S. and Canada competed in the day-long contest split into three divisions totaling 23 teams and over 100 individuals. They evaluated ten classes of Arabians and Half-Arabians then delivered four sets of memorized oral reasons defending their placings in select classes which are scored on accuracy, terminology and presentation. CAHC/Region VIII team members included Madalyn Gabel of Lafayette, Colo., Jessica Jacobucci of Brighton, Colo., Moriah McQueen of Berthoud, Colo. and Lily Thomas of Longmont, Colo. Ava Wright of Erie, Colo. competed as an individual. Madalyn was ninth in halter, fifth in performance, first in reasons and fourth overall. Jessica was seventh in halter, eighth in performance, sixth in reasons and seventh overall. Moriah was third in performance, fifth in reasons and third overall. Lily was fourth in halter, first in

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Maria Wasson of West Winds Farm

By Ann Hayes Photos by: Pat Jarvis ©2019 How do posture and balance contribute to excellence in horsemanship? Ask Maria Wasson who, with her husband Stephen Miller, built West Winds Farm in Longmont on 40 magnificent acres at the base of the Colorado Rockies. West Winds Farm is not only Maria and Stephen’s home but  also a productive hay farm. Moreover it is home to “West Winds Center for Equestrian Arts” which comprises a large central barn and two full-sized riding arenas. There are pastures, ponds and satellite sheds for the horses that live on the property. This is Maria’s domain. Here she trains horses and educates riders in a unique style—a style that draws on many disciplines but is very much her own. Maria grew up in the Denver area and was drawn to horses early in life. A whiz-bang rider from the get-go, she became an A-rated United States Pony Club (USPC) rider, the highest rank attainable in that program. During a year abroad in college, she attended the University of Sevilla in Southern Spain learning Spanish and riding a multitude of horses in different disciplines from Grand Prix Dressage and Doma Vaquera to race horses and parade horses. Returning home, she undertook serious dressage competition, winning RMDS and FEI championships on her own horses Andiamo and Orcas. A strong mastery of principles of dressage underlies her riding and teaching. Maria has a passion for understanding how learning happens in herself and others. Armed with a graduate degree in Education from the University of

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BCHA Announces Retirement of Longtime Board Member Suzanne Webel

Suzanne Webel has been a BCHA member almost since its inception in 1971. She spent more than 24 years on the BCHA Board, including several stints as President as well as in many other roles, including Secretary, Treasurer and External Vice President. She has advocated tirelessly for equestrians with a focus on trails, zoning, public land management, and agriculture. When she’s not volunteering on nonprofit boards, she actively manages her family’s 80-acre boarding and hay farm in central Boulder County. BCHA was Suzanne’s passion and she has truly given her heart and soul to this organization and to its mission. In recognition of her extraordinary commitment and accomplishments, the BCHA Board awarded her the BCHA Achievement Award in 1998, and the BCHA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. Suzanne has now moved on to other pursuits, including her responsibilities as President of the Boulder Area Trails Coalition (BATCO). She will, of course, continue to advocate for horses and horse people in Boulder County. BCHA thanks Suzanne for her many years of service and dedication to the horse community of Boulder County.

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Marty Marten Memorial Gathering & Service

Jody Marken asked BCHA to extend the invitation to participate in Marty Marten’s memorial on February 17, 2019. Here are the details: Hello Wonderful Friend— Please come and join together with other friends to share stories and tell some tall tales, so that we can remember pay tribute to Marty. Marty Marten Memorial Gathering & Service Sunday, February 17, 2019 Noon – 3 PM (Service at 1 PM) Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center 11968 Mineral Rd, Longmont, CO 80504 Memorial donations to honor Marty may be made to the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center. Jody is collecting photos (for a slide show) and stories for the gathering. If you have any that you would like to share please e-mail Jody by the end of January. If you could, also let Jody know if you would like to speak and share your stories at the gathering. Please share with friends.

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Happy Trails Marty

Many people in the horse community knew of Marty Marten. Marty passed away early Christmas in Kansas—four days away from his 71st birthday with family near. Marty made a huge impact on all of our lives—humans and horses alike–helping others get to a better place. I recently received an e-mail from Jody Marken about Marty. Our thoughts and prayers are with Marty’s family. He was a friend of the Boulder County Horse Association for so many years before he moved back to Kansas to be closer to family as he dealt with health issues. He never let go of his hope, and he cherished his faith in God. Marty received the Colorado Horse Council Horse Person of the Year Award in 2007 in recognition of his contributions to the Colorado horse industry. “Marty Marten is an author, trainer, teacher and mentor. A student of Tom and Bill Dorrance, Ray Hunt and Buck Brannaman, Marty has trained countless horses and riders, and through his hugely popular books and clinics has made the world of practical horsemanship available to many who would not otherwise have the chance to experience it. His contributions of expertise, time, experience and patience have changed the lives of horses, horsemen and horsewomen throughout the West.” For many of you who have one or more of his books take a moment and open the cover. Maybe you will be lucky enough to see—“May you always ride good horses and happy trails”—how he often signed his books. I reached for my book today to read “To

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Chatfield stables closed as horses checked for vesicular stomatitis

LOCAL NEWS By Kieran Nicholson The Denver Post The horse stables at Chatfield State Park have been shut down as a precautionary measure relating to a possible outbreak of a viral disease. The stables are closed until laboratory samples, taken from symptomatic horses, are analyzed by a USDA veterinarian. Officials are checking for the possible presence of vesicular stomatitis (VS), a viral infection that primarily affects horses and cattle, and occasionally swine, sheep, goats, llamas, and alpacas. “Customers with horses boarded at the stable may continue to enter the facility to provide care, but the horses will not be permitted to leave the facility,” according to a Colorado Parks and Wildlife media release. “The closure will remain in effect pending the results of the tests.” Test results could take between three and seven days. The virus was first reported in Boulder County in July, since then 184 locations where the infection has been confirmed have been placed under Colorado Department of Agriculture quarantine. Most of the properties are in Boulder, Larimer and Weld counties. Chatfield State Park straddles the Jefferson and Douglas county line. As of Wednesday, 201 horses and three cows statewide have tested positive for the disease, which causes painful oral blisters and sores that make it difficult for the animals to eat and drink.

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Tuesday, July 22: Rafeal de Grenade reads from her new book Stilwater: Finding Mercy in the Outback at Boulder Bookstore

Stop in the Boulder Bookstore on Pearl Street, Tuesday, July 22nd at 7:30 pm to visit with Rafeal de Grenade as she reads from her new book Stilwater: Finding Mercy in the Outback.  Stilwater details the adventures of a 23 year-old woman working on horseback on a thousand-square-mile cattle station in the middle of the Australian outback. It’s a moving, on-the-ground depiction of the beauty and brutality of such an overwhelming operation, and it’s a unique meditation on the blurred lines between domesticated and wild. More striking than anything, though is the power of Rafael’s prose. “Rafael de Grenade’s insights into rural life are as rich as her insights into the land itself. There is simply no book like this.” – Gary Paul Nabhan, author of Coming Home to Eat “This monumental adventure on a cattle station in the remotest part of the Australian Outback is told forthrightly and without sentiment. Stilwater Station was no theme park. It was ringers, bulldust, blood, grime, being on horseback under a helicopter in the maelstrom of a muster, solitude, introspection, growth.” – Jay Dusard, author of The North American Cowboy “An extraordinary setting for an absorbing and finely tuned memoir. Crocs, swamps, drought, wild horses, and cattle—this portrait of a young woman’s life on a seemingly endless cattle station in northern Australia is simply too good to put down.” – Gretel Ehrlich, author of The Solace of Open Spaces For more on Stilwater please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA9Q1pi346c Additionally Rafael de Grenade will  be reading on Wednesday, July 23 at 7:00

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Hay Resources

Sarah Metlock who presented the very informative “Hey Hay” educational seminar at the 2013 BCHA Horse Fair left us some area resources. Hay Auctions: Centennial Livestock Auction 113 NW Frontage Rd, Ft Collins, CO 80524 970-482-6207 Last Saturday of each month at 10 AM Producers PLMA–Greeley PO BOX 819 Greeley CO, 80632 800 -791-BEEF (2333) Second Saturday of each month at 10 AM High Plains Livestock Exchange 28601 Hwy 34 Brush, CO 80723 866-842-5115 Third Saturday of each month at 10 AM Hay Producers List Colorado Department of Agriculture: Colorado.gov/ag Hay Testing Equi-Analytical: equi-analytical.com Equine Resources: Nutrition, BCS and Outreach CSU Extension: www.ext.colostate.edu

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