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Pre 2022 material from the old website

A Fire Season of Historic Proportions

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By Clare Tone Photo: Joe LaFollette, temporary pens at Boulder County Fairgrounds It’s likely residents of Boulder County were in a heightened state of wildfire awareness as drought conditions persisted through October and historic wildfires raged elsewhere throughout the west. When the Calwood and Lefthand Canyon Fires broke out in Boulder County in mid-October, the horse community seemed on their toes and ready. Boulder County witnessed a late fire season of historic proportions, and to be sure, the equine community rose up in equal measure to provide support of epic magnitude. On Saturday October 17th, around mid-morning at my house west of Gold Hill in western Boulder County, my landline rang. It was my sister, Mea French, alerting me to a big plume of smoke she saw rising up in the foothills in our general direction. I scooted out to the end of my driveway to have a look. I watched as the wind, blowing strong and hard from the west, whipped the plume ferociously to the north and east. I made a quick call back to Mea. I could see the fire was more of a threat to her in west Longmont than to us southwest of Jamestown. Sure enough, by that afternoon the Calwood Fire had advanced rapidly to the east and by evening had jumped across Highway 36. Evacuations were ordered throughout the area, including the heavily horse-populated regions between Boulder-Longmont west of the Diagonal Highway. The largest-ever horse evacuation in Boulder County history was underway. Friday, October 16, 2020 Boulder County Fairgrounds […]

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Wildfire Smoke & Livestock

Archives-education /

From UC Davis Severe wildfires expose humans and animals to unhealthy air containing who knows what! These particulates can affect our respiratory systems. There is limited information available to horse owners, but the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine published Guidelines for Horses Exposed to Smoke. Quick takeaways (from UC Davis article Wildfire Smoke and Horses): Unhealthy air containing wildfire smoke and particulates can cause health problems in people and animals. Particulates from smoke tend to be very small, which allows them to reach the deepest airways within the lungs. Wildfire smoke can cause respiratory issues for horses. They may experience reduced lung function and difficulty breathing. Knowing what is normal versus concerning can help to know whether a veterinarian should evaluate your horse. Limit exercise when smoke is visible and give your horse ample time to recover from smoke-induced airway insult. For more information please visit the following links: Quick Reference Guide: Horse Owners Quick Reference Guide: Veterinarians

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The 1980s: Article No. 4 — BCHA Gallops Towards 50

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By Clare Tone Clare is a Boulder County Horse Association (BCHA) committee member and freelance writer living in western Boulder County. In this monthly column leading up to our 50th Anniversary she explores the rich history of BCHA. What does the 1980s conjure up for you—big hair, neon clothing, high-waisted jeans? For me, because I was in school throughout the 1980s, it represents the transition from analog to digital. The 1980s were a decade of acceleration, but nowhere near the pace of how things zip along today with smartphones and ubiquitous internet connections. In some odd, quirky, time-warp way the culture of the 1980s seems the mirror opposite of our culture today during this pandemic time. While the 1980s marked a kind of technical acceleration, here we are right now forced to slow down. Perhaps a slowing down that could bring us into contact with some of the better qualities of the 1980s. As a high school student in the early 1980s my assignments were typed on an old relic of a typewriter. By senior year things were clipping along a little better on an electric typewriter with an automatic erasure key! By college I was bogged down trying to learn MS DOS on the very first publicly available personal computers. Yes, computers were invented by then, but they were so much less efficient than the modes of communication I knew. Supposedly there was some form of e-mail, but most of us kids of the 80s still plugged along slowly to communicate. I wrote longhand letters

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