archives

Pre 2022 material from the old website

The New Grindstone Quarry Trail at Heil Valley Ranch

By Randy Winter There were lots of smiles all around at the grand opening of the Grindstone Quarry Trail at Heil Valley Ranch on October 9th. This is a 1.4 mile pedestrian/equestrian only trail beautifully winding it’s way up the east side of Geer Canyon Road. In addition, there are four horse trailer parking spaces at the new Corral Trailhead ready and waiting to be used. The Corral Trailhead is just a few tenths of a mile after you turn off Lefthand Canyon Road. My wife, Cheryl, and I checked out the trail last Sunday. The weather was perfect. Bright sunshine, cool temperature and a slight breeze at times. Saddling up, our horses were aware of the Sunday commotion of others preparing to enjoy the day as we were. We could see eyes looking our way with smiles and as Ranger Kevin Bradley passed by he shouted a “glad to see equestrians out here” greeting. The horses with their growing winter coats approached the trail with eagerness and ears pricked forward. A few well configured steps going down and up, across a dry creek bed quickly diverted our horses attention to the trail and the task ahead. We continued up a path well constructed with switchbacks supported by quarried layers of rock. Thanks to all those who volunteered and were part of the County work crew to create such a welcoming trail. A few bluebird boxes could be seen waiting for occupants next spring. Families with children were the major obstacle along the trail as we […]

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BCHA Awards its Two Youth Scholarships

Congratulations Maddie and Liz! When the BCHA Youth Club formed three years ago, one of its primary objectives was to raise money for two new youth equestrian scholarships. The BCHA board is pleased to announce the names of our first two recipients: Madeline “Maddie” Williams $750 Collegiate Scholarship Awardee Maddie spends almost all of her spare time either riding, training, or taking care of horses. Her special interests include natural horsemanship, ranch versatility, and reining. She has shown horses through 4-H at the Boulder County Fair and in St. Vrain shows, but she has also honed her equine evaluation skills as part of St Vrain’s Horse Judging Career Development Event Team. Her last year earning was 4th Place at the 2018 National FFA competition. Maddie also takes pride in her dairy cattle showmanship and judging skills. She will be attending Aims Community College this fall, and will graduate in two years with an Animal Science Associates Degree, after which she intends to transfer to CSU in Ft. Collins, to study Equine Veterinary Sciences. “I plan to beome a holistic equine veterinarian,” says Maddie, explaining that she wants to help horses using all kinds of healing techniques, including acupuncture, equine dentistry, farriering, chiropractic treatment, herbal remedies, and laser therapy. Liz French $250 Teen Scholarship Awardee Liz first sat on a horse at the tender age of two, this was also the age she first fell off a horse—she reports with a smile.From then on she was hooked. Liz recounts how her first pony, Lucky, taught her about getting back

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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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