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Accomplishments in 2023 & Plans For 2024

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What We Accomplished In 2023:   Expanded Board of DirectorsWe welcomed Liz French (Secretary), Vera Antonucci (VP-external), Randy Winter (VP, Trails Committee) and Jodi Fowler (Treasurer). So now we’re a six-horse team pulling into 2024! 2nd Annual Emergency Preparedness ClinicCollaborating with Boulder County Mounted Search and Rescue, Boulder County Animal Control, Boulder County Fairgrounds and Boulder County Office of Disaster Management we offer this free clinic every year to better prepare community members to protect our beloved horses and our farms.   Outreach programs at trailheadsWe continued our important and popular “How to safely share trails with horses” program. This year our team was invited to present at Boulder Mountainbike Alliance patrol training. We also put together a unique and effective opportunity for horses to learn not to be afraid of bikes in a hands-on forum at the Beech Shelter. In all, five programs provided meaningful interactions to approximately 255 people. Annual Member GatheringOver 60 dinners served while we socialized and learned from the amazing team at Hatha Equus at the Altona Grange. Fun ShowWe welcomed about 60 riders at the Boulder County Fairgrounds—along with a great turnout of volunteers! BCHA Appreciation AwardPresented to Dr. Mark Fitch (posthumously) for his outstanding lifetime contribution to the equestrian community of Boulder County.  Social Gatherings/Trail TalksOver a hundred of us showed up at various locales through the year to relax, catch up and chat about all things trail riding including an educational session on de-escalation of trail conflicts. Facebook Member Chat RoomA forum for casual and insightful conversations among our horse-loving membership. Ongoing work of the organizationWe held […]

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Boulder County Youth at the 96th National Future Farmers of America Convention in Indianapolis

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 ~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

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CTRC Receives Funds DRAFT2

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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

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Dr. Mark Fitch recognized with 2023 Appreciation Award (posthumously)

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~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

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More Than Just An Exam: the real value to the annual examination of your horse

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By Dr. Meg Bacon, DVM, MS, IVCA and Fear Free Certified Just because your horse seems to be doing great does not mean you should skip out on your annual exam with your veterinarian. Why? Your veterinarian is a trained professional that can let you know when there are early indicators for disease or pain. Some of those conditions can be much more easily managed in the early stages to reduce progression or stop secondary symptoms—keeping your horse’s overall well-being the best it can be. In the long-run it can save a lot of money. Every veterinarian may be different on what they consider part of their basic exam, so make sure to ask questions. It is a time to discuss body condition concerns, nutrition, and behavior, as well as a chance to discuss any long-term goals or plans for your animal. In this author’s opinion, a complete annual wellness exam includes: temperature heart and lung evaluation gastrointestinal sound evaluation unsedated brief oral evaluation brief eye evaluation overt lameness impression, and general body palpation for areas of swelling, sensitivity, reduced motion, muscle loss Horse care can get expensive but identifying medical concerns early can often mean the ability to begin preventative measures. Think about how much is spent on a car’s annual upkeep to make sure that major mechanical parts last as long as possible. Dedicated annual care can keep your horse feeling his or her best, allowing for peak performance. After a complete evaluation the veterinarian should discuss and/or e-mail the findings with any further

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Giving Back—Colorado Horse Rescue

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By Mary Cook Recently retired, I found myself with time on my hands that I wanted to put to good use. I decided to apply to be a volunteer at the Colorado Horse Rescue (CHR) in Longmont, Colorado. Having been a horse lover all my life, and a horse owner for the past 20 years, this seemed like a natural way to give back. After completing orientation, I found myself at work, once a week, as a barn volunteer. What does volunteering at CHR mean? Well, CHR has on average 55 to 60 horses ranging from babies to geriatrics, or “geris” as we fondly call them. These horses come from every walk of life, and as CHR might say, “the only difference between a rescue horse and any other horse is a set of circumstances.” From owners who are sick, to owners who can no longer financially afford to keep a horse, to owners who have older horses with health problems who can’t bear the thought of having to put them down, there are a myriad of reasons why horses end up at rescues. There are also many horses that are rescued from local livestock auctions, where the majority, who are not rescued, are transported to slaughter in Mexico or Canada—a fate not deserving of these animals. As you might expect, there is plenty of mucking, feeding of special diets, haying, watering, and loving. It’s a rather physical job having to lift 50 pounds bags of feed, hay bales and manure buckets, but I found myself connecting with my fellow volunteers

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Trailering 101: What an Informative and Fun Clinic!

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We would like to thank Christy Jemail and all our participants for coming out to Boulder Valley Ranch for the Trailering 101 clinic. What a beautiful day to be outside with Christy Jamail and all that attended our first Spring clinic! We were able to present three horses for Christy to work with, and also had three different trailer types at hand. For our demonstration we offered a: Bumber pull, two horse slant, Gooseneck, living quarters slant with a ramp and back tack room, and Two horse gooseneck slant with a back tack room The three horses at hand are boarded at Boulder Valley Ranch. Max, an Arabian had not loaded in some time; Moon, a mustang, had slight backing issues; and Nico, an Azteca, had bolting out issues. Christy started out with Max, and she quickly surmised that Max needed some ground work before she even thought about loading. Christy spent a good 30 minutes or more getting this geldings attention on her, while watching for him to relax and accept her as the leader. One of the things Max did was to throw his shoulder into her, so she worked on moving him away from her until he began to give her more respect. As the group watched, we had time for questions, learned ground techniques, and grew to understand the connection you need to establish with any horse before loading them into a trailer. When Christy felt that Max was ready she approached the ramp trailer. Max had never used one and it had

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Add a Serving of Caution to that Tender Spring Grass

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By Dr. Juliet Getty Spring is almost upon us in most of the country, so it’s time to revisit that critical topic: spring grazing. Transitioning a horse from hay to pasture must be handled with care; this point is non-negotiable. For every horse, a gradual change from hay to grass is required to allow the digestive system to adapt, but for the insulin-resistant horse, grazing time and duration can make the difference between soundness and a disabling condition like laminitis. This time of year can be a test of patience for horse—and owner. The horse may be pawing at the gate to get to the first taste of tender spring grass, yet the owner must pay close attention to making the transition safe and healthful. The first spring sprouts are actually lower in sugars and starch (non-structural carbohydrates—NSC) because they use all that energy to promote their own rapid growth. As the leaves form, the overall sugar and starch content increases, making it especially tempting. Regardless of the growth stage, quantities should be monitored because horses crave fresh grass and will eat volumes of it, making their overall NSC consumption really high—dangerously high for horses who are overweight, cushingoid, or who have experienced insulin-related laminitis. Temperature and sunlight play a major role in the amount of NSC accumulation. To be safe, here are the rules: When the night temperature is below 40 degrees F, the grass is too high in NSC. Once it gets above 40 degrees F at night, the lowest NSC level is before

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Study: Some Horses, Riders Have ‘Co-Being’ Relationship

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I found this article, originally published on thehorse.com, of interest. Of late, I find myself finally “in sync” with my lovely horse Abanico these days, and thought I would share it with you. I hope you also enjoy it too! LindaP By Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA November 21, 2013 If you’ve ever considered your horse to be your “better half,” you’re not alone. Norwegian and American researchers recently found that riders and horses can enter into a unique state of interspecies “co-being” with one other. Co-being refers to a state of relationship in which each partner evolves to “fit” better with each other, both physically and mentally. “As riders get to know their horses, they attune to them—they learn both mental and somatic (physical) ways of acting versus their partner,” said Anita Maurstad, PhD, professor and researcher in the Department of Cultural Sciences in the Tromsø University Museum at the University of Tromsø in Norway. “Horses, too, attune to their humans; thus, co-being is a good analytical concept for speaking about these aspects of the relationship.” This is all consistent with what Maurstad calls “nature-culture”—the concept that nature and culture, for some individuals (such as humans and domesticated horses), cannot be viewed individually but as one unique, combined notion. Riders and their mounts exist in a state of co-being within the nature-culture of the equestrian world, Maurstad said. The co-being theory goes beyond the recently described “mirror” theory that horses are “reflections” of their riders, Maurstad said. In co-being, riders “get to know their horses as personalities through ongoing processes

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Hope Held by a Horse: Benefit Ride

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I had the opportunity, at the last minute, to attend a fundraiser ride for breast cancer this past Sunday organized by Diane Chafee and Janna Combs. Hope Held by a Horse is a non-profit organization, their mission is to provide a safe, positive environment, in the company of horses, to support women with breast cancer to learn, grow, and heal. This ride was in support of those with or recovering from breast cancer. What better way to support this cause then a fun ride in early April, riding as many miles as you wanted with up to 40 miles possible. I was looking forward to being outdoors. On Saturday I joined together in Boulder with others in memory of a dear friends passing. What better way to celebrate his life later that day, in the outdoors, where I could reflect on all the goodness he was. Sunday’s weather looked perfect and the driving distance, near Fort Morgan, led my friend Jane and I to leave late Saturday afternoon. This would be our first campout of the season at the Prewitt Reservoir (a new place for us). Prewitt’s 3,047 acres and allows hunting of Waterfowl, Pheasant, Bobwhite quail, and Deer. There is camping, a boat ramp and restrooms. Prewitt is a lovely place to camp, on the water with cottonwoods, riparian activity (pelican, heron, bald eagle), and very few people. As a state wildlife area, all that is needed is a fishing or hunting permit to camp. We arrived late afternoon and set up camp, then enjoyed cocktails and a potluck in Diane’s trailer with Janna, Brian

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