Colorado Horse Rescue – Boulder County Horse Association

Horse Trailer Loading: New tools for your “Horse Tool Box”

By Mary Cook, BCHA member and contributing Writer On my journey with horses I have always liked adding new tools to my “horse tool box. This past May I decided to attend the Colorado Horse Rescues’ (CHR) free Trailering and Loading clinic led by Sarah Hofkamp, Training Manager at CHR. What a great clinic! Sarah worked with Oliver, a very handsome 4 year old BLM branded mustang. Oliver was recently rescued from a local auction, and she had had no interaction with Oliver prior to this clinic. Sara took us and Oliver step by step, beginning with round pen groundwork. This included basic halter leading, disengaging the hindquarters, and moving away from pressure using both positive and negative reinforcement. She stressed the importance of building trust, confidence and fairness with your horse. After, Sarah and Oliver moved over to the large arena where a large stock trailer was waiting! She applied the groundwork skills used earlier to the trailer loading. There were no time constraints, and Oliver was never forced to do anything he didn’t want to do. He poked a head inside, then a foot, then another foot and then all four! By the end of the session he was easily loading and slowly unloading. Don’t wait until the last minute to (hopefully) load your horse into your trailer for a show, clinic or emergency. Practice loading on a regular basis so when the time comes, your horse will easily load! And, don’t forget to attend the last of these free clinics at Colorado Horse Rescue—and add some […]

BCHA Gallops Toward 50: 2000 – 2009 in Boulder County

archives, Archives-BCHA history / January 19, 2021

Against all odds—or so it seemed at the time—the Boulder County Horsemen’s Association (BCHA) survived Y2K. BCHA delivered itself safely into the first decade of a new millennium as a freshly minted 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Shortly thereafter, in a nod to more progressive times ahead, a minor name change reflected major cultural shifts when the organization’s name was changed to Boulder County Horse Association. The new millennium launched with a standing room only crowd at the BCHA’s annual meeting in February 2000. At that time 17 members graced the board. Suzanne Webel was at the helm as President, with Judd Adams, Margaret Lewis and Cathy Swanson in various VP roles. At the meeting: Mary Midkiff and Margot Nacey presented Fit to Ride: Body & Mind The annual achievement award was presented to local equine veterinarian Dr. Nancy Loving The gorgeously glossy millennium edition of the BCHA Horse Services Directory was distributed Notable trends of the BCHA Horse Services Directory showed: 9 listings for acupuncture/herbal medicine/massage and chiropractic 9 listings for Natural Horsemanship (including Tai Chi for Horsemen) 5 listings for equine supplements and vitamins A whopping 10 listings for ‘horse therapy’ Horses and the New Millennium in Boulder County In the years 2000–2003: The Colorado Horse Rescue moved to its current location on 65th Street in Longmont Local hay cost only $4/bale (but the price was beginning to be unsustainable for some farmers growing and harvesting it) Mounted Search & Rescue was in full swing in collaboration with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office BCHA launched its

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