HOOF – Boulder County Horse Association

Galloping Into 2022

Archives-Our Community / January 2, 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 […]

Galloping Into 2022 Read More »

BCHA Gallops Toward 50: The 1990s in Boulder County

The 1990s opened by showcasing a horse-human relationship in a film that went on to win the 1991 Best Picture Oscar Award. When “Dances with Wolves” filled movie theaters (remember those?) hearts thumped loudly. But for horse lovers everywhere the question remains, did hearts thump louder for John Dunbar or the dun horse ‘Cisco’? It was clearly a dynamic, productive and energizing time for the Boulder County Horse Association, and horse folks throughout Boulder County. The BCHA archives for the 1990s provided me with huge stacks of material. In the BCHA Horse Services Directory from that era it lists: a bale of brome grass/alfalfa mix hay for $4.00 a annual BCHA individual membership for $5.00 horse boarding near Rabbit Mountain for $40/month ($50 in winter including hay)! In the early 90s, Randy Winter was at the helm as President of BCHA. He was followed by Creighton Stewart. After his stint as president, Randy continued to write articles with a philosophical bent for the BCHA newsletter. He cleverly titled his column Centered Writing, a nod to famed New England horsewoman of the time, Sally Swift. For example, in February 1990 Randy wrote: Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. There must have been something over there it wanted. Why does my horse, Gus, move on down the road? Usually it’s because he wants to get home quicker. Why do a group of dedicated people continue to travel the road? It’s to get to meetings….to discuss the future of a bunch of