WELCOME
Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council
P.O. Box 127, Snowmass, Colorado 81654
* 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization *
To speak with Holly McLain RFVHC Communication Chair - 970-948-2151
Contact us: rfvhc.colorado@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/keephorsesontrails/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/rfvhc/
Candid/GuideStar's mission is to revolutionize philanthropy by providing information that advances transparency,
enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving.
Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council
P.O. Box 127, Snowmass, Colorado 81654
* 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization *
To speak with Holly McLain RFVHC Communication Chair - 970-948-2151
Contact us: rfvhc.colorado@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/keephorsesontrails/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/rfvhc/
Candid/GuideStar's mission is to revolutionize philanthropy by providing information that advances transparency,
enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving.
To our many members, friends, governmental and non-profit partners,
Attached is the RFVHC Christmas Newsletter. This message is more than just a report, but it is an offering from our Horse Council for this Holiday Season. We hope you enjoy the stories, photos, and the honors of individuals and organizations recognized in our annual recollections.
Please open the “Happy RFVHC Holidays” attachment: HERE
Attached is the RFVHC Christmas Newsletter. This message is more than just a report, but it is an offering from our Horse Council for this Holiday Season. We hope you enjoy the stories, photos, and the honors of individuals and organizations recognized in our annual recollections.
Please open the “Happy RFVHC Holidays” attachment: HERE
Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council's Goal is the Preservation of a
Sustainable, Generational Legacy Equestrian Community.
We want to offer horse people SOLUTIONS to everyday equine needs. Become a RFVHC member and/or join our Business Directory and connect to hundreds of horsemen and women in the valley
THE MISSION of the RFVHC is to provide a unified voice for equine related interests by working to preserve access to trails, promoting charitable involvement in equine related experiences and activities, educating the public on equestrian issues, providing connections and resources for the equine community,
and supporting the overall well‐being of horses and horsemanship.
Sustainable, Generational Legacy Equestrian Community.
We want to offer horse people SOLUTIONS to everyday equine needs. Become a RFVHC member and/or join our Business Directory and connect to hundreds of horsemen and women in the valley
THE MISSION of the RFVHC is to provide a unified voice for equine related interests by working to preserve access to trails, promoting charitable involvement in equine related experiences and activities, educating the public on equestrian issues, providing connections and resources for the equine community,
and supporting the overall well‐being of horses and horsemanship.
HOT BUTTON ISSUES & HEALTH ALERTS
- THE CROWN: BLM ASKING THE PUBLIC ABOUT NEW BIKE TRAILS ON THE CROWN, BIKERS ARE ASKING FOR MORE TRAILS The RFVHC 3.22 Comments shared ....More Trails on the Crown PDF
- The 2021-2022 - 23 RFVHC Survey Monkey is about 12 RFV Trails For Equestrians and Hikers - here is a link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JL23DN3. YOUR OPINION MATTERS... With the release of the 2021 RFVHC sponsored Trails Survey Monkey Questionnaire for hikers and horseback riders, we want to thank the respondents to date - a cross representation of trail users that are helping the community land managers and saving them time by giving feedback. Every single piece of advice in the written comments will be carefully considered to help make our trails, parking. safety and signage better. Trails will become more fun. A critical component is the communities interest is keeping wildlife safe and able to thrive. What are your ideas?If a trail area doesn't interest you, skip it...go on to the next. It's a easy Survey to take!
- Roaring Fork Valley Safe Passages - Working Group - Wildlife Bridges...we are thrilled that this initiative is progressing! Is anyone interested in this group? There are 269 members as of November 16, 2022. Here is the link on FB https://www.facebook.com/groups/552772083263711
- A NEW MEMBERSHIP CATEGORY: The One -Year $100.00 RFVHC Equestrian Association Membership features use of our proprietary artworks, listing your equine groups on the RFVHC Equine Business Directory on our website www.rfvhorsecouncil.org and as soon as we launch our new RFVHC Club Express Members Forum platform and calendar, members of this new membership category can start blogs, and write in forums to review subjects among themselves. Interested? If you are a student or a local horse club - and want to use our new trails signs, please fill out this form: https://www.rfvhorsecouncil.org/Equestrian-Association-Membership-Form.html
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- RFVHC Signage in National News: The Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council is proud to have built this sign, now ABA & ADA compliant. We ask for your participation here in the RFV and beyond to share the Trails Safe Passing Plan to help make us all better trail partners. Share with all your friends! The Trails Safe Passing ACTION Plan: Stop! Speak and Stand Back will help both equestrian and other trail users better understand how the horse has evolved to use its extraordinary senses to understand the world around them and how the horses react to perceived threats in their environment.
The "Trails are Common Ground Initiative" (TaCG), Equine Land Conservation Resource (ELCR) in Lexington Ky. and Michigan Equine Trail Representative, Jenny Cook, collaborated with the RFVHC on a new educational resource entitled "Trails Safe Passing Plan: Stop! Speak and Stand Back" to help both equestrian and other trail users better understand how the horse has evolved to use its extraordinary senses to understand the world around them and how the horses react to perceived threats in their environment.
The Trails Safe Passing Plan: Stop, Speak and Stand Back is not just about etiquette. The Plan is a guide to the rule of thumb for multiple trail users. If trail users read the Plan, and see our sign – equestrians will be safer - bottom line.
There is not another recreationalist that carries the same amount of personal risk, when out on the trail, as equestrians do.
Here's a personal story about a boarder at my horse stable. An older guy and his horse went out for an afternoon trail ride and met a hiking neighbor on the trail. Our neighbor was carrying some equipment and was standing behind a couple trees when my trail rider approached. Instead of speaking up right away and saying hello to the horseback rider, he stayed hidden until the horse suddenly spied him, whirled away, and dumped my guy. The rest of his summer was ruined convalescing, and we had to locate the horse. So, it is stories like these that can be avoided if we are educated. written by Karin Reid Offield
!For permission to use this sign, please email us at RFVHC.Colorado@gmail.com - you will receive a quick reply!
The Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council is proud to have built this new trail sign. We are now asking for participation here in the RFV and beyond to share the Trails Safe Passing ACTION Plan Stop! Speak and Stand Back (TSPP) to help make us all better trail partners.
The Trails Safe Passing ACTION Plan Stop! Speak and Stand Back will help trail users to know what to do when encountering equestrians on the trails.
This action plan has been a collaboration of user groups, hearing from and learning from many trail users. A workshop in Michigan with all trail partners February 2020 began the conversation. The equestrian trail leadership wrote the TSPP Action Plan, an 18 card PowerPoint and now works with all public land managers and trail user groups with the help of the Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council that built the new sign.
We developed a QR code that takes you directly to the educational PowerPoint.
It is recognized that many trail user groups are not aware that horses are prey animals and naturally can be afraid of unfamiliar people and objects. Their “fight & flight” instincts create fear, and horses then become unreliable. We also found the phrase “yield” was unclear and not understood by some people. For example, trail users from other countries do not understand the word YIELD. This is a global action plan.
Most importantly, our Trails Safe Passing Plan Stop! Speak Stand Back is different because we are teaching users to Stop! first when they encounter horses. No using bells, or the advice to slowly pass - our action plan is safer for equestrians because we ask people meeting horses on the trail to first Stop!
We also teach how important it is for trail users encountering horses on the trails to announce themselves and say “hi” to the horseback riders and strike up a conversation. Horses are nervous about meeting objects on the trails and the human voice does help to put horses at ease.
For all these safety reasons, the Trails Safe Passing ACTION Plan Stop! Speak Stand Back was developed as an educational resource and action plan of WHAT TO DO when all of us encounter horses and people with horses along the trails.
Again, stopping IF YOU ARE A HIKER OR A BIKER, will communicate you are aware of the Trails Safe Passing Plan, AND that you respect a trail user with a horse. So, please do Stop! Speak up, and remember, it's super important to stand back off to the side of the trail
so the horses and their riders and handlers can enjoy safe passing.
If you are passing and coming up from behind a horse or a group of horses, it is best for other trail users to Stop! as soon as they see the horseback riders and announce themselves, so horseback riders can have time to turn their horses around to face the other trail users and prepare for safe passing.
Again, because horses have natural “flight” survival instincts and horses prefer to move their feet towards an exit route so it is best when horseback riders pass hikers and bikers they do so at a walk.
Happy, happy trail going, for all of us….and please Leave No Trace!
The Trails Safe Passing ACTION Plan Stop! Speak and Stand Back will help trail users to know what to do when encountering equestrians on the trails.
This action plan has been a collaboration of user groups, hearing from and learning from many trail users. A workshop in Michigan with all trail partners February 2020 began the conversation. The equestrian trail leadership wrote the TSPP Action Plan, an 18 card PowerPoint and now works with all public land managers and trail user groups with the help of the Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council that built the new sign.
We developed a QR code that takes you directly to the educational PowerPoint.
It is recognized that many trail user groups are not aware that horses are prey animals and naturally can be afraid of unfamiliar people and objects. Their “fight & flight” instincts create fear, and horses then become unreliable. We also found the phrase “yield” was unclear and not understood by some people. For example, trail users from other countries do not understand the word YIELD. This is a global action plan.
Most importantly, our Trails Safe Passing Plan Stop! Speak Stand Back is different because we are teaching users to Stop! first when they encounter horses. No using bells, or the advice to slowly pass - our action plan is safer for equestrians because we ask people meeting horses on the trail to first Stop!
We also teach how important it is for trail users encountering horses on the trails to announce themselves and say “hi” to the horseback riders and strike up a conversation. Horses are nervous about meeting objects on the trails and the human voice does help to put horses at ease.
For all these safety reasons, the Trails Safe Passing ACTION Plan Stop! Speak Stand Back was developed as an educational resource and action plan of WHAT TO DO when all of us encounter horses and people with horses along the trails.
Again, stopping IF YOU ARE A HIKER OR A BIKER, will communicate you are aware of the Trails Safe Passing Plan, AND that you respect a trail user with a horse. So, please do Stop! Speak up, and remember, it's super important to stand back off to the side of the trail
so the horses and their riders and handlers can enjoy safe passing.
If you are passing and coming up from behind a horse or a group of horses, it is best for other trail users to Stop! as soon as they see the horseback riders and announce themselves, so horseback riders can have time to turn their horses around to face the other trail users and prepare for safe passing.
Again, because horses have natural “flight” survival instincts and horses prefer to move their feet towards an exit route so it is best when horseback riders pass hikers and bikers they do so at a walk.
Happy, happy trail going, for all of us….and please Leave No Trace!
Click here: 2022 Kentucky Derby Slideshow
Looking forward to our 2023 fundraiser that raised money for the RFVHC and partners WindWalkers
Save the Date May 6th 2023
Tickets on sale soon
Looking forward to our 2023 fundraiser that raised money for the RFVHC and partners WindWalkers
Save the Date May 6th 2023
Tickets on sale soon
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IN 2023 TAKE A BUS TO THE SNOWMASS RODEO PLEASE!
Press Release - Sunday June 13, 2021 Thank you to Aspen Fire leadership and the entire RFV Horse Council membership that donated the funding and their time to making the Leslie Thomas Large Animal Training Program a success. We are continuing to accept donations for this program. We are deeply grateful how this will assist in the large animal rescue of livestock, wildlife and horse rescue.
See Projects Page #1 for more info
See Projects Page #1 for more info
This photo, below, was taken from near the top of Buckskin Pass. The highest of twin peaks is Hagerman Peak. The mountain to the left is Snowmass Peak. Snowmass lake is nestled below Snowmass Peak. Below the red colored ridge is Willow Lake. Buckskin Pass winds up to the summit, which drops down into the Maroon Creek Basin. We camped in Lost Remuda Basin, a beautiful little area past Snowmass lake. Moon Run Outfitters operated in the Snowmass Maroon Wilderness for over 18 years. Photo by Holly McLain
Our High Country Wilderness awaits you!
Our High Country Wilderness awaits you!
Aspen Daily News April 17th and 20th 2020 - Pandemic Support of our local news media. Let us not forget our partners, our equine business members and YOU !
We work to protect and restore hikers and horseback riders only trails that offer a safe, predictable and peaceful trail experience through a variety of changing landscapes, including wildflowers, cactus, sage brush, junipers, pinon pines through spruce tree woodlands with breathtaking views. In many places, this two-track trail allows riders to walk side by side for conversation and camaraderie.
Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council
P.O. Box 127, Snowmass, Colorado 81654
* 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization *
rfvhc.colorado@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/keephorsesontrails/
Instagram : www.instagram.com/rfvhc/
P.O. Box 127, Snowmass, Colorado 81654
* 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization *
rfvhc.colorado@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/keephorsesontrails/
Instagram : www.instagram.com/rfvhc/