Colorado Horse Owners Fight Back

Following a far-reaching campaign to educate citizens of Colorado on the dangers of reclassifying the horse as a companion animal, the state did not see this issue on the 2000 ballot as had been predicted. There was an abundance of animal rights

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Following a far-reaching campaign to educate citizens of Colorado on the dangers of reclassifying the horse as a companion animal, the state did not see this issue on the 2000 ballot as had been predicted. There was an abundance of animal rights activist activity in the state’s recent history pushing for the reclassification, mainly for the purpose of preventing the sale of horses for slaughter and human consumption overseas.


The major concern of the horse industry was that if the horse were reclassified, equine research no longer would be federally funded (by the United States De-partment of Agriculture) as it is now, and would require additional private grants that are harder to obtain. If the research dollars were to disappear, equine researchers would be fighting for the same grants that the dog and cat specialists seek.


A warning of impending reclassification was the passing of an Estes Park, Colo., city ordinance in 1999 that made it illegal to exhibit an animal in an enclosure or tethered to an object. According to Libby Graham, executive director of the Colorado Horse Council (CoHoCo), there were no definitions attached to this ordinance. “The town has sympathetic administration in place now, so the horse shows, 4-H activities, and other events that feature animals are safe,” she explains, “but that will be subject to change with each new election of town leaders.”


Graham also explained that Boulder, Colo., in June 2000 became the first city in the nation to write into its municipal code that humans no longer own their animals, but are now animal guardians. She feels that the designation could have far-reaching effects

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Written by:

Stephanie L. Church, Editorial Director, grew up riding and caring for her family’s horses in Central Virginia and received a B.A. in journalism and equestrian studies from Averett University. She joined The Horse in 1999 and has led the editorial team since 2010. A 4-H and Pony Club graduate, she enjoys dressage, eventing, and trail riding with her former graded-stakes-winning Thoroughbred gelding, It Happened Again (“Happy”). Stephanie and Happy are based in Lexington, Kentucky.

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