Ask about Denver CO real estate in Sedalia, Franktown, Elizabeth, Parker, Bennett, Louisville, and in other wonderful smaller communities in the area.

Colorado’s children and youth are naturally inclined to love horses as much as their dogs.  Enter 4-H 100 years ago to mentor and educate our youth.  Today, the worldwide organization is America’s largest educational program for boys and girls outside of school.  The organization develops life skills and leadership skills.

With the motto of “Make the Best Better,” the 4-H organization in Denver participates in equestrian competitions held locally and nationally.  In addition to teaching young horse lovers about grooming, training, and competitions, the organization arranges tours, workshops, achievement programs, camps, statewide conferences, exchanges, exhibits and fairs, and national events.

While the child is learning horsemanship skills, he or she learns communications skills, citizenship skills, decision-making, leadership, interpersonal relationships skills, participation in the community, and global awareness.

Connecting youth with parents, adults, and youth mentors, 4-H is able to teach skills such as cooking, selling, livestock, wildlife, archery, electricity, computers, and science as well as teaching community service.  Local land-grant universities such as Colorado State University provide curriculum for programs beginning with children ages five to seven years old called the 4-H Cloverbuds and continuing up through age 19 with regular 4-H groups and clubs.

There are various ways each student can choose to affiliate with 4-H.  There are community 4-H clubs, project clubs such as a horse club, special interest groups, television, school enrichment, and special activities.  If there are no local associates, a student can participate as an individual.

The organization benefits from generations of volunteer 4-H mentors.  Additionally, 4-H receives private funds from individuals, businesses, and organizations that enhance the 4-H programs. 

For more information about real estate in the greater metro area, including farms and horse properties, call Michael Paul of Realty Oasis at (303) 268-6052.

The Colorado Horse Park offers equestrian events for all disciplines, features top-quality boarding facilities, helps preserve open space and trails, provides extensive indoor and outdoor events space, and offers fun family events. 

Its purpose is to promote amateur athletics.  And that it does.  Over the past 14 years, the organization hosted the North American Junior and Young Riders Championships where riders compete for their countries as the first step to be Olympians.  It initiated equestrian sport as part of the Colorado State Games and hosted competitions, established the first-ever equestrian team for the University of Denver, hosted Pony club clinics and shows as well as clinics and educational events.  In addition, competitors who wish to qualify for established events and National Championships are now able to compete without traveling to the East Coast to qualify.

Fashioned as a non-profit version of the Kentucky Horse Park, Colorado Horse Park is fully supported by private donations, sponsors, volunteers, and members.  In turn, through its popular events and fundraising efforts, the organization is able to donate to other non-profit organizations such as Parker and Elizabeth Trail Riders, 4-H clubs, Colorado Arabian Horse Club, and schools in Douglas County and Ebert.

The Colorado Horse Park is also committed to the preservation of open space and has worked with Bayou Gulch Open Space Corridor, Trust for Public Lands, National Equestrian Lands Preservation project, Wildlife Park, Colorado State Trails, and Parker State Park. 

Volunteers run every aspect of the Colorado Horse Park.  Volunteers assist with events for dressage, jumping, driving, and the wildly popular innovative Halloween with Horses attended by 12,000.  They love spending time around horses and high-level equestrian competitions. 

In fact, the programs are so successful that ambassadors from cities across the United States tour the facilities when formulating plans for similar initiatives in their hometowns.  The present and future vision for the Park puts the horse at the heart of the American heritage and underlying the nation’s culture.  Plans to build a 500-acre museum complex focused on great Western entrepreneurs of the 19th century, interactive exhibits, historic barns, a multi-purpose performance venue, library, equine therapy, visitors’ center, gift shop, and trail system connecting to other parks.

For more information about farms, horse properties, and real estate in the area, call Michael Paul of Realty Oasis at (303) 268-6052.

The livery stables near Denver CO homes contained some of the best and fastest animals in the West.  But what set Denver apart were the saddle horses.  There were 50 first-class saddle horses in Denver’s livery stables while in most cities, saddle horses were hard to find. 

The Mr. George being interviewed remarked, “The Queen City of the Plains is entitled to first place as the greatest horseback riding city in the United States.”  He said that 90 percent of the men who lived here for 6 months even knew how to sit a horse.  And they picked up a lot more than that.  “There never was a city where the people liked to ride horse back or knew how to do it better than they do here,” George continued. 

The horses were nearly all single-footers.  Not that they only had one foot, but that each foot of the animal is able to move independently.  Single-foot was the new gait of the day.  Horses were trained to comfortably employ the pretty new gait.  Some thought that the new gait was a sign that young riders were deteriorating in riding skills.  However, the gait comes with difficulty.  Horses must first be broken of the regular gait and the unnatural single-foot must be cultivated.

Single footers could be seen every evening moving along at a pleasant and speedy gait carrying their lady and gentleman riders.

For more information about farms, horse properties, and real estate in the greater metro area, call Michael Paul of Realty Oasis at (303) 268-6052.

These faithful friends help their handlers to go shopping or to restaurants and to do business.  However, when off duty, they prefer the big outdoors plenty of room to play and graze, a small barn and corral.  Let them mow the lawn, add in crimped oats, free choice salt and trace minerals and they will be healthy.  Throw them people food and they don’t fare so well and can become overweight easily, just like dogs.

In order to serve as guides, the smallest of the miniature horses are recruited.  They must be shorter than 26 inches tall, generally weigh 55 to 100 pounds and pass full physicals and intelligence tests to determine if they are suited for the position.  Legs must be structurally sound and they must demonstrate stamina.  Possessing extraordinary vision, the miniature guide horses are extremely sensitive to motion and often detect potential hazards before their trainers.  However, they are trained to remain calm even in noisy and chaotic situations.  Only mini horses capable of meeting the rigorous physical demands of the program are accepted. 

These loyal animals enjoy being groomed, brushed, rubbed, and scratched.  Easy to care for, they can be trained to stand still outside for bathing and grooming.  During summer their coat is thin, allowing them to be comfortable in hotter weather.  Likewise, they grow a wooly coat in the wintertime that will keep them warm in sub-zero temperatures.  Both coats are shed as the alternate fur grows in.

Playtime is oh so much fun for the younger horses when they are able to romp with other foals.  As mature mini horses, they still enjoy games but lose interest in play.  Have you ever seen a miniature horse bobbing for apples in a toddler’s swimming pool?  Just like dogs, off-duty guide horses are known to follow their owners around seeking affection.

The hearty miniature horse outlives his larger counterpart by a third of a lifespan with smaller varieties living even longer.  The lifespan can be 25-35 years.  Two miniatures born in 1971 are still alive today and one dwarf mini horse lived to over 50 years old. 

For more information about farms, horse properties, and real estate in the metro area, call Michael Paul of Realty Oasis at (303) 268-6052.

As the fastest growing sport in the equine industry, reining events are designed to showcase the maneuvers of a working ranch horse.  The judging of what is called “Western Dressage” highlights the athletic ability of a horse through the performance of required elements such as small slow circles, large fast circles, flying lead changes, roll backs over the hocks, and 360 degree spins.  Watching the horses execute sliding stops is a highlight of the competition.

This year’s includes a full slate of ancillary classes, the NRHA Mountain Regional Affiliate Finals, Mile High Derby, Stallion Select Futurity, and Challenger’s Cup Freestyle Reining.  Athletes from all corners of the globe participate in the world-class equestrian event.  The International also includes an expansive trade show, numerous hospitality events and outstanding spectator experiences.  New this year is the $100,000 Lot for Grassroots Non Pro Awards Program.

Located near the intersection of Interstates 70 and 25 and the Denver International Airport, the National Western provides educational opportunities and provides opportunities for producers and consumers throughout the world and hosts the premier Stock Show, Rodeo, Horse Show and other year-round events.  In 2006, the first International Reining Festival offered a thrilling equestrian sport and the reining discipline is now an Olympic sport. 

The NWC has recently completed a $30 million expansion program and with more than 600,000 square feet, it one of the most modern, user-friendly facilities anywhere.  So, when we host an event at the National Western Complex, it is well attended by happy crowds.  The metro trade area showcases a growing market with disposable income.  Besides residents of real estate within the Downtown and Greater Denver regions, affiliates come from the Reining Horse Associations of the Central Plains, Cowboys States, Eastern Plains, Idaho, Intermountain, Montana, Northern Rockies, Rocky Mountain, Western Slope, and Yellowstone, in addition to the Snake River Reining Alliance.

Maybe we can transfer skills developed reining in a horse to reining in our spending habits and our economy?   For more information about horse properties and real estate in the metro area, call Michael Paul of Realty Oasis at (303) 268-6052.