Horses helped shape Colorado history.  Their images are captures in early rock drawings near Boulder.  They pulled plows in the San Luis Valley, carried cowboys on the Eastern plains, and brought settlers and gold seekers to Denver.  In so doing, they helped build the foundation of Colorado's agriculture, mining and cattle industries.

Today, an increasing number of Colorado's horses face an uncertain future.  Economic pressures, legislative changes, and shifts in the perception of the role and place of the horse in modern society have resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of horses whose current owners are no longer willing or able to care for them.  They are Colorado's unwanted horses, a status that often results in neglect, abandonment and abuse.

The Colorado Unwanted Horse Alliance was formed to address this situation.

The Colorado Unwanted Horse Alliance is a Colorado non-profit corporation formed on April 16, 2008 for the purpose of addressing the problem of unwanted horses in Colorado.  The Alliance conducts research concerning the number and status of unwanted horses in Colorado, educates the public concerning research findings and conclusions, identifies and implements programs for addressing the unwanted horse population, provides information concerning the purchase, care and disposition of horses, and assists and supports federal and state organizations engaged in the same or similar pursuits.

The Alliance's Board of Directors has significant experience with horses and the horse industry, including the Colorado Horse Council, the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, the Colorado Depoartment of Agriculture, the Colorado Bureau of Animal Protection, the Colorado State University Equine Sciences Program, and the Animal Welfare Council.  Importantly, the Board also includes representatives of the Animal Assistance Foundation, which was instrumental in the Alliance's creation and funding, and the American Humane Association.  While the latter groups have traditionally been more generally associated with companion animals (dogs & cats) rather than livestock, their perspective, experience and concern has been and will continue to be, helpful and important as the Alliance works to resolve the problem of unwanted horses.

In February and March of 2008, the Alliance conducted an environmental assessment of the unwanted horse problem in Colorado to determine the problem's scope, the reasons for it, and Coloradan's awareness of and interest in it.  over 2,000 people and groups participated in a web-based survey designed by the assessment team, and the team conducted interviews and the focus group discussions with government agencies, horse rescue groups, charitable organizations, ranchers, farmers, trainers, clinicians, veterinarians, law enforcement agencies responsible for enforcing animal cruelty laws and ordinances, educators, ethicists, breed and other equine organizations, brand inspectors, farriers, animal welfare organizations, and others.

You can review the results of the assessment in this report:  2008 Assessment Report