Colorado Unwanted Horse Alliance (CUHA)

Colorado taxpayers have a direct and meaningful way to address the problem of unwanted* horses. In 2010, Governor Ritter signed into law Senate Bill 10-139, which created the Unwanted Horse Fund Tax Check-off. This legislation is a victory for Colorado’s horses and it allows you to donate to the Fund on your income tax form.

In its first year, the Unwanted Horse Fund Tax Check-off raised an impressive $88,000. These donations are being used by CUHA to award grants and undertake programs to:

• Increase the adoptability of horses through training and gelding programs
• Provide educational opportunities for the public about responsible horse ownership and end-of-life issues
• Decrease the number of horses without homes in Colorado, including the EquidoptTM database that lists horses available for adoption from horse rescues throughout Colorado www.equidopt.org
• Conduct and fund research into the many factors that impact the unwanted horse issue so resources can be directed for greatest impact

The Fund is administered by the Colorado Unwanted Horse Alliance (CUHA), a501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation organized to reduce the number of Colorado’s unwanted horses and to promote public and private collaboration and education concerning their welfare, ownership, and disposition. Information about CUHA can be found at www.counwantedhorse.org According to research conducted by CUHA, an estimated 6,000 Colorado horses become unwanted each year. CUHA encourages anyone who wants to help reduce that number and improve the lives of Colorado’s unwanted horses to donate to the Unwanted Horse Fund Check-off on their state tax returns.

*CUHA defines unwanted horses as those whose current owners no longer wants them because they are old, injured, sick or unmanageable, or horses that fail to meet the owners’ expectations. This definition is taken from the American Horse Council’s definition of an unwanted horse. CUHA added a further component: an owner’s inability or unwillingness to continue to own and care for a horse.

For more information, please visit our website at www.counwantedhorse.org or contact us at 303.962.0621.