All the Poop. Horse Head Sculpture Drawing. Rescuing Horses in Peril. Tickets are $5 ea. 3 for $10. Drawing held Oct. 19, 2013 at Open House Can Ship!

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1 All the Poop Summer 2013 Horse Head Sculpture Drawing (appx. 18 High x 10 Wide) Alabaster Sculpture by Artist Mike Toledo Retail Value $2000 Tickets are $5 ea. 3 for $10 Drawing held Oct. 19, 2013 at Open House Can Ship! or call for more info Time is running out! Rescuing Horses in Peril It s August already! Kids and teachers are back at school. And this newsletter is coming out just in the nick of time. Fast and furious, would be the way to describe things at FCER. Several of our horses are living life on easy street in pastures until the winter comes. One Shot and Panda are together vacationing in La Plata. Mindy, Leo and Little Girl are in Aztec enjoying the long grasses of irrigated pasture. Cosmo and Brandi have joined Spice, Old Son and Heart in acres and acres of pasture in Bloomfield. Life is GOOD! Meanwhile, back at the rescue, we re busy installing an automatic watering system, fighting the annual War on Flies, and trying to keep up with the babies that are growing like weeds. And worrying. That s what parents do, whether the children are 2 or 4 legged. Winter may seem far away when the temperature hovers around 95º, but a quick look at the drought monitor tells us that conditions are still about the same as last year. Northwest New Mexico is still classified as extreme drought. The good news is the rivers are still flowing barely. But local hay producers look to get in 3 cuttings this year, more than farmers to our north around Durango. Producers there that rely on Vallacito and Lemon reservoirs have had their irrigation ditches shut off. The water level in the lakes is critically low, in part due to water pulled out to fight forest fires nearby. The old saying if it isn't one thing, it s another comes to mind. We ve been able to buy hay at a reasonable price this summer, and hope to stockpile before the price goes through the roof again this year. Our horse population remains steady at around 60. We ve had some adoptions, and our training program is underway to help these guys find good homes. Thanks to sponsors, we currently have 2 horses in training with Chama lined up for the next open slot. Pomona, our beautiful, wild palomino mare is almost done with 60 days of training. She s made great progress from a dangerously frightened wild thing to a horse comfortable enough with people to walk TOWARD us to get hay from our hand. And Glacier, our wild blue-eyed perlino stray from the Cuba area, is now halter trained and we re working on feet and loading into a trailer. Thank you to all that contribute to the Training Fund! Congratulations It s a BOY actually 2 boys Cisco son of Callie Born Jake son of Ruth Born

2 The Automatic Waterer Project Jeff Rendall, a volunteer at FCER, took on the monumental challenge of procuring and installing automatic waterers for the horses. Many, many volunteer hours have been dedicated to this project, which is nearing completion even as this newsletter is published. Once complete, the waters will relieve the volunteers of 2 to 3 hours a day spent dragging around garden hoses from pen to pen. And the best news they require no electricity and will not freeze in the winter! So far 6 waterers are installed and awaiting the final connections. Our thanks go out to all that helped make this a reality! Donors Conoco Phillips ESSCO Green Care Landscaping Pro Build Raindrops Inc. Farmington Sand & Gravel Franks Supply Cheryl Schou John Sherwood Spray Foam Insulation Doris Huhta Grand Junction Pipe Bar-Bar-A Horse Drinkers Page 2 Horse Slaughter Update As of the writing of this newsletter no horse slaughter plant has opened in the U.S. Much legal wrangling continues with the Roswell, NM plant under a TRO for 30 days. The owner of the Iowa plant has withdrawn his application, citing the need to start generating revenue. The SAFE Act, which would eliminate transporting horses to slaughter continues it s way through Congress. The amendment to defund inspections is also a possibility, dependant on the Farm Bill compromise. Keep the Pressure ON! Introducing- AZTEC ARCHES HIKE & RIDE November 2nd, 2013 At Pilares Canyon (10.8 miles NE of Aztec on Hwy173) A Benefit Event for Four Corners Equine Rescue & Jicarilla Mustang Heritage Alliance $40 per person Come on out to hike or ride this beautiful canyon with over 20 natural sandstone arches! Ride out/hike out is at 9 with BBQ at Tiger Park following with Door Prizes and Drawings for all! or call for more information! Look Who s Coming! New Arrivals Left Sampson, our double crypt orchid at 4 years old. He s recovering nicely and then we ll find out what he knows. Middle Daisy Mae, pretty untouchable and blind in one eye from an old injury. She s settling in with Blanca, one of our blind mares. The two are getting along nicely. Right Fancy, returned from an adoption due to health issues of the adopter. She s a fine girl!

3 Spring 2013 Page 5 Thanks to Our Newsletter Sponsors Open House October 19th, a.m. to 4 p.m. Yard Sale Silent Auction Tack Sale Horse Rides Barn Yard Tours BBQ Grille Café Come out and Enjoy! Off to New Homes Peanut Sanchez Dove Baby Brown Sugar Thanks to Big R & Zebadiah s Restaurant For Displaying Donation Jars for FCER! Allspice Upcoming Events September October 7 Open Barn Tours 1-31 Wreath Sale 28 Vol. Orientation 19 Open House

4 Four Corners Equine Rescue 22 Road 3334 Aztec, NM Always get back up! FCER Mission Statement Four Corners Equine Rescue is an all volunteer non-profit group dedicated to the rescue of horses, burros, and mules, their rehabilitation (both physically and mentally), and their adoption in to good, loving homes. We will assist, wherever and whenever we can, to help horses in need. Located in the Four Corners area of New Mexico, we are licensed by the State of New Mexico, and follow the guidelines for rescues as set by the AAEP (American Association of Equine Practitioners). FCER is a nonprofit501(c)3 charitable organization and all donations are tax-deductible. New Mexico Livestock Board Equine Rescue License # Call or fourcornersequinerescue@gmail.com We re also on the web at: Visitor Hours A horse gallops at about 27 MPH Monday - Friday: By Appointment Close relatives to the horse include the tapir and rhinoceros Saturdays from 1-4pm WE NEED YOU! A horse can poop 14 times a day! Horses cannot breathe through their mouths There are over 300 breeds of horses and ponies around the world

5 Summer 2013 Page 3 From Throw-Away to Heart Horse by Nicole Tucker It is because of Debbie Coburn and the Four Corners Equine Rescue that Cadence, my heart horse, found her way to me and into my heart. During a trip to the Denver, CO area in the spring of 2008, Debbie worked in conjunction with two other rescue organizations to visit one of the nearby slaughter feedlots. There, Debbie was able to rescue two fillies, known as the Feedlot Fillies on the rescue s website. One of them was Cadence, a then 10-month old black Percheron/TB cross. Cadence was shy, hardly touchable, wormy, and sick; but the moment I saw her when she got to the rescue, I immediately fell in love with her. After her arrival in New Mexico, Cadence spent a couple of weeks at the vet and rescue facility before she was well enough for me to bring home; and that day came on March 30, It did not take long for Cadence to realize that a human s touch felt really good, and she and I bonded very quickly. She loved her neck to be scratched, so I started there. Pretty soon, I was able to touch her all over, and it only took a couple of weeks before I had gained her trust and she would reliably come up to me to be caught. Within a month, she was letting me pick up and trim all four feet. Cadence has really taught me a lot in the five years I ve had her. I ve learned that the Clinton Anderson halters are indeed breakable, and that 16 foot Priefert gates will fold up like an accordion when horses named Cadence get bored and try to jump over them (luckily, she was completely uninjured and has only tried it once). She has also taught me about the giving and taking that s necessary for a good partnership, and what unconditional love really is. Cadence began her career as a riding horse in the spring of She spent four months with a trainer, and my very first ride on her was on May 14, Since then, she and I have really developed a strong partnership. She is sure-footed and steady out on the trail, and she is willing to try just about anything I ask of her. It is this willingness that has helped to boost my confidence to do more and more, and go farther and farther with her. In 2013, Cadence and I started competing in Competitive Trail Riding with NATRC (North American Trail Ride Conference). Competitive Trail Riding (CTR) is a long distance sport where the horse and rider cover a measured distance within a window of time, over a two day period. It is a competition where the rider is judged on their horsemanship skills and relationship with the horse; and the horse is judged on their fitness, training, and attitude. There are three divisions, Novice, Competitive Pleasure, and Open. Cadence and I are currently competing in the Novice Division. We ve done two rides in 2013, and have placed First in the Novice division at both events. I get many wonderful comments about Cadence at the rides, which really makes me understand just what a special horse she is. I will probably never know exactly how she ended up in a slaughter pen. It is suspected that she is a by-product of the PMU industry, from a farm up in the Dakotas somewhere. But, it makes no difference. Cadence has a forever home right here with me. Debbie rescued Cadence from that slaughter feedlot with me in mind, and for that I will be forever grateful to her for bringing such a special being into my life, and into my heart.

6 Summer 2013 Page 4 Dear Horse Lovers, August 2013 Can you believe this photo of me in my Texas flower field? Yes, it is real. And I, Sage, a 20 year old mustang, have found happiness. How did this come to be? Time, kind people, luck and the love of a young girl. This is back to school time. I went to school too the school of hard knocks. I was born free, captured, schooled, and worked hard all my life for the Man. Can you imagine how hard it is to carry a pack on mountain trails? I don t have to imagine it. That is what I did. I gave it my best until I ran out of steam and the Man asked for more. I became very sad. Hopeless. I didn t eat. I didn t even look at anyone. Not long after I was taken to a camp. They didn t know how to help me. I was Mr. Skinny going alone down a sad road. One day I was picked up by people and taken to FCER. First off, there didn t seem to be any work required of me. Good food kept on coming. I nibbled a bit. I didn t look at anyone. Sadness still rode my back like a tight saddle. But I ate a little more. No work. Kind words. Good food. After a couple of months I started sneaking looks at the people who came to feed me, who came to brush me, who came to give me water. They didn t ask anything of me. This soft treatment was like medicine. I started looking forward to hearing the people when they talked to me. I liked their nice touches. And I looked at them. I liked what I saw. I liked where I was. I started feeling happy. I ate and ate. I was different. On a fine day in June I was asked to get in the trailer by the nice people. My heart fell. Where were they taking me? I was scared. It was a long ride. I even had to get into another trailer and ride to who knew where. Finally, new people led me out of the trailer. In the next few days I learned I was home. I had been adopted. I was now in the dream come-true part of my life. I have a beautiful place, have sound care and best of all, is the girl. She is my girl. We trust each other. I carry her for gentle rides on my back. I step carefully. I take care of her. When I see her I see love. Don t you love stories with happy endings!! Story told to Aunt Jo as a thank-you to FCER. Annual Christmas Wreath Sale October Mail Orders Available Order TODAY! Delivered Week after Thanksgiving