The Horse Shelter, New Mexico

The Horse Shelter, New Mexico is an amazing group which rescues horses and burros neglected, abused, or set loose to fend for themselves by owners who cannot afford to pay vet bills of a sick animal. The odds improve drastically for these animals once they arrive at the rescue operation located outside of Santa Fe, the only of its kind in New Mexico when it was started. Three full time trainers, and a large staff of trained volunteers care for the animals and also spend an immense amount of time gentling the animals at their own pace and finding them their perfect home.

I spent 5 days with the trainers leading up to the annual “Gimme Shelter Challenge“ in 2019 where local trainers compete with showing green horses they each have spent 100 days training. The final two day show at the rodeo grounds in town are quite emotional, with beautiful animals who have blossomed and are then auctioned off the horses to benefit the shelter. They are perfect examples of what time and love can bring.