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Debbie Coburn, with the Four Corners Equine Rescue in Flora Vista, readies her American Cream horse, Mary, for a walk outside the stable. Although Mary is not a rescue like the two dozen other horses at the shelter, she is used to promote her critically endangered breed.
Debbie Coburn, with the Four Corners Equine Rescue in Flora Vista, readies her American Cream horse, Mary, for a walk outside the stable. Although Mary is not a rescue like the two dozen other horses at the shelter, she is used to promote her critically endangered breed. (Lucas Ian Coshenet/The Daily Times)
FLORA VISTA — The horse called Sweetie spent most of her first year at Four Corners Equine Rescue in a total panic.

Rescue staffers don't know the distressed horse's history, but Sweetie was skittish and unapproachable when she arrived for rehabilitation. She had to be sedated for people to groom, vaccinate or otherwise care for her. She made little progress during her first year at the rescue.

Then Nancy Wray showed up for her first day on the job in June.

Wray, a lifelong horse lover trained in a method known as "natural horsemanship," gradually gained Sweetie's confidence. Six months later, the formerly panicked animal lets herself be approached, petted and led around.

"She's a totally different horse now," Wray said.

Sweetie's story is hardly unique. Four Corners Equine Rescue in Flora Vista shelters dozens of horses and finds homes for about 15 a year. The rescue takes in horses seized by the New Mexico Livestock Board or surrendered by their owners, and nurtures them until the animals are healthy enough for adoption.

"We rescue, rehabilitate and

re-home horses," said Debbie Coburn, director of Four Corners Equine Rescue.

The rehabilitation process is tailored to each individual horse and designed by the rescue, a veterinarian and a farrier. The animals often are underweight and have injured hooves. Once the horses are physically and emotionally healthy, the rescue pairs them with a home that will ensure they stay that way.

In order to meet

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its goals and adequately care for the horses, the rescue relies on volunteers. Coburn said she has seven volunteers, but would like to double that number in the near future.

"While (the horses) are in rehabilitation, that's when the volunteers really can help," Coburn said.

Volunteers are responsible for nurturing the animals, cleaning up, staffing tables at local events, finding adopters and maintaining the facility. Men specifically are wanted to help buck hay. The rescue goes through about 300 bales a month.

"We can save you the cost

of going to the gym if you just come out here and buck hay," Coburn joked.

Rescue volunteers are asked to devote about 10 hours a month on average, though that number varies. People aren't required to have experience with horses, just a willingness to work hard and learn. New recruits attend a three-hour orientation session.

"A lot of them don't know very much about horses, and that's OK," Coburn said. "We try to fit each volunteer with a horse that is safe for them to start with, and we can move them up from there as they gain skill."

As in the case of Sweetie, the hours of labor are repaid by the relationships built with the animals and the joy of seeing them progress. Most of the horses need, simple human companionship more than anything. They've lost their trust and require months of nurturing to regain it.

"I'm glad I can do something to change that for those horses," Wray said. "It's a wonderful, rewarding experience. There's a lot of things people can do out there without a lot of horse skills. They can learn those on the job."

How to help

To volunteer, contact Four Corners Equine Rescue at (505) 334-7220.