Arizona Equine Rescue Organization, Inc.

In a round pen that bakes under the Arizona sun, they crowd against one another. They watch from velvet eyes, their sunken bodies as shaky as a child's drawing. From wild ponies to retired racehorses, young and old, sick and healthy, the one thing they have in common is their destiny --

They have been bought at auction for the sole purpose of dying. And they know it.

It was in a "kill pen" such as this that Carol Hobson, a native Californian, discovered her destiny. In April of 2001, she came across the horse that was to be her first rescue. "I believe he had been in a fire," she says. "His back was caved in and the skin was torn away from the flesh, exposing the

entire backbone. The tips of exposed bone were blackened..." She pauses, remembering. "You could flick a finger across the blackened bone and it would disintegrate into ash." Though her purpose was to rescue horses that could fully recover to lead productive lives, Carol found herself returning to rescue this horse. "I realized he would wait in this agonizing pain, maybe for weeks, until he arrived at the slaughter-house*. I couldn't just leave him there."

She didn't. Carol rescued "Windwalker" as he came to be called and took photos of his condition. She submitted them along with similar case studies in her non-profit application. Within 45 days she was granted licensing as a 501(c) 3 tax-deductible charity, a process that usually takes six months.

Carol credits her background for such an unprecedented turn-around. After all, one doesn't get to be Vice-President of Technologies at a Fortune 500 Company without some business acumen. Yet she does not disregard the humanity aspect. "I had all the right information, but I'm sure it was the pictures that got to the heart of the matter." Although Windwalker had to be put down, Carol believes, "Things come to you when they're meant to. That horse had a purpose, and he stuck around until we realized it."

It became AERO, Arizona Equine Rescue Organization, a surgical case and critical care facility. AERO rescues horses that require surgery or intensive rehabilitation in order to return to a productive life. Joining Carol at the helm of AERO is Soleil Dolce, a fellow co-worker at American Express and a Massage Therapist who took her holistic healing techniques to a new level when she became certified and an instructor at Arizona Institute of Equine Kineisiology and Massage Therapy school to work on horses. With surgical costs ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 per operation and possible multiple operations required, Soleil readily applies nutritional and homeopathic therapies in lieu of and in addition to surgery, sometimes saving thousands with a simple $12 remedy...and a lot of heart. The philosophy at AERO is to bring people with different expertises together to create the best possible outcome for each horse’s case.  This can include flying in renown specialists and using many unusual therapies to achieve success which is why professionals are encouraged to focus on the goal – the well-being of the horse.

A lot of heart is precisely what pulls many into the rescue community with the best of intentions in a state that has a tremendous need for it. One of the problems indigenous to Arizona is outdated "cowboy state" laws that stretch back to the 1800s. Under these laws, horses were lumped under the category of "livestock" and as such, did not receive additional care or protection specific to their needs. For example, until 2005 it was required that food and water be available on the property, but whether the animal had access to it was not. Nor was it necessary for shade, which can include trees, to be provided even in extreme desert temperatures. Besides the limited animal welfare laws it is difficult to keep horses in what is known as a dry lot state, where grazing is not abundant and the prices of hay keep going up with no end in sight as the drought continues to aggravate a national shortage.  With so many people underestimating the basic cost and care involved the rescue receives numerous calls where folks are plain out of money. Soleil estimates that the monthly minimum to keep a horse healthy, including proper nutrition and care of hooves and teeth, is starting at $300. This doesn’t include the emergency vet bill which starts around $500 and goes up to thousands pretty easily…and emergencies with horses are not unusual so everyone who owns a horse should have a plan for paying the bill before it comes along.

If a problem is overlooked long enough and the pain is great enough, a horse may simply stop eating and, in other words, self-select.  This certainly would have been a natural expectation of Valiant, a 14-year-old mustang and current AERO rescue. For seven years, Valiant did not stand up. He had food but the pain in his front feet was so severe that he could not bear to put weight on them. "Usually a horse in that situation will self-select," says Soleil. "But he's a fighter." When AERO showed up to rescue him, the concern was that his bones would be unable to support his weight and might snap. With considerable effort, Valiant got to his feet. "He was determined to make it into the van. He walked on his hind legs and sort of pin-wheeled around," says Soleil. Valiant stayed with the rescue for another 1.5 years before his body finally wore down.  He grazed, played, and wandered around until his last couple weeks.  The volunteers supported Valiant on every level during his time at the rescue with special prosthetics and care.  He was special and received over 50 cards and emails, including gifts, after he passed away – every card talked about how he changed the author’s life.  “With Valiant it wasn’t about making him better – he just needed a safe haven to live in dignity and he made the world a better place for it,” remembers Carol.

The truth is, Valiant's story is all too common.  There are more horses in need of help than the rescues can afford. They certainly try, and because of this the Arizona rescue community has garnered the unfortunate reputation of its "rescues needing to be rescued from the rescues". In January 2006, two women operating a horse rescue shelter in Surprise, Arizona were charged with 10 counts of animal cruelty. Of the 52 horses there, eight were confiscated as evidence, three were euthanized immediately. One of the women stood by in tears, commenting that they just didn't have enough money to save them all. Understandably such publicity sheds bad light on all rescue facilities. AERO has taken considerable steps to ensure status as a legitimate charity with carefully selected affiliations and being an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau. While Carol sympathizes with their plight, she is quick to point out that even though it's a non-profit business, it's still a business. "Most rescues in Arizona have more heart than head," she explains. "You need both. At AERO, I'm the head. Soleil's the heart."

It is heart after all that makes AERO's mission possible. The generosity of local veterinarians, volunteers, donations and corporate grants from American Express and PetsMart has saved the life of more than 100 horses since Windwalker gave his. Zephyrus, another rescue at AERO, was a 2-year-old Thoroughbred that was severely neglected and in need of fetlock surgery. At 425 lbs. upon arrival, Zephyrus was half his normal weight and very weak from malnutrition.  He nearly died on the operating table months later when he had a reaction to the anesthesia. Now at 900 lbs., he has grown nine inches and appears to be a healthy, full-grown horse. But while a horse can appear visually healed in as little as three months, the behavioral therapy takes longer.
"Abused horses react very much like abused children," explains Soleil. "Some withdraw. Some lash out. It depends on the horse." She indicates Zephyrus skin, where there are obvious patches missing. "These are nips from the other horses. He is socially inept, and doesn't understand that his behavior is annoying to them." Zephyrus is just beginning his training. Once completed, he will be ready for the final stage of the rehabilitation process -- Adoption. This alone can take up to six months. Why so long? "The horse chooses," says Soleil matter-of-factly. "They let me know who they want to go home with."

While some may raise eyebrows at this, the practice has found a credible audience since being cast into the public eye with "The Horse Whisperer", a Nicholas Sparks novel that spawned the movie starring Robert Redford. Soleil smiles without denying it, maybe because she finds it silly that one person is extended this privilege when everyone talks to horses, they just don't know it. "Horses talk to us all the time but it seems most people don’t have time to listen and many relationships break down because of this," she says. "That intuitive feeling in your gut? It's the same thing." She cites an adoption success story with Chico, another AERO rescue who recently found a home with a 12-year-old girl. "Once you saw them together, you just knew. They had an immediate bond. But Chico met lots of nice people before his person came along that he didn’t click with….I respect that."

In an effort to teach what they know, Carol and Soleil extend their talent with horses and healing into the realm of community. AERO not only rescues horses needing surgical care, but helps prevent horses from becoming rescues by facilitating the placement of horses in need of a home, educating people who are new to horse ownership or current horse owners that need help with specific issues, and introducing at-risk children to communication, relationship and social skills through work with the horses. "It could be said that the horses give back to the community while they're here," Carol says.

Community programs are two part. The first consists of a series of workshops available to introduce new owners to the basics of care and educate people on the dynamics involved between horse and owner. Establishing trust, earning respect and understanding body language are a few examples of the topics offered to enhance the relationship betweeen horse and owner.

The second part of the community outreach program involves working with children. AERO is actively involved in a partnership with the Cave Creek Unified School District, which operates as a flagship for The Black Stallion Literacy program. This program was founded in 1999 by the son of  Walter Farley, author of The Black Stallion and similar books. It works on the premise that there exists a natural bond between children and horses, and uses this bond to encourage children to read. Offered to elementary school children in the first and fourth grades, the program introduces children to reading and continues to encourage it with interactive involvement with horses. This is where the horses in the AERO program step into the education process. "Sometimes the rescue aspect gets a little sad because we can't save them all," says Soleil. "So we bring in the child aspect." This year The Black Stallion Literacy annual event was held at Horse Lover's Park in Scottsdale, Arizona, on February 22, 2006.

The School District also partners with AERO on their at-risk youth in the character education program.  Rescue horses are brought to the schools and the children interact with them to enhance social skills and character traits that are being reinforced in the classroom.  “Teachers often tell me that they see an increase in confidence for the kids that participate in the program.  It takes so little to make a life-long difference in a child’s life and we’re honored to partner with CCUSD on this really fun program.  We already have the horses so why not expand the benefit of the community investment in these animals.  It makes the entire healing cycle complete,” explains Soleil.

AERO is an all volunteer organization that remains one of the smaller rescues that makes a big impact in their community.  Carol and Soleil acknowledge that their normal day jobs don’t have the instant gratification that the rescue creates for them.  “When I was a kid I really found a safe place with horses so that’s what I want to create with AERO for other kids,” Carol says as she leads a 9 month old filly awaiting surgery to straighten it’s legs back into it’s stall.  “I love seeing the difference in the kid’s faces after a session. I feel like helping these horses is a small way of paying them back for all they did for me in my childhood.”

For more information on Arizona Equine Rescue Organization, Inc. visit their website at www.azequinerescue.org or email them at info@azequinerescue.org. AERO is a 501c3 non-profit corporation and accepts donations through Networkforgood.org. 

-          Written by Valerie Heidt, Photos by Brett Patterson, Tracy Parr, and Shelley Poore*

-          Contact AERO at 623.465.1519 or 602.538.0416

*  Horses in roundpen photo provided by http://www.atourhands.com/horses.html