​ HORSES FOR HEROES - NEW MEXICO, INC.™
COWBOY UP!

How Our Horses Help Our Veterans

When Veterans come to the ranch and meet our horses they soon realize that it is the horse who is their teacher. Horses carry us both physically and spiritually and experiencing a horse either through ground work or riding is transforming. As our Native American brothers tell us, the horse is our connection between the physical world and the spiritual world.

Horses teach us to focus our intention by commanding us to be in the present moment. They are Zen masters, with gentle spirits who help us to live in the here and now, to be aware, and help one to achieve tranquility.  

The horse has long been known as the symbol of transcendence and that is exactly what they do here, they help our Veterans to transcend, rise above, surpass, eclipse and throw into the shade adversity. Horses will help you to create that inner peace that we all can use, if you are willing to listen and learn.

"Horses For Heroes Cowboy Up! is an extraordinary program for mind body and spirit and makes an exceptional contribution to the healing of veterans and all people who have suffered trauma, PTSD and shock!  Rick Iannucci and his program is moving the world forward with the intuitive wisdom of horses to bring forth healing!
~Dr. Ronald A. Alexander
OpenMind Training Institute, Santa Monica, CA

Horses are great teachers ~ they perceive, interpret and respond to where we are in the moment thus creating an opportunity to help us with:

Learning to be present and live in the moment
Attain inner peace and calm
Patience
Build confidence and leadership
Develop boundaries
Move beyond fear
Learning to trust
Improve communication
Increase energy and vitality
Expand our awareness and
Work through Grief & Loss

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Retired Four-legged Instructors Hall of Fame

Leo

HOLLYWOOD

Rain Dancer was Wyatt Earp's horse in the History Channel "Cowboy's & Outlaws which was partially filmed here ~ he could handle loud crowds and gunshot ~ a hell-of-a horse!!! He retired from all his work including working cattle and chasing bulls.  He lived out the rest of his life in Abiquiu, NM with two lovely girls who doted on him regularly. He lived to be 30. 

JACK

The Horse             ~ By Ronald Duncan

Where in the wide world can man find 
Nobility without pride, 
Friendship without envy 
Or Beauty without vanity? 
Here, where grace is laced with muscle, 
And Strength by gentleness confined. 
He serves without servility, 
He has fought without enmity.
There is nothing so powerful, 
Nothing less violent; there is nothing 
So quick, nothing more patient. 
All of our past has been borne on his back. 
All our history is his industry, 
We are his heirs, he our inheritance. 
Ladies and Gentlemen – 
The Horse.

HORSES AS HEALERS

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.  
~ Winston Churchill

Aztec & Duke 
are back home in Cimarron, NM soaking up the sun and breathing in the fresh mountain air.  

Sokee (to the right ) was a working cow horse, he taught our veterans, and even appeared in movies. After his work with our heroes, we gifted him to one of our 4-H girls who remained active in 4-H; as you can see he took First and Third place in 2011 Districts!  On March 24, 2020 Julia contacted us to let us know he was laid to rest under his favorite scrub oak. He was 34-36 years old and lived a happy land productive life. In Julia's words, "This was a once in a lifetime horse who taught me, my friends and family, and my other horses so so much. Stubborn and sturdy is the way he was built and that's the way he'll be remembered."

OUR FOUR-LEGGED INSTRUCTORS

The Cowboy Up! program features the American Quarter Horse  |  American Quarter Horse Association ID #:  1832444

Duke has been a great instructor to our  veterans, not only did he teach them how to ride, he also took them out on our Program Partner ranches to gather and work cattle.  We wanted Duke to have more time to relax with lighter work, so his next journey is in helping the kids of AMI Kids in Cuba, NM where he will help them find themselves and find their inner peace.

ROPER

Traveler one heck of a horse who we thought would be with us forever, however, 5 months after we came to us he suffered a severe colic.

There are no words for how our hearts still ache.

T4

KNIGHT is at his new home on the Navajo Reservation with one of our staff veterans.

STAR is back home in CO with his previous family and
old horsey friends. His training here groomed him for his new job
working with a young man with a traumatic brain injury.

Our Horses serve our veterans with the same heart and valor and dedication that our Veterans have served us with. 

With deep appreciations and  love we honor them here.

JUNIOR aka HOUDINI

Moon Dancer 
is loving life with all his mares.  He lives just down the road and is enjoying retirement by spending some time heading out on the trails.