When cowboy farriers and beautiful horses come together in a spectacular calendar, the beneficiaries are abused, neglected and abandoned horses.
The launch of the 2010 "Hunks & Horses" calendar will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 10 at Boot Barn, 3719 N. Oracle Road.
Calendar sales benefit HEART — Happy Equine Acres Rescue and Therapy — of Tucson, a horse rescue facility on the east side that performs miracles on a daily basis.
The original Hunks & Horses calendar was published for 2009 by Swingin' SaddleBabes LLC, a partnership of local women who spend hours riding desert trails together. The idea took shape when they discovered that no one had ever done a calendar of farriers except a group in England who created a calendar featuring nude farriers, a possibility the Swingin' SaddleBabes chose not to explore.
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"Other than me and my veterinarian, there is no one who is more important to my horses' well being than my farrier," said Jean Waters, a founding member of Swingin' SaddleBabes. "Even if your horses go 'barefoot,' you still need a farrier to trim and take care of their hooves."
Recruiting farriers for 2010 was easier, with six farriers volunteering for a second round.
The first year was a learning year for the group, and as planning for the 2010 edition began, they capitalized on the lessons they'd learned. Because printing costs require such a large amount of capital, finding ways to save money in production was vital. According to Linda Fernandez, "We wanted to double our contribution to the horse rescue this year, so we really focused on how to be more efficient with our resources."
To that end, the group enlisted the services of a student photographer, Tanya Sova, a senior in the University of Arizona photography program.
"If you buy a calendar, you won't be disappointed," Fernandez says. "Tanya's pictures are outstanding."
For more information go online to www.hunksandhorses.com and www.heartoftucson.org.
