Farrier Hunks Have Lots of HEART

Last year a group of women concocted a scheme to raise funds for horse rescue groups. These ladies – the Swingin’ SaddleBabes – decided to publish a calendar featuring a dozen attractive men with overpowering raw sex appeal. Deciding that Chippendale Dancers were rather blasé and ho-hum, they scoured the Arizona countryside in search of a group of sensuous and seductive you-show-me-your-hooves-and-I’ll-show-you-mine enticing farriers.

The Hunks & Horses calendar, filled with pages of dreamy farriers, inspired me to create my own calendar, Hot Men of Lone Star. Sadly, my calendar endeavor never reached fruition as the vast number the sexy men frequenting the racetrack was so incredibly overwhelming that I found it impossible to select a mere dozen –

Oops! I just knocked over my glass of merlot. Be right back – need a quick refill …

Anyway, Sharon Miller of the Swingin’ SaddlesBabes recently alerted me that the 2010 Hunks & Horses calendar is now available for purchase with a percentage of the proceeds going to HEART of Tucson. Twelve months of hot horses and hot farriers as well as the return on Mr. September.


This information beckoned two very serious questions: (1) Since they managed to secure twelve local farriers for the calendar, is there a preponderance of farriers in the Santa Catalina Mountains versus other regions of the United States? And (2) Why is Mr. September’s shirt buttoned up, for cryin’ out loud?

Ms. Miller admitted that there are a large number of farriers locally since horses are a big part of southern Arizona. “We had a hard time getting farriers involved last year because it was a new project, and some of them thought we were probably wacked-out broads. “ However, the success of last year’s calendar made it easier to secure farrier hunks his year, many of the returning calendar guys being very eager to stay involved with the project. “We had a few [farriers] who contacted us and asked us if they could be in the calendar.”

And as for Mr. September, a.k.a. farrier Johnny Miller: “I didn’t even notice that we hadn’t told him to unbutton his shirt. Dang!”

All fun aside, a percentage of the calendar sales goes to HEART of Tucson, “an INCREDIBLE rescue group,” touts Sharon Miller. “They have been positively overwhelmed with horses in need. It has been constant, especially this summer. Sometimes they have been up all night with horses being brought in, or having to drive to Phoenix to pick up mares who have been pulled off the slaughter truck (by another rescue) and reunited with their babies.”

Judy Glore is the president of HEART of Tucson. Not only does she try to find homes and adopt the rescues out, she also runs a summer camp and the kids at the camp work with the rescue horses, “teaching the next generation to care for horses someone else didn’t care for.”

Additionally, HEART of Tucson started a Horse Food Bank that buys hay for horse owners that can’t afford to feed their horses yet don’t want to lose them. “It's a good way to take some of the pressure off of the rescues and help people keep their horses until they can recover economically. A number of local feed stores are cooperating in the program, but it still depends on donations,” said Ms. Miller.

The holidays are just around the corner so be sure to order your 2010 Hunks & Horses calendar today. Not only does it make for a nice stocking stuffer, it’s also for a good cause. And if you should find yourself in the vicinity of Boot Barn on November 27th, stop in and meet the farriers, SaddleBabes, and the HEART volunteers. No horseshoes required.