2012 Horsewoman of the Year
Rusty Cook
 

Presented Novmber 10, 2012

Rusty Cook has always loved horses and has owned, bred, raised and showed them since 1973.  She has ridden in many local and regional shows, and her horses have winning records in many disciplines.  Horses she raised have won honors at local, regional and national levels.  After retiring from her first career (as a high school biology teacher), she embarked on a second career as a US Equestrian Federation Licensed Official.  She is a Steward for many breeds and disciplines, a Dressage Technical Delegate and an FEI Dressage Steward.  She has officiated at horse shows from coast to coast.

Rusty has been show manager for the Zia Classic and Spring Fever Arabian horse shows in Albuquerque and has served as a volunteer in many capacities at local, regional and national shows.  Affiliations include the US Equestrian Federation, the US Dressage Association, the US Hunter Jumper Association, the American Horse Council, the Spanish Arabian Horse Society, the Rocky Mountain Dressage Association and the Pacific Coast Horse Shows Association.  She also has been an officer and committee chair for the Arabian Horse Association of New Mexico, the Santa Fe Arabian Horse Alliance, the New Mexico Dressage Association and is an officer of Region 8 of the Arabian Horse Association.

Rusty has worked on Horse Council projects for many years, beginning with her creation of the NMHC web site when the Board needed to move into the modern era.  NMHC no longer leased physical “office space” when we relinquished La Boca Negra Park, and the website and telephone were necessary to communicate with our members and others.  Rusty has been a member of NMHC for ten years (she and her husband Martin are now both individual lifetime members), was appointed to a vacant Board position in 2005, and elected by the membership to the Board in 2006.  Directors elected her President in 2007, a position she holds through this day.

As President, Rusty has participated fully in Board projects and guided events beginning with a “Horses in Action” day in 2008, the annual state fair booth, lobbying during the NM legislative session, and doing outreach with other groups, all of which increase the stature of the Council and help horses in general.  She has also shaped fundraisers (since the Council’s sources of income are fundraisers, member dues, and donations) to help the treasury.  As President, in addition to running the monthly Board meetings she represents the Council to various City, State and even national groups.  And when energy fades, as it does in volunteer groups, she can be counted on to step up.  Her perspective is always geared towards the horse, its owners, and a successful horse industry.

For years, horse owners nationally have grappled with a declining economy and increasing numbers of “unwanted” horses and what to do about them.  The NMHC Board, again facilitated by Rusty Cook, moved ahead with a survey of membership and has successfully weathered the results.  The results reached the national press, including several interviews with reporters in the print and television media.  It is a measure of her success that the Council’s views were accurately quoted.

The members are extremely reluctantly, but overwhelmingly, in favor of horse slaughter as a means to reduce the numbers and make the remaining population “wanted”.  They are also facing the necessity to help with other means, including education, gelding assistance, and perhaps eventually euthanasia assistance.  Rusty Cook wrote an excellent article for the New Mexico Stockman magazine's September 2012 issue explaining the subject.  And this also brings the Horse Council and horse owners closer to other stock owners, helping to support our view that horses in New Mexico are, and should remain, livestock.

At the 2007 Annual Meeting of the New Mexico Horse Council, held January 19, 2008, Val Cole was awarded the honor of being named the Horsewoman of the Year.  A nomination letter was submitted by Maura Lewiecki, and outlined the many ways in which Val has been an advocate for equestrians and equine activities in New Mexico and nationally for many years.

Val has represented equestrians on the Greater Albuquerque Recreational Trails Committee for three terms beginning in 1998.  She was appointed to Governor’s Bicycle, Pedestrian and Equestrian Committee by NM State Highway & Transportation Department Secretary Pete Rahn in 1998, and the two-year appointment has been renewed as it expired, most recently in February, 2006 by NM Department of Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught.  She has served as the New Mexico delegate to the American Horse Council State Horse Council Advisory Committee (at her own expense), and served as chair from 2004 to 2006.  She represented State Horse Councils at the national Unwanted Horse Summit in 2005, and has remained actively involved in the Unwanted Horse Coalition that evolved from that summit.

Val has been a member of New Mexico Horse Council for 25 years and currently serves as Treasurer.  She has also been the Newsletter editor for 17 years, has worked on the Horse Fair every year, has actively lobbied on behalf of the equestrian community as a NM Horse Council member for the limited liability for trails legislation, funding for a State trails coordinator, and has been contracted to work at horse shows as paddock master and announcer in New Mexico and nationally.

Val is a thoughtful and informed equine supporter. She attends public meetings to serve as a voice for the equestrian community and then keeps everyone informed through the newsletter, or by telephone or email if immediate action is required.  Through it all she has been supported by her husband who has also dedicated time, expertise, and a sense of humor to her passionate involvement.

We congratulate Val Cole as the 2007 Horsewoman of the Year!

NM State Parks' State Trails Planner, Jessica Terrell, was killed in a head-on collision near Farmington January 9, 2008.  Jessica was full of energy and was making great inroads in the development of the state trails program.  She worked closely with Tim Rogers, Bicycle/Pedestrian/Equestrian Coordinator for the New Mexico Department of Transportation, to develop local initiatives toward a greater Rio Grande Trail and other statewide trail activities.  Jessica will be dearly missed. 

Eldon Reyer accepted the Certificate of Appreciation for Jessica at the NMHC Annual Meeting.

At its 2006 Annual Meeting (held January 20, 2007) the New Mexico Horse Council departed from its “horse person of the year” award instituted in 2002.  This year, the Board decided instead to present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Blair Darnell of Corrales.

Blair has been involved with horses since she was a very small child.  For over fifty years, many horse owners, their children and their horses have benefited from Casey and Blair Darnell’s time and expertise.  She has helped the Rio Grande Horse Association, Bernalillo County 4-H Horse Program, New Mexico Quarter Horse Association and the American Quarter Horse Association (where she has been appointed director emeritus), horse racing and breeding (including a runner in the 1994 Kentucky Derby), and of course has been involved with the New Mexico Horse Council since 1970.  After Casey’s death in 2001, she promised to slow down a bit – and there are fewer horses in residence at Alamo Farm in Corrales.  But in presenting the award, Elsie Shollenbarger spoke of her “imprint” on every part of the horse community.  And she also said people kept finding Blair involved in many other activities – art, archaeology, music, education, travel.  In all these areas Blair has made a difference. 

Several members of Blair’s family were present to see her receive the award. 

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