On Saturday afternoon, you can walk, ride, dance, dine and make hay — or, more precisely, raise funds to help buy the hay that feeds the residents of The Horse Shelter.

"With the economic downturn and the increased price of hay due to drought and rising fuel costs," says Jennifer Rios, co-president of the board of The Horse Shelter, "the number of abused and neglected horses has gone up and the number of horses being adopted has gone down."

The Cerrillos facility is the largest horse-rescue operation in New Mexico, Rios says, and works statewide. "We're now working with the sheriff's office in Las Cruces," she says, "taking their seizure cases because they have nowhere else to take the horses."

With 45 horses now in the shelter, Rios says, they are spending at least $100 per day on hay alone.

The fall fundraiser, which offers a choice of trail ride (bring your own horse) or historian-led walking tour of a nearby ancient pueblo, starts at 2 p.m. By 4 p.m., everyone reconvenes at the shelter for barbecue and bluegrass music.

Rios is particularly excited about the walking tour of the usually inaccessible San Lazaro Pueblo led by Forrest Fenn. People who opt for this activity will meet at the horse shelter then car pool to Fenn's nearby property. It won't be a strenuous work-out. "A moving lecture" is how Rios envisions it.

Rudy's Bar-B-Q, which has been serving the Albuquerque area for 14 years, is providing the food for the event. "We'll bring our smoker and prepare everything on site that morning — except the briskets, which are done overnight," says Doug Latham, owner of Rudy's and one of the co-founders of Jinja Bar and Bistro in Santa Fe.

The turkey, brisket, sausage and all the fixings — cole slaw, potato salad, baked beans and corn bread will be ready to go by 4 p.m., Latham says. "And of course," he adds, "we'll also be bringing our world-famous sauces ... Rudy's Sissy Sauce (a milder sauce) and our regular, hotter sauce. ... It's great barbecue and we're excited about bringing it to Santa Fe."

Wine donated by Milagro Vineyard and Winery and beer will also be served with dinner.

Music will be provided by Family Coal, a group of seven bluegrass musicians from the Cerrillos-Madrid "metropolitan" area. The band includes guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bass fiddle and a melodica.

Saturday's event is smaller and more intimate than the shelter's annual May fundraiser, which includes live and silent auctions, Rios says. "It's nice to do an event where I just can go and have fun," Rios says. "No auction means no worries ... Once you buy your ticket, we don't try to sell you anything else."

All food, drink, music and other services at the event have been donated, so 100 percent of the $75 adult ticket price — children under 12 are free — goes directly to the shelter.

WHAT: Fall fundraiser for The Horse Shelter in Cerrillos. Activities include choice of guided trail ride or easy, historian-led hike to historic pueblo on private land; barbecue (with wine and beer); and bluegrass music by Family Coal.
WHEN: 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11
WHERE: Horse Shelter barn in Cerrillos
PRICE: $75 per person, children under 12 free
TO REGISTER, OR FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call 505-471-6179