Albuquerque, N.M.- New Mexicans proved they care about the state's equines in an unlikely place ' their income tax returns. On July 25, 2016, the New Mexico Livestock Board (NMLB) mailed disbursement checks totaling $29,493 to eight state-licensed horse shelters and sanctuaries. The money came from the NMLB's Horse Shelter Rescue Fund (HSRF), where voluntary state tax donations are deposited to help horse rescue and retirement facilities care for many of the state's homeless or needy horses.

The NMLB, New Mexico's licensed horse shelters and sanctuaries, and Animal Protection of New Mexico (APNM) jointly recommended where the funds should be allocated to assist with feed costs incurred in rescuing and rehabilitating equines across New Mexico. Horse shelters and sanctuaries receive no other public funding and are almost entirely privately supported. As a result, the HSRF makes a meaningful impact on their ability to care for needy horses in the state.

"No matter their background, each of the neglected or abused animals that comes into our facility needs to eat," said Susan Hemmerle, director of The Horse Shelter of Cerrillos. "The greatest expenditure we face in the horse rescue community is for hay and other feed, and the Horse Shelter Rescue Fund is a vital tool to help us offset these costs."

Located on the state's PIT-D tax form, the HSRF allows any taxpayer to easily donate a portion or all of their tax refund to assist licensed horse rescue facilities. In the spring of 2016, horse shelter representatives, NMLB employees, and Animal Protection of New Mexico (APNM) staff reviewed the funding requests and made suggestions for fund distribution. With need always exceeding the available money, this oversight panel based its recommendations on each facility's feed costs, capacity and scope of mission. On May 31, 2016, the NMLB Board of Directors unanimously approved the oversight panel's recommendations for HSRF distribution.

"As we've learned through our partners in the horse rescue community, it's not just a matter of dividing up the funds based on the numbers of horses at each facility'each facility faces its own challenges based on its herd size, rehabilitative needs and the reach of their services," said Phil Carter, APNM's campaigns manager, who served on the HSRF oversight panel. "Through the distribution system we've created, we can ensure a fair and effective use of donations to support needy horses for years to come."

The New Mexico state legislature established the HSRF in 2013, when the bill was championed by Senator George Mu+