I am a writer and a marketing professional by trade inclusive of the equine industry. I grew up with quarter horses in upstate NY and currently own one fantastic, smart, funny 8 year old TB mare, Raiderette, (don't ask, yet another story for another time!) in California. I had become aware of the plight of the wild mustangs, horses and burros about 9 years ago and started to track the activity via the rescue sanctuaries and the Bureau of Land Management websites. As the drama mounted so did my involvement as a "messenger", if you will.
I began to receive a daily crush of emails from the mustang groups for different reasons; to help raise money, to donate and to correspond to the government and the BLM. I realized i couldn't respond to them all and I was just one voice. Then it dawned on me. My database of 8600 friends, equestrians, cowboys, horse enthusiasts and "urban cowboys" needed to be activated so I began eblasting requests for help to them on behalf of the rescues.
I realized there was a need for one platform for this message. One that was informative, educational and entertaining. Staying true to my media background, I decided that format would be a magazine.
I also considered how would I get "urban cowboys", Joe Wall St. and Mary Real Estate, who were not horse people, did not know about wild free-roaming mustangs in the United States and how to make them aware of these majestic horses and their plight as they would probably never read a "horse" magazine. How could I provoke them to get involved?
Eureka! The idea dawned on me, a beautiful covergirl, and pictorial...heck, whats more attractive than a majestic horse and a beautiful woman?....and together in one magazine? And I am a man-lovin' fool and I know THAT answer! And so marked the birth of trueCOWBOYmagazine in January 2009!
We made it to our One Year Anniversary with an exponential 3.0X database growth to 25,000 and tCmagazine continues to pick up momentum for both true and urban cowboys. I receive emails from around the world, some literally in Greek, stating "I had no idea there are wild mustangs, horses and burros roaming freely in the U.S.A!", "What can I do to help?", "Why aren't they just left alone to roam on the ranges?" and "Beautiful cover and pictorials!"
It's simple, really. I love horses, all animals, and if our Buckle Bunnies help to attract attention and get the word out about the wild mustangs & burros, and their plight to remain free-roaming, I say let's ride!
I decided to publish digitally, intially, for the "green" contribution and the unlimited global reach and circulation via the internet. Our circulation jumped markedly with the addition of our Apple iPhone/iPad app subscription downloads and exposure to Apple's 80 million iPhone owners and projected iPad sales of 28 million in 2011. Imagine the potential!
More awareness, more circulation and more help! And maybe, another mustang
can be saved from round ups, penning and their imminent demise and extinction off the face of the planet.
Vivo Los Mustangs!
Yup, I'm your huckleberry!
Besos
Calamity
