The Salt River wild horses are the historic and majestic creatures roaming the lower Salt River in the Tonto National Forest in Mesa, Arizona. They are the pride of the community, a favorite subject of photographers and the icon of the wild, free spirit of Arizona and the American West.
These wild horses were brought into the limelight during the epic battle for their protection; the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group rounded up large herds of people who gave them a voice; we stampeded congress and we worked toward positive solutions with Federal and State governments. It worked; while almost gone forever, today the Salt River wild horses are protected pursuant to Arizona Revised Statute 3-1491 (aka the Salt River Horse Act) We are currently under contract to manage this herd humanely under the AZ Department of Agriculture (AZDA).
Needless to say that we are forever grateful to the public of Arizona and all of it’s legislators and politicians. We are also grateful for our Arizona State Department of Agriculture (AZDA) and the Governor’s office. Most of all we are grateful to all of YOU who continue to support us, and sustain our programs with your financial support, we cannot continue our work without you.
Together, we changed the course of history. Together we are preserving and managing an important historic and recreational resource. It is the culmination of everything we’ve worked so hard for, but it is also just the beginning.
Managing Wild Horses Humanely
From making improvements in their habitat, to rescuing injured wild horses, to humane birth control,.. managing wild horses has many different aspects. With our large volunteer force we monitor the horses daily, help them cross the roads when necessary and are available for emergencies 24/7. While we have been doing the same for many years unofficially, there were things that we were not able to implement before, like our humane PZP birth control program.
Under the AZDA, we can now implement every aspect of our humane management plan. It includes the following components:
- Monitoring the health of the herd and keeping records of each individual as well as each band in it.
- A humane fertility control program to stabilize the population.
- Long term and short term emergency solutions; such as a feed program; diversionary feeding; returning horses that wonder outside of the habitat.
- Installation and maintenance of fences and gates to keep wild horses safe from roadways.
- Work with MCDOT to implement safety features and reduce horse-vehicle collisions.
- Capture and rescue of fatally injured wild horses that would otherwise die a cruel death.
- Give care and sanctuary to the rescued Salt River wild horses at our facilities.
