Another beautiful photo of a Stallion and Mare from the Salt River Wild Horses page. For months I have been trying to learn more about the Wild Horses of the Salt River that I have been sharing on my page. These two articles were simple and informative for others who might be interested. "The Salt River Wild Horses that live along the Salt River in the Tonto National Forest, an area about the size of the state of Connecticut and five times the size of Rhode Island... "This rare and beautiful Wild Horse Herd has lived along the banks of the Salt River for over 400 years, long before the area was designated the Tonto National Forest and long before the Phoenix area was settled. The origin of the Salt River Wild Horses can be found in historical documents that indicate the Spanish Missionary, Father Eusebio Kino, brought horses to the area in the 17th century. In the year 1900 there were over 10,000 wild horses reported roaming the plains of Arizona, some on the Indian reservations and some in Coconino, Yavapai and Maricopa Counties. Ever since then, and up until 1971, they have all been shot and killed in yearly roundups by both the US government and by ranchers who saw them as a nuisance. These last 80 or so Wild Horses along the Salt River were the ones that survived the shootings throughout the century because they found refuge in the dense vegetation along the river. Today the entire state of Arizona has less than 500 Wild Horses remaining in the wild. The BLM (Bureau of Land Management) manages approximately 200 of them in the Cerbat Mountains close to Kingman. The Pima Indian Reservation owns and cares for approximately 100 Wild Horses and the Forest Service has jurisdiction over another 100 of them close to Heber. The US Forest Service does not acknowledge that the" Salt River"horses are wild and are labeling them “feral” or “trespass” horses. Therefore the agency does not take responsibility for managing them under the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act and can do what they wish without the public having any knowledge or say about it." "Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by the Conquistador Equine Rescue and Advocacy Program (CERAP), indicate that the US Forest Service may remove these horses from the Tonto National Forest without a period for public comment or an environmental study, and sell them at the Pacific Livestock auction where they will likely end up in kill buyers’ hands. These are the ONLY Wild Horses left in Arizona that are easily accessible for viewing by the public and also the ONLY Wild Horses left anywhere near the Phoenix metropolitan area! Tubers that float down the Salt River often witness these happy horses playing in and around the river." respect4horses Several organizations are trying to protect the Salt River Wild Horses including Respect4Horses - who are asking people to write a letter reflecting that they want to keep these horses in their current habitat and that they want to see them preserved for future generations to come. Letters should be sent to: Respect4Horses, PO Box 6150, Chino Valley, AZ 86323 or emailed to: SaltRiverHerd@Respect4Horses Respect4Horses need many letters to present to the US Forest Service together with their Salt River Herd Preservation Proposal. The Conquistador Equine Rescue and Advocacy Program - who are asking people to immediately telephone their United States Representative, both of their United States Senators, the Forest Supervisor for the Tonto National Forest and the Regional Director for Rangeland Management to tell them they do not want the horses of the Salt River in the Tonto National Forest removed. Salt River Wild Horses Facebook - people are being asked to like the Salt River Wild Horses Facebook page in an attempt to prove public interest." FROM: horsecarecourses/horse_of_the_week/2012/07/champ-the-salt-river-wild-stallion-.html Note that a few of those involved in the Salt River Wild Horses Facebook page have begun a 501C3 organization for the benefit of the horses. "On September 22, 2012, Becky Standridge and William LeRoy officially formed a new Arizona 501(c)(3) Not for Profit Corporation called; “The Society for the Preservation of the Salt River Horse”. "This is the beginning of our official efforts to work with the various local, State and Federal Agencies to create a workable long term preservation plan," said LeRoy, "We have meetings planed at various levels and we are conducting multiple research and historical projects. Once our critical first steps have been completed we will be working with the Forest Service to create a mutually agreed upon Memorandum of Understanding that will outline our basic first steps." This group is not working with any other groups in this effort and we welcome any and all folks who care about these horses to contact us regarding how they can get involved. "The situation with this process is at a very critical juncture and we hope that any folks would like to become involved would join with us in this effort," said Standridge, "This is simply about the preservation of this unique herd of horses, nothing more, and nothing less." ... For more information or if you would like to get involved and support this effort, please contact William M. LeRoy at William.dante.leroy@gmail You can also visit our Facebook page at: https://facebook/#!/TheSocietyForThePreservationOfTheSaltRiverHorse" examiner/article/new-organization-devoted-to-protection-of-salt-river-wild-horses
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 15:07:41 +0000
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