In this exclusive testimonial, a former Tonto National Forest supervisor confirms an important part of Arizona’s history: Before 1971, the Salt River wild horses were managed under federal law, on the Sunflower Allotment, in the TNF, as part of the Forest Service’s multiple-use mandate.

We are sharing it again now, in case anyone is confused by different stories, which are an attempt to devalue and demean the horses. Firsthand accounts like this provide a lot of clarity in addition to the written history. This is part of our commitment to documenting and preserving the history of the Salt River wild horses, ensuring that it does not get lost, revised or retold.
Salt River wild horses are a living part of Arizona’s heritage. Watch and share!

Curtis Johnson has worked for the Forest Service for 42 years. He worked at the Mesa ranger district from 1966 to 1969. At that time the Forest Service was already managing the wild horses and did not consider them unauthorized use. He also helped write the Forest Service Directive, in the Forest Service Directive it does not have any paragraph that states the Forest Service is not authorized to manage wild horses. It states that it is the responsibility of the Forest Service to manage wild free roaming horses.