Update: No solutions have been found yet and no other rescues have found solutions either and therefore we are not fundraising yet, but If u want to help, many thousands of calls are needed to officials for someone to step in to save our Arizona icons.

For Immediate release:

Apache Sitgreaves National Forest Sends 45 Arizona Wild Horses to Texas Slaughter Auction

Horses to be sold on Sunday, leaving no time for rescue groups to save them

Phoenix, AZ (December 2, 2023)– In a shocking betrayal of public trust and an affront to the welfare of cherished Arizona wild horses, the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest yesterday callously transported 45 beloved Alpine wild horses to a Texas slaughter auction. This act prevents rescue groups from intervening, as the horses are set to be sold on Sunday at an in-person sale in Texas.

The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group (SRWHMG) and the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) today condemned the Forest Service for this blatant disregard for the welfare of these beloved horses and the public’s interest in protecting them.

The 45 horses arrived yesterday at the Bowie Livestock Auction, located in Bowie, TX after being captured by Forest Service contractor Rail Lazy H. The action is part of an ongoing effort to eliminate the entire wild horse population from the Alpine Ranger District in the Apache Forest.

The group includes multiple family units, some with young foals that have been separated from their mothers. The horses are survivors of a brutal massacre that occurred in October of last year.

Previously, the Forest Service had sold the captured horses through public auctions in Arizona or online. Over the last two years, the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group and allies successfully purchased and relocated 270 of these horses to homes and sanctuaries through these auctions. However, in July 2023, Rail Lazy H arbitrarily prohibited the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group and its allies from participating in these public auctions.

The recent move bypassed local or online auctions entirely. Instead the Alpine wild horses were sent directly to Texas, into the hands of the Bowie Livestock.