But where’s Shadowfax?
September 30th SRWHMG programs ensure the humane management and longterm protection of the Salt River wild horses. Yes but where's Shadowfax? SRWHMG has saved the Salt River wild horses from starvation during the long-lasting drought in Arizona. Yes, but where's Shadowfax? SRWHMG spends thousands of man hours cleaning and improving wild horse habitat. Yes, but ...
The Traveling Bands
September 25h The traveling bands - a beautiful goodnight video. Share if you care about wild horses! Gnite, SRWHMG
❗PRESALE of our wildly popular Calendar starts NOW!
September 24h Because last year we sold out of our limited edition Calendars, we are going to print an additional amount this year, according to how many pre-orders we receive. But after they are gone they are still going to be gone. (as it goes with limited editions) Most calendars you will find will benefit ...
It’s easy to “fall” in love with the Salt River wild horses!
September 22nd Happy first day of fall 2021 to our supporters! It is important to continue our mission of keeping them safe, healthy, wild and free, so please continue to support us. Click like on not just our posts, but on our page, and please invite all of your friends to like our page. Every ...
20 Minutes From Metropolis
September 20th Just 20 minutes from the hussle and bussle of the great metropolis, you can find a little piece of American history, living symbols of the pioneering spirit of the American West. They roam on almost 20,000 acres on, in, and along approx 14 miles of the lower Salt River. They have a right ...
Family matters.
September 19th Wild horses roam together in family groups called bands (the word herd is sometimes used, but is incorrect) There is always at least one lead stallion and one lead mare to form a band, but there is no exact formula. Much like human families, we find that there is not one family exactly ...
How do we stay so cool?
September 17th Imagine the hard physical work of hauling bales of hay, fixing fences, hiking the desert and taking care of our rescues, then add in the extreme Arizona heat, and many people don't understand how we get it all done, but we will tell you a secret... Here you can see our feed team ...
A foal grows up without the fear of helicopters
September 8th Meanwhile in Arizona, there's a black foal growing up without the fear of helicopters.. Moonshadow turned one year old last month. Here she is with her mother, her sister and her aunt, who never stray farther than a few steps from her. The real love and strong bonds these social animals display, are ...
And just like that, a wild stallion becomes famous.
September 7th We cheer for his perseverance, his bravery and his personal victory over a terrible and cruel roundup. Let's hear it for Merlin of Sand Wash Basin, for the SWAT volunteers, and let's hear as many of your voices as possible against the roundups and FOR humane management in the field. There are better ...
We stand with Sand Wash Basin Wild Horse Advocate Team
September 6th This is a picture of a brave Sand Wash basin stallion attempting to take this very young foal back to its mother who is in the trapsite, stampeded there by the Cattoor helicopter, hired by our federal government. This beautiful stallion, Merlin, paid for this last heroic deed with his freedom. If this ...
Happy Labor Day
September 6th It really is hard work, it really is blood sweat and tears, and it really is a labor of love. But it's all worth it. Happy Labor Day everyone. SRWHMG.
Thanks to the monsoon rains, we have ended our huge feed program!
September 4th Thanks to the monsoon rains, we have ended our huge feed program that was so necessary because of the horrendous longstanding drought in Arizona. The Salt River wild horses have gone back to eating vegetation, grasses, eelgrass and mesquite leaves! We have gotten them through some truly hard times, and want to thank ...
🌿The art of picking grass
August 30th 🌿The art of picking the grass from between the many weeds. The ways of the wild seem so synonymous with many things in life. Picture taken with Nikon 500 lens and cropped by SRWHMG Rick Blandford.
⚠️Wild Scene on Bush Hwy resolved.
August 27th Needless to say this could have been very very bad! We are urging everyone to spread this message; please Shut the gates, every, single, time, even when it's just for 5 minutes, or when the gate is hard to shut. (Foxtail) It was Kayo's band, causing this wild scene earlier today. Some of ...
How did this poor bull end up on Bush Hwy? (Happy Ending!)
August 25th Background: SRWHMG performs a scope of work under contract with the AZDA for the Salt River wild horses, but we also do much more, like our Road Patrol program. This is not required under our contract, but we have always done it anyway, for the safety of horses and people and lots of ...
💕Foal Friday!💕
August 20th Photo by Cindy Pope, SRWHMG volunteer. This is Makenzie, she will be one month old in 5 days and she is growing faster than the weeds that surround her! There are lots of toxic weeds outthere right now, because of the recent rain, including poppy's and huge fields of different kinds ...
Video: The big Hardy/Cisco band
August 14th LIVE from the lower Salt River, Arizona! We have a recording of the big Hardy/Cisco band on our facebook page. Check it out now!
Abandoned in the Tonto National Forest
August 14th “ You left me, just when I needed you most. I carried you through thick and thin, I helped you travel lands, I let you steer me step by step, my leads in your cold hands. When you went through hardships, you knew you could press on, undaunted in your darkest hours with ...
She has a name!
August 11th She was born in the northern hills of the Salt River Horse habitat on a rare rainy day in Arizona, a state that cares about their wild horses. She was born in Salt River horse habitat, a place where she has a legal right to live, because of intergovernmental cooperation agreements and our ...
How cute is this little PZP failure!?
August 8th Introducing the newest member of the Salt River herd: a beautiful healthy filly out of mare Minnie and sire Serta. She is exactly 2 weeks old today! Photo by SRWHMG Cris Becker. Most of you know and respect SRWHMG- protocol of keeping the babies out of the public spotlight, until they have surpassed ...
How do we keep track of all the Salt River wild horses?
August 4th We are often asked, how do we keep track of all the Salt River wild horses? How do we know at all times where they are and what they are doing? Well, the truth is we don't know all the time where they are. They are still wild horses who have almost 20,000 ...
6 years of Preservation
July 31st 🗓 Today is an important anniversary for the Salt River wild horses, and all who love them. On this day, July 31st, in the year 2015, a 7 day notice to impound and remove all of the Salt River wild horses was posted by the Forest Service. Today marks 6 years of preservation ...
🎼 The hills are alive with the sound of horses.
July 29th If you like videos such as this, please really click Like, and also like our Facebook page, and click "see first" if you like to see more. Every "like" is a voice for the horses! You can also invite all of your friends to like our page! Thank you so much for your ...
Batman – Hanging in there.
July 28th We take care of a cherished resource for Arizona under contract with the AZDA and cooperation with the USFS and we are so grateful for the overwhelming support we receive from a huge majority of Americans everywhere. However, it is sad that sometimes we have to deal with negativity and ill-will against our ...
Wanted: A good home for a good piggy!
July 26th We are considering changing our name to 1-800-we-rescue-everything, lol. This adorable piggy was rescued by AZDA and was in quarantine with us. Of course we fell in love with him, so we bought him, just so that he did not have to go to livestock auction. We want to find him a really ...
Tale of Two Brothers
July 26th The two wild horses you see here are not a mother and foal, but two brothers who's mother died last week. The big brother has compassionately taken over the care of his little brother and you can see that he is even feeding him eelgrass. You can always find them right next to ...
In Memory – When it rains, it pours.☔
July 24th We did not get a drop of rain for most of the past year and a half in Salt River horse habitat. (the TNF). But now that it is finally raining, it is pouring and does not want to stop. We are so thankful for it, because the earth needs it badly, but ...
AZDA Post: 🌳Mesquite Beans and Salt River horses 🌳
July 23rd Sharing an informative post from the official AZDA Salt River Herd page. As most of our supporters already know, our contract to manage the Salt River wild horses is under the AZDA. (Which stands for Arizona Department of Agriculture) We are so glad for their partnership and cooperation. Like most things in nature, ...
Happy 4th Birthday Gem!
July 22nd If nature would have had it's way, Gem would have died a slow death, because at just 3 weeks old she could no longer stand up, to stay with her mother Sapphire, her Dad Shadowfax and the rest of the band. She had a broken left phalanx that was infected, which caused her ...
Upstaged by a zooming Kansas
July 20th Simone got upstaged a little bit, during an interview with Wild Beauty Foundation, lol! They are filming a documentary about the perils that American wild horses are facing. We want to thank them for traveling from the sad and cruel Onaqui roundup in Utah, to the Tonto National Forest, where we manage wild ...
This picture from our Advocates page that means a lot.
July 19th We are sharing a picture from our Advocates page that means a lot. (Salt River Wild Horses-Advocates) This is young West Wind and his older brother, they unfortunately lost their mother. (Cookie died last week of colic) West Wind is 8 months, old enough to survive, but way too young to be without ...
Colic season sucks, but Bubbles improves!
July 18th Colic season sucks, we are monitoring a few severe mesquite bean colic cases, but we are glad to report that Bubbles seems to have gotten over her episode. So many of you have been asking, and we really appreciate the love and concern. We do our very best to keep the public updated. ...
July 15th – National “I Love Horses” Day!!! 🐴
July 15th Today is National I love horses day!!! Click 'Like'' on our page if you love wild horses (and this song.) This was the band that played at our rally for the Heber wild horses. Every "Like" is a voice for wild horses, believe it or not. We appreciate every voice, especially these beautiful ...
Bubbles Status Update
July 12th Thank you everyone so much for the calls and messages about Bubbles; she was not feeling good and laying down this afternoon. Because it is colic season, we take all symptoms very seriously and our field team volunteers are with her right now, as well as our Salt River Horse liaison Makenzie. Bubbles ...
In Memory: Cookie
July 11th It was a very hard day today, that unfortunately ended in a colic case ending badly for this mare. (on the left). We have been monitoring her and attempted to treat her with banamine, but in spite of those efforts, she died this afternoon on the edge of the river. From watching her ...
A look at SRWHMG feedstations from the air.
July 7th Note the lack of vegetation. The harsh drought conditions in Arizona are unprecedented - if nature would have it, 20% of this herd would be dying off. However with millions of people visiting their habitat, that is not what anyone wants to see. One feed each day provides every single horse with ...
Reminder: No fireworks on national forests or grasslands
July 4th, evening Fireworks are illegal in National Forests and National Parks. Cut it out, people. We are sending authorities. Celebrate in a legal way. You are harming the forest and the wild horses that live there. SRWHMG.
The horses seem to be celebrating their freedom also!
July 4th We hope everyone is having a great time with friends and family, celebrating freedom! The horses seem to be celebrating their freedom also! The ancestors of wild horses helped us fight for our freedom, and so did we fight for theirs. Now, the Salt River wild horses are one of very few herds ...
What is more American than wild horses?
4th of July, 2021 😀 Wild horses that are Red, White and Blue! Happy 4th of July from all of us, to all of you! Please enjoy the forest and the wild horses that live there, responsibly. ⚠️ Stage 3 fire restrictions are in effect and fireworks are never allowed in the forest. 🐴 Give ...
It actually rained this evening!
July 4th 🌧It actually rained this evening (July 3rd), in the horses' habitat, REAL rain, for the first time this year! (All the other times it went around the horses' habitat or was only 2 sprinkles.) The horses seemed just perplexed about it and formed several small stampedes, which was interesting. It has been so ...
#SaveTheOnaqui
July 2nd Thousands and thousands of acres of undeveloped public lands as far as the eye can see... thousands and thousands of people who deeply care about this special herd...and yet, a very petty Utah BLM, (Bureau of Land Management), adamant on their upcoming removal. While we cannot be at today's rally in Utah, we ...
Looking for photo enhancement, so that a real jerk can be caught.
June 30th As our followers know, we get very upset when people dump their pets in the Tonto National Forest. We end up rescuing these animals, but not all can be saved. Abandoning animals in the TNF is definite animal cruelty and it is illegal. One of our volunteers on road patrol noticed this "gentleman" ...
The PZP Program is still working.
June 21st A mare on the lower Salt River named America, gets a dart in the butt, so she can spend her life free with her family, where they are enjoyed by millions of people who visit the Tonto National Forest. (Upper picture) Lower picture: Mares and stallions and babies are getting separated from their ...
Happy Father’s Day!
Father's Day, June 20th Throughout the centuries wild horses are amazing survivors, due in large part to the fact that mustangs make incredible fathers. They watch over their offspring 24/7 and they protect them at any personal cost. This is Shadowfax with his daughter Crystal. Shadowfax is now retired and he is aging, but he ...
Reminder: Stay 50ft from wild horses at all times.
June 17th It's funny-- but not funny, yet it might give you a good chuckle... This lady is the example of what not to do, when you see a few Salt River wild horses just minding their own business. The horses were fine after this incident and so were the tubers. Please go easy on this ...
In Memory: Kokopelli
June 15th "The hardest part about managing wild horses is that you cannot control nature." We see the good and the bad about being wild. If you would rather not see sad news, please skip this post and go on to a happier post in the history of our page. With heavy hearts we report ...
Horse Update! Do You Recognize Him?
June 9th It's not the clearest picture because he is across the river, but do you recognize him? He is almost unrecognizable because he looks so good! Picture by SRWHMG volunteer Rosa Ramsthaler, thank you Rosa! Back in February of this year, in an unprecedented field operation, AZDA, SRWHMG, and our veterinarian team, darted and ...
We’re doing as much fire prevention as possible
June 1st We are trying to do as much fire prevention as possible to keep our volunteers safe to keep our rescued horses safe and to keep the wild horses safe. We are however not allowed to spray or mow ADOT property (sides of the road) and we hope that they will do a little ...
Every year the Salt River proves that it can be deadly.
May 31st This weekend, a man drowned in the Salt River at Sheep's Crossing and he has not been identified as of yet. It is a sad reminder that the Salt River is no lazy river. Read the news piece here The Salt River has fast flowing currents and many dangerous Eddie's. An Eddy can ...
It’s been a challenging Memorial Day weekend.
May 31st Wild horses had to deal with crowds, with lots of trash and also some very inconsiderate people, but they are all OK. We have manned the Sheep's crossing gate (because it has no cattle guard), we have continually closed all gates to the forest that were left open, and we have fed and ...
Memorial Day 2021: A Salute to All
May 31st A Salute to All Who Have Lost and to All Who Have Fought for Our Freedom, from an American Icon and Symbol of Freedom, The American Wild Horse. SRWHMG photo by SRWHMG Rick Blandford.
Update from an SRWHMG feed station
May 29th For people concerned with PZP, we study very closely how this herd is doing overall. We have seen no significant changes in band formations or social structures and behavior. All 2019 foals are out of mares that were darted while pregnant and both mothers and foals are a shining example of healthy and ...
Thank You: Protected from fire danger with fire retardant!
May 28th Thank You to our supporters for helping to protect us from fire danger with this fire retardant! Watch 3TV AZFamily for a story about it too. You can actually use this fire retardant around your own home also! We are very happy to have a little piece of mind and we want to ...
Rescue Miniseries: Gem
May 26th We are creating a little miniseries about each rescued Salt River wild horse. This is the first installment about Gem, let us know what you think! They all have their story of why they needed rescue. They would have died a slow suffering death in the wild, but are now living happily ever ...
SRWHMG protects the Salt River wild horses, but now need protection ourselves.
May 17th SRWHMG mission is to protect the Salt River wild horses, but now, we ourselves, need protection. The extreme and current fire danger to our Rescue care center for the Salt River wild horses has caused us to look for solutions. We learned of a really great fire retardant that can be applied ...
In Memory: 4 x 4 Joe
May 12th Blasted Covid19. It took a beloved friend tonight, Joe Osuch, standing here proudly with our ATV after he recovered it. Joe loved the wild horses and was just an overall great guy who gave back to his community. He owned Arizona 4x4 Offroad Recovery. Thank you for helping us send him lots ...
The Heber wild horses are in grave danger!!
April 22nd The Heber wild horses are in grave danger‼️The Forest Service wants to reduce them to 50 horses. We need everyone to share this video for them, will you help?? 🙏 This was an amazing turnout of approximately 150-200 people, who rallied their hearts out, and we delivered 10,000 signatures for their preservation ...
Awesome rallying day here in Heber Arizona!
April 22nd Our Facebook page has a little video snippet from an awesome rallying day here in Heber Arizona! Give a hand for our youngest advocate, Valentina, delivering YOUR ten thousand signatures directly to the Heber Overgaard field office of the Apache Sitgreaves Forest Service. Valentina represents the future citizens of America who still ...
Stand against the EA of the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest!
April 21st This is the only link where you can submit your comment to the horrible, terrible, very bad EA of the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest, which proposes to reduce the herd to 50 horses and then let them grow back to 104 horses. (which will then all be inbred). This in fact will ...
If you’re happy and you know it, kick up your heels!
March 28th Our Salt River wild rescues get excited when they switch arenas. These are all horses and orphans foals, who would have died a slow death in the wild, but were carefully brought back to health for their second chance at life. These precious horses have formed a strong family band, just like ...
By any chance, have you heard anyone state this?
March 24th Have you heard anyone state that Salt River wild horses are stuck in one area, or that they cannot reach the river or don't migrate anymore? That's all made up, if you see any nonsensical claims like that, please help educate; the Salt River wild horses have 19.000 acres to freely roam ...
Here’s a story about a horse (and it’s not a tall tale)
December 13th On this national day of the horse (December 13th) we should appreciate horses for everything they've done for us, but also simply for their kindness, their innocence and the way they really take care of each other. To us, it is an honor to return the favor to them and take care of ...
Thank you to our volunteers!
December 13th Thank you to our volunteers for wrapping presents for donations at the Nordstrom Wrapping booth @ Tempe Market place . They will be there again all day on December 19th! You can also get your calendars and wild horse holiday gifts there! We want to thank everyone for stopping by! Almost $500 in ...
How to help us this Holiday Season!
December 13th As most of you know we protect and humanely manage the Salt River wild horses. With our dedicated volunteer force we monitor the health of every horse, we stabilize their population growth, we patrol the roads for their safety, we help them when needed, we rescue when there is no other option, we ...
December 12th- 5 years ago….
December 12th Incredibly, it was exactly 5 years ago, that the news was airing our victory for the Salt River wild horses, - the roundup was canceled permanently,- we will never forget that day! We love and thank all of our hardworking SRWHMG volunteers, we love and thank the public, who really gave them their ...
Our SRWHMG elves have been very busy!
December 10th 🎄🎅Soon, some of our very appreciated donors and sponsors will receive their Christmas cards! 📮 If you have ordered a calendar or merchandise lately, that is also in the mail! 📬 Let us know when you receive one! 💕We thank our amazing volunteers for working so hard, and we thank our amazing donors ...
Order the 2021 SRWHMG calendar!
December 8th 🥁 Order our spectacular calendar now and you'll receive it guaranteed before Christmas! 🎁 This is the best present for anyone who loves horses... and who doesn't love horses?? 🐴💕 We are a Non Profit Organization dedicated to their protection and humane management. 🙏Every purchase helps the horses. Happy Holidays! ...
Last Culver’s fundraiser of 2020
December 7th We really appreciate the continuous support from Culver's! Come on by this week 12/7 thru 12/13 to support a local business, while enjoying amazing food and supporting the Salt River wild horses!!! The location is the Culver's at 1263 S Crismon Rd, Mesa, AZ 85209 Hours are : Drive-thru 10:00 am to 10:30 ...
2021 Calendars are HERE!
October 10th Our Limited Edition 2021 Calendar is now available and turned out spectacular! If you order now, it will be shipped by the end of October. The beautiful images of the Salt River wild horses will provide you with inspiration all year long, while providing the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group with ...
Obituary: Uncle Sam
October 9th Run forever free, Uncle Sam. He died- but, more importantly, he lived... really lived. He woke up every day in his home where he knew every corner, every horse and every tree. He was powerful, respected and dignified, but oh so gentle and kind to his foals. He loved every horse in ...
Mesa Legend: SRWHMG Article
October 8th Covid19 has caused a drop in donations while extreme drought has caused a greater need for feed. Thank you Mesa legend for this article! To support the horses, please donate to our Supplemental Feed Program. The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group (SRWHMG) has had an eventful year. The successful results ...
Bif Demonstrates: How to eat Eelgrass
October 7th So we asked lead stallion Biff to come over and do a demonstration for us this morning. (Not really, but it sure seems that way!) He did an excellent job making the point that we so often try to reiterate; The Salt River wild horses NEED this very important river eelgrass. Unfortunately, ...
Different herd, same challenges!
October 5th While we do not have a special TNF or AZDA law (just yet) to leash your dogs at all times, we do have a Maricopa County leash law that applies everywhere in the county. Just yesterday, we saw a little dog in danger from a horse; the horse walked right over to ...