Ever feel like you are just trying to keep your head above water?

This labor day, we want to express our deep appreciation for all of our volunteers for their hard physical labor for the Salt River wild horses. They work to exhaustion, and we sometimes wonder, does anyone really have an idea of all that we do behind the scenes?

For example:

• Our volunteers drag hundreds of heavy bales of hay on wagons and sleds to feedstations in order to keep the horses in good condition
• Our volunteers are on the road and on the river almost 24/7 to help horses cross the road as well as monitor them
• Our volunteers spend all night with our rescued foals and provide all our rescues with a quality life
• Our volunteer darters are sometimes out there for days, just to find that one mare that still needs birth control
• Our volunteers fix the extra mile of fencing and also cut, collect and remove old barbed wire fencing that is a danger to the horses
• Our volunteers pick up every last pile of manure from rec areas, so that the horses aren’t seen as a nuisance
• Our volunteers will handle every injury and act professionally under all circumstances, and well etc etc etc!!

Temperatures, circumstances and the things that are asked of us sometimes, can get very challenging, but we keep our heads above water no matter what.

Do you ever see our volunteers brag about it? Do they say, “we monitored this horse”, “we crossed this band”, or “we fixed this fence”? We don’t need to – because it’s for the horses alone- it’s for continuity and sustainability of the herd, so they can be enjoyed by the public in perpetuity.

Steadfast in our mission to protect these horses, we also continue to work hard in finding solutions with government agencies behind closed doors. No one needs to know. We do our work in silence, for the horses, no matter what.

We continue to keep our heads above water in every way, including working hard to raise enough funds to be able to provide humane management at zero cost to the government.

Because we know that without us, they would, quite literally, be no where.

With utmost appreciation to every one of our volunteers, who make it all possible. Happy Labor Day!!

SRWHMG.

Pic by SRWHMG photographers GP Walsh Photography.