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Obituary: Uncle Sam

Homepage UPDATES Obituary: Uncle Sam
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Obituary: Uncle Sam

October 9, 2020
By Kristy
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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 his large band deeply. He watched over them without a break, and protected them with no regard for himself.

He was fierce, he was tough and self proficient. He knew hardship, he overcame heartache, and also overcame severe bodily injury. He knew freedom every day of his life and knew how to enjoy it. He rolled in every sandbank, splashed in every whirlpool and reached for the highest mesquite bean that he could.

He was never chased by a helicopter or separated from his family. He never knew the pain of a whip or the un-kindness that can come from humans.

His ways were the ways of the wild, and he taught it well to all of his 22 offspring. He left his legacy on the Salt River and he left his hoofprints on many hearts.

He died- but, more importantly, he lived… really lived.

 


 

Sad, but amazing.. The Funeral of Uncle Sam. Wild horses are deeply emotional and highly intelligent animals. If you know someone who doesn’t get it, please show them this. It is sad, but also amazing.

Several different bands took turns saying their goodbyes. How did they all know there was a death? How did they process and understand it? We have no idea. But, we see this same behavior each time there is a horse death. They are highly social, caring and truly amazing animals.

 


Background:

This week, we found the old but powerful Uncle Sam without his band, all by himself, in pitiful shape. While it was only a week and a half ago that we saw him still with his band, he was now skin and bones, and could barely put weight on either one of his front legs. In addition, he lost an eye and it looked like he had given up on himself.

We immediately fed Uncle Sam, which he was thankful for. It was truly sad to find him so declined from his former glory. We gave him some time, and conferred and assessed him carefully with our wonderful Salt River Ag Liason Makenzie, and with the State veterinarian who made a full assessment and report on him.

Last year, the same Uncle Sam made an amazing recovery from a broken front fetlock/pastern bone. With a little help from us and from his band who stayed loyal to him, he recovered. So we had seen him in bad shape before, and we’ve also seen miracles.

But now it was clearly different. His formerly broken but healed leg was in bad shape right above the old injury, and his good leg had an abscess, so he literally did not have a leg to stand on anymore. In light of his old age, the severity of the injuries, his pain level, and the fact that he had seemingly given up himself, we made the decision to give him a dignified merciful ending.

We are so thankful for the great working partnership with the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) and Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).

Humane management includes knowing when to let them go. RIP, Uncle Sam.

These pictures are of Uncle Sam in his glory days, taken by SRWHMG photographer Paul Martin.

Help us celebrate a long wild and free life, SRWHMG.


To support our work in preserving them, please donate towards their humane management.


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  • Check out Diamond’s foot care! Wednesday, 17, Aug
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Salt River Wild Horse Management Group

1 day ago

Salt River Wild Horse Management Group
Enjoying the cool mornings? They do too.In the Tonto National Forest, you can stumble upon a band of wild horses like this. None of these horses are sick, they are just sleeping. Please let wild horses take their naps.If you are careful and quiet, you can take pictures like this, without ever disturbing them. This photographer is an SRWHMG volunteer in the field. Our volunteers stick to the 50 ft guideline and often more, in order not to disturb: the horses never got up. If they do get up, you know you've disturbed them. Anytime they look directly at you, you know you've disturbed them, even if in a small way. If everyone who comes across the Salt River horses disturbs them in their natural behavior, they'll never have a minutes rest. Please enjoy watching the horses while adhering to these viewing guidelines: -Keep a safe distance of 50 ft from horses at all times, even if they come your way. This is for their well being, and for yours.-Approaching closer than 50 ft can be interfering/harrassment, which is punishable by law with a fine and/or jail sentence. -Do not feed horses, this is bad for them and is also against the law. (except for the feed program by SRWHMG) - Keep dogs leashed as horses can attack dogs and vice versa. Maricopa County Leash Law is in effect in the Tonto National Forest. -Close all gates behind you for their safety. -when riding horses in the forest it is even easier to disturb them. Also horses can have any disease/virus/bacteria, that may be contagious to domestic horses. Please ride at your own risk.- Trash kills. This is their home and it is your public lands. Pack out what you pack in and pick up after someone else to help make a difference. -Please report any issues of injuries or harrassment or broken fences to the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group (SRWHMG) Thank You. SRWHMG. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit www.srwhmg.org ... See MoreSee Less

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Salt River Wild Horse Management Group

2 days ago

Salt River Wild Horse Management Group
Our pretty boy Diamond (Saphire x Shadowfax) needed rescue after he ripped his hoof off in a cattleguard at Butcher Jones. While euthanasia was recommended, we stubbornly refused, and instead, we gave him the very best chance to prove to everyone that wild horses are absolutely miraculous in healing themselves. He sure did that! While no expert or veteranarian believed it would happen, he grew an entirely new hoof that looks normal. (Ofcourse it took months and months of daily care on our part) However, the coffin bone is still only half a coffin bone and it is pointed down and sideways (see his most recent xrays). Because he does get uncomfortable sometimes, we give him the very best of hoofcare and very special aluminum shoes. It is a lifelong commitment to making him as comfortable as possible and give him a quality life with his buddies Rosco and Pacman. We can only provide quality care like this, because we try to find sponsors for their care.However, ever since the pandemic, many sponsors have canceled their monthly support and we just rescued even more wild horses from the Alpine herd. Our sponsorships don't have a minimum like the big organizations with spots on tv. We don't spend money on advertising. Therefore you can sponsor Diamond, or any other rescue, for the price of a cup of coffee per month, or for the price of a manicure per month, that doesnt matter. What matters is not how much, but just the act of really doing it, and becoming our sponsor. What matters is knowing that you make a difference. We need sponsors badly to continue to do what we do best; which is treating wild horses humanely, both in the wild and in our care. Thank you so much to our existing sponsors and donors! Let's continue to go the extra mile for wild horses everywhere! Gratefully, SRWHMGClick here:"Sponsor Diamond - Salt River Wild Horse Management Group" saltriverwildhorsemanagementgroup.org/sponsor-diamond/ ... See MoreSee Less

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Salt River Wild Horse Management Group

4 days ago

Salt River Wild Horse Management Group
We went through hours of footage and found some of our auction stallions in our previous records. They used to live way up high where the Apache Forest is not maintained and where they are definately helping to reduce the fire danger. It's ironic that what came to mind to say in this video was "these horses have the life". They were plucked from it, and while we were able to save these ones, where are the next ones going to go? From the most beautiful home, to homeless. The poor Alpine wild horses are the scapegoats for environmental damage the authorized cattle do. Like share and spread the word. #leavewildhorseswildWe will continue to document the Alpine wild horses and fight for them. Don't forget to click *see first* on our page if you want to stay updated. Thank you everyone! SRWHMG. ... See MoreSee Less

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Wednesday, 17, Aug
Check out Diamond’s foot care!
Monday, 15, Aug
From the most beautiful home, to homeless.
Sunday, 14, Aug
Update on our little Alpine family
Sunday, 14, Aug
Mark your calendars- only 8 days away!
Saturday, 13, Aug
Well it was a wild night on SRWHMG road patrol.
Friday, 12, Aug
This is a killbuyer’s trailer- it’s both for cattle and horses.

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Salt River Wild Horse Management Group
  • Home
  • Donate
    • Sponsor a Horse
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    • Bequest Form
    • Supplemental Feed Program
  • Updates
    • Long Term Plan
    • In the News
    • HB2858
  • Info
    • Background
    • FAQs
    • Wild Horses Have Value
    • History of Wild Horses
    • Horse Viewing Guidelines
    • Protected by AZ State Law
    • How Long Have They Been Here?
    • Humane Birth Control
  • Video
  • What You Can Do
    • Sponsor a Horse
    • Donate
    • Volunteer
    • Corporate Sponsorship
  • Shop
  • Donor Dashboard