From all of us here at the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group we want to thank you for your support for wild horses in 2023 and we hope you may know in your heart, that you help us make an important difference.

Together with you, our supporters, we are preserving a treasured and historic asset into the future; our beautiful Salt River wild horses. So close to being gone forever, they still roam wild and free in their rightful habitat, enjoyed by people from around the world.

Yet it is clear that the battle for these horses, as well as other wild horse herds, is far from over. 2023 was a hard year for everyone, and that certainly was true for wild horses.

While we are grateful that the Tonto National Forest (TNF) successfully defended the humane treatment of wild horses, we are appalled that the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest (ASNF) blatantly disregards it.
In the same week the CBD lawsuit against the Salt River wild horses was dismissed, the contractor for the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest trucked 45 Alpine wild horses to the slaughter auction in Bowie Texas, where a horrific fate awaited them.

By sounding the alarm and working together with organizations on the ground in Texas (thank you @RTF, @ASIAB, @ROAR), and by asking you, our supporters to reach deep, all 45 were saved in the nick of time! In addition, this week we helped yet another 13 Alpine wild horses into good homes, plus we found and reunited Bear, with his own Mare and foal this Christmas! Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary

While we all shed a few tears of relief, it is a very sad sign of the times, that we still have to battle this hard for some basic humane treatment for these historic treasured animals, when we all know that it doesn’t have to be this way. There are still compromises to be made and win-win solutions to be found.

Here at SRWHMG we can still see a future where all wild horses are treated humanely and it is why we work so hard to prove beyond a doubt, that it is possible.

We are saving the government a lot of money, we are saving the public a lot of anguish, and we are saving the horses a lot of suffering.

It is the alternative to spending millions in tax payer dollars on cruel and endless removals. It’s the alternative to the same thing the government has been doing for 50 years that isn’t working.

But because we have proven that it works, we are the opposition, and therefore a major enemy to those who are making money removing wild horses from our public lands. We are a threat to all who don’t want to see a better way. We can tell, because of the nasty and desperate lies our foes are resorting to. So we have to stay steady, we have to stay ready and we hope that you all BEAR with us.

With your help and support we will keep up this fight for as long as we have to.

2024 is here, the future is now, and we all know there is a better way.

How we treat the beautiful things that are at our mercy, reflects on who we are, and what will become of all of us.

In this life the greatest wisdom is knowing the difference between right and wrong, the greatest purpose is to fight for what is right, and the greatest reward is knowing you made a difference.

Thank you for helping us make a difference!

Wishing our supporters unbridled happiness for the new year and for always.

– From all of us at the SRWHMG

Written by Simone Netherlands, picture by Debra Myjitiak.