The “bad boys” aren’t done testing us yet!😅
🐎💨 Well,..never mind our previous happy video where the bad boys came home safe! Just one day back, and they proved their reputation again, they traveled 4 miles back, crossed the road and ended up at the Marina!
There’s lots of grass and water there, so we get it, but it’s far too dangerous and they are not allowed there.
So they sure tested us all weekend, but we proved our reputation again too! We’ll handle any challenge if it means keeping them safe!
Thanks to our incredible lead mare Simone and our hard working volunteers, who formed a human barrier first to keep them safe, then (phase 2) caught the boys, watched and guarded them the entire night, loaded them the next day (see part 2) and part 3 drove and released them back at the river, and there’s a part 4 also. Everyone stayed safe — but this was just the start of a wild few days! ❤️💪
Next up part 2: catching and loading wild stallions into trailers! Click on our name to and follow to see it!
— the “bad boys” aren’t done testing us yet!😅
🐴The “Bad Boys” Part 2 – The Loading.
Wild stallions at the Marina? Here’s how we got them safe. The first day we caught them, we did not have a large enough trailer, so our volunteers did 24/7 watch through the night. But the second day, Reigning Grace Ranch came to help and brought their trailer.
- Ever tried loading wild stallions into trailers? Yeah… it’s as tricky as it sounds 😬🚚
- The strategy, the trust…the patience, we are not afraid to show how we do it 🐎💪
(contrary to certain roundup contractors).
*Big Thank You to Raigning Grace Ranch for coming to help, and bringing the large trailer!
**Big Thank You Simone and volunteers for doing it the patient way!
Stay tuned for Part 3! They are not done testing our resolve!
And here is Part 3 of The “Bad Boys” Saga! (a loving term) – Dropping them off at the river, hoping they’ll stay there 🤞!!
Under the stars, hopping out of the trailers… they paused, they argued, and they knew exactly where they were: back at the Salt River. 🌙🐎
Four days of grit, teamwork, and dedication led to this breathtaking moment.
Night watches, miles of walking them from the road… and low and behold, the next day, they were back at the Marina — definitely not safe.
Protecting them (Part 1), capturing them (Part 2), loading them, and releasing them together ❤️ (Part 3)
IF you like our hard work, please click like and share! It helps us protect the horses! Who else would care about them like we do?
Big Thank you to our team, big thank you to Reigning Grace Ranch who came with their trailer, and big thank you to our supporters!
P.S. The issue we are still trying to solve is authorization from MCDOT to fence this dangerous stretch of road across from the Marina! It is the only part of Salt River Habitat that is still unfenced!
Lets hope they stay at the river, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned about the bad boys… it’s to never get too comfortable. Stay tuned for Part 4! 😉
🐎Bad Boys Part 4 – “In Time Out” 😢
Oh NOOO… You’re not going to believe this!
After all that work, guess where we found the bad boys the very next morning? Back towards our property, in the danger zone — six miles away from where we dropped them off!
🤦🤷♀️🤦♂️
They just know their territory too well — from the 12 miles of Salt River, to the Northern Mountain Quadrant (NMQ), to the Marina, they know every corner of their 20,000 acres. Unfortunately, that means they were once again far too close to the road, putting themselves and the public in danger, and that’s our worst nightmare.💔
Per the AZDA, we had to catch the boys, and have to keep them in “Time Out” in a temporary round pen on FS land, -we built it in a hurry — the boys are safe for now, but not where we want to see them. 🐴
This is the only way to protect them until the fencing can be authorized and permanently installed. And we’re racing the clock — a few other bands are already making their way toward the same danger zone because of the grasses that are growing! ⏰
Here’s how you can help:
🔷 We really need more panels to expand the boys round pen, so any donations towards panels will give the boys more room! (We use the grey ones from Tractor Supply)
🔷 We really need resources to hire a paid crew, because our volunteers are exhausted! Our friends at Muñoz Fencing give us a great deal and can get the job done fast, once approval comes through.
For now we would be happy to have $2300 for panels for the boys, and $2700 for Munoz fencing.
👉 To have all the Salt River wild horses safe from traffic forever, oh that would be amazing!
The urgent fencing request is still working its way up the MCDOT chain of command, but the Forest Service has already agreed and may even help install it. Ken with AZDA is doing his best to get it approved as soon as possible. (So maybe this is just the bad boys’ way, to speed necessary improvements along!?)
We have put some partial temporary snowfencing up already. Protecting the horses means protecting public safety — and we’re giving it everything we’ve got. 💪❤️
— SRWHMG
Please please care, and please please share!
THANK YOU!