We have done our due diligence regarding today’s incident involving the Salt River wild horses, horseback riders and an injured lady. Our volunteers obtained eyewitness statements, spoke directly with the lady, as well as with Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).

We have also reviewed the available footage.

We received many questions, so first we’d like to clarify: yes chasing and harassing Salt River wild horses IS illegal and if MCSO had evidence of such, they can and will prosecute according to ARS 3-1491.

That said, we want to be very clear: of course everyone is innocent until proven otherwise. We are not assuming what happened, and neither should anyone else. Also, no one should call the lady a liar either, she is an experienced horseback rider herself and we dont think she has reason to make something up. We just ask that everyone stay civil on our page, we have been deleting far too many comments that were not.

The footage does show riders trotting, and wild horses running, but its very short. The footage was taken after the injured lady got herself up out of the tree, understandably because things happened very quickly.

Based on the information provided to us, she believed the riders were chasing the horses. She also reported hearing what sounded like a whip or lasso cracking and men excitedly speaking loudly.

According to her account, the horses were running on both sides of her, and she jumped into a bush to get out of their path. Unfortunately, she was met by a sharp branch in the process, injuring her calf. She then yelled “HEY!” toward the riders and states that they told her they were with “management.”

Because she was in pain, she did not remain at the scene to obtain additional footage. She contacted MCSO after the incident had already occurred, so deputies were unable to locate the riders to get their side of the story. After we were notified, some of our volunteers also went to the nearby trailer parking areas to try to identify or locate them, but the riders had already left.

Our initial post was made quickly based on the witness statement and we wanted to immediately clarify one thing: SRWHMG was NOT chasing horses. We would NEVER do that for ANY reason.

The lady in our opinion did all the right things, while she did get hurt, jumping into a tree is a wise thing to do when horses are running towards you. Its the safest place to be. Even while in pain, she still managed to get some footage, this is always very important and the only way to solidly prove anything. She also did good taking herself to the ER, because there are many bacteria and parasites out at the river. She took care of herself and then reported to the right agencies, MCSO first and then our hotline. We wish her the very best healing, and are very sorry this incident happened in the first place.

The Salt River wild horses are relatively accustomed to seeing horseback riders. It is common to see their ears perk up as they notice riders, and sometimes the horses and riders simply watch one another for a while before everyone goes on their way.

If horses are suddenly stampeding close enough that a person feels they need to jump into a bush to get out of their way, our professional opinion is that those horses were frightened and felt they had a reason to run.

Please remember: to a wild horse, a horse and rider can look like a very strange creature—a horse with two heads. 😄

Unfortunately, we have witnessed horseback riders chasing Salt River wild horses in the past, and we have also had to remove lassos from Salt River wild horses.

Whether today’s horses were frightened intentionally or unintentionally, the incident demonstrates why caution is so important. Had a family with small children been directly in the horses’ path, the outcome could have been much worse.

Salt River wild horses do not run people over—they never have. But wild horses can become blinded by fear, and when several frightened horses are running at once, unpredictable situations can develop very quickly.

So the moral of this story is simple:

Please enjoy and observe the Salt River wild horses responsibly. Stay at least 50 feet away, remain calm, and give them the space they deserve. Then they will not spontaneously break out into a stampede.

Please remember:

This is their home. We are the visitors.

We will continue to provide updates and clarifications as more information becomes available. Thank You everyone! SRWHMG.

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UPDATE : we just spoke to MCSO who are investigating this incident. They watched the footage the lady gave them, and apparently the riders were trotting, but it did not appear that they were chasing the horses. The horses would still get scared by trotting riders of course, and the running horses then caused the lady to back up into a sharp branch, which is the reason she is in the hospital. We will post more updates and clarifications as they become available.

ALERT: There were 5 cowboys trotting along the Salt River, in the vicinity of Sheep’s Crossing. It caused wild horses to stampede, and one lady is in the hospital. She is sending us footage shortly

She said. She told us that the cowboys were telling the her, that they were hired by SRWHMG, that is 100% FALSE! We would NEVER! We are continuing to get updates as we get them. We just spoke with MCSO And will post more updates in the comments. Thank you everyone. Stay tuned.