August 27th

Needless to say this could have been very very bad! We are urging everyone to spread this message; please Shut the gates, every, single, time, even when it’s just for 5 minutes, or when the gate is hard to shut. (Foxtail)

It was Kayo’s band, causing this wild scene earlier today. Some of you may remember that it was Kayo’s band that was shot at in 2017, and they have also lost 3 band members to traffic, before Bush Hwy was fenced. But today, all ended well for them.

Bush Hwy, (the road that cuts through Salt River wild horse habitat) has been fully fenced since the end of 2019. Since that time, not one horse has been hit on the road, and drivers are safer for it, obviously.

This however also means, that if wild horses do find a gate left open, and wander out, then there is NO way for them to get back in or off the road, because it is fenced on both sides.

When people saw this band of 5 run wildly back and forth today between the 4-way and the bridge, we received a ton of calls on our hotline. (480-868-9301) Thank you everyone who called!

Again to the credit of our responding road patrol team, (as well as the public and traffic being very helpful), no horses or people were hurt. The band got back to the river and were munching eelgrass 10 minutes later, very innocently, as if nothing had happened at all.

This scene is what our nightmares are made of, and exactly what we try to prevent when we ask people (and permitted companies), to shut the gates, even if for just 5 minutes.

Keeping gates closed, keeps wild horses safe.

SRWHMG programs are not government funded. We do it, just to keep this cherished herd safe. You can help, by supporting the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group financially, and by sharing our posts.

Thank you everyone!