Wild Horses History

Wild horses have been living on the lower Salt River long before the Tonto National Forest was established in 1902. It is believed the horses are the descendants of the Spanish horses brought to Arizona by Spanish missionary Father Eusebio Kino in the1600s.

Historic news articles dating between 1890 and 1927 document over 500,000 wild horses roaming the plains of Arizona. Thousands of wild mustangs, descendants of animals ridden by Spanish conquistadors and Indian warriors were rounded up and slaughtered for pet food. Today there are only 500 wild horses remaining on public lands. The Forest Service was mandated by the Wild Free Horse and Burro Act in 1971 to establish wild horse territories where they existed at the time. Even though the Forest Service admits the Salt River wild horses were present at the time, they did not create a territory for the herd. A range and wildlife officer stated in a memo from Jan. 15, 1974, that the Salt River wild horses were not considered wild and free and that they bore brands identical to horses raised by residents of the Indian reservations, effectively excluding them from designation and protections.

Although the Salt River wild horses in Arizona have been well documented since the passage of the 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act, they have no formal designation under the law for protection or management and no official territory within the Forest Service land where they roam. The welfare of these majestic creatures is at stake. With no official channel to address the management of the wild horses has led to frustration and misinformation within the public