b'THE ARIZONA DUUUDESALT RIVER WILD HORSESBy Bob Roloff, The Arizona DuuudeYou can follow Bob Roloff on Facebook.T he Salt River horses arearticle, entitled Phoenix Concern the historic and majesticEliminating Wild Horses From creatures inhabiting theState, dated 1927, it was noted lower Salt River in the Tonto National Forest in Mesa,that there were a half a million Arizona. They are the pride of the community, a favoritewild horses on Arizona ranges, subject of photographers, and the icon of the wild freeassuring an unlimited supply spirit of Arizona and the American West. The Salt Riverfor the operation of the Arizona wild horses are a historic population of unbranded,Reduction Works, a horse unclaimed, wild and free-roaming horses, which wereslaughterhouse. The majestic born in the wild. According to Arizona\'s own historicalanimals were considered records, wild horses have been living on the Salt Riverworthless" and were rounded and in the Salt River Valley since well before the Tontoup and slaughtered by the National Forest was created in 1902. thousands in Phoenix. The Salt River wild horses likely escaped the killings by hiding in the thick vegetation According to an Arizona Champion newspaper article,along the river banks.dated January 25, 1890, and located in the Arizona State Archives, horses in the Salt River Valley are classified asThe claim by the United States Forest Service (USFS), native stock" and native animals." There was a minimumthat the Salt River horses are not wild" but let loose of five or six generations whoby ranchers instead, is knew about their existence,based on a 1974 letter that proving they existed hereacknowledged that dense since at least 1790, and theriparian vegetation made it people back then classifiedvery difficult to even observe the free-roaming horsesthese animals. Simply putHorse Management Group rounded up large herds of as native. Historic recordsthey went out looking forpeople who gave them a voice; they stampeded Congress indicate that in 1687horses once and didn\'t findand worked toward positive solutions with Federal and missionary Father Eusebioany. They based their entireState governments. It worked; while almost gone forever, Keno journeyed to southerndecision to deny the wildtoday the Salt River Wild Horses are protected pursuant Arizona, which was thenhorses protection on thatto Arizona Revised Statute 3-1491, also known as the Sonora, and due to his efforts,one outing. That decision ranSalt River Horse Act. The management group is currently missions and stockyards werecounter to the longstandingunder contract to manage this herd humanely under the developed. He reportedly leftForest Service policy toArizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA). Needless to hundreds of horses and cattle at each mission. He had sixmanage these horses as wild" and distinct from straysay, we are forever grateful to the public of Arizona and to successful missions in Arizona including in the Phoenixlivestock all the years prior to 1971. While the horsesall its legislators and politicians. We are also grateful for area. Father Kino remained in southern Arizona until hiswere considered native in 1890 and managed under theour AZDA and to Governor Doug Ducey for a bill signed death in 1711 (Architect of the Capitol, Washington D. C.).Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act before 1971, they werein 2016 classifying the wild horses as not stray livestock."deemed Indian horses, stray livestock and feral after 1971. By the 1800s, all over the western plains, the herds hadIt seems that the Forest Service either forgot history orI would personally like to thank Simone Netherlands for grown and it was reported by many settlers and explorerssimply made a very big oversight in 1971 when they allowing me to gather information for this article from like Lewis and Clark, George Catlin, and Rosa Bonheur,were mandated by the Wild Free-Roamingthe Salt River Wild Horse Management that there were large numbers of wild horses roamingHorse and Burro Act, to count and Group website. Please visit their web page the planes, together with the bison. Sadly, very similar toprotect wild horses and establish a at saltriverwildhorsemanagementgroup.the story of the bison, the mass extermination of the wildwild horse territory. org and like them on Facebook. Their herds started around 1850. Wild horses were consideredphotos say it the best. They are so grateful competition for cattle, and useless beasts. They were shot,The USFS claim that these horsesto all of you who continue to support them poisoned and killed. Locally, according to a newspaperwere stray livestock is not supportedand sustain their programs with your by historical or current evidence anddonations and they cannot continue their some foul play on the part of thework without you. Thank you also to the Phippen Museum in Prescott Forest Service management in1971 isvolunteers and to everyone that has helped evidenced by documents. No parties,to save this Arizona living history. On Saturday, August 3rd atincluding neighboring tribes or the 1 pm the guest speaker willState of Arizona, claimed these horses be, author, living historian,in response to a USFS publishedCoinciding with this article but not and horseman C.L. Leenotice to impound" dated July 31,affiliated is the 6th Annual Hold Your Anderson demonstrating 2015. Therefore, it may be consideredHorses! Invitational Exhibition & Sale at the fine art of training the confirmed that they are not truly feralthe Phippen Museum in Prescott. Thirty-reining horse as developed or stray livestock. After all these yearsnine artists celebrating that great icon of by the Spanish Vaqueros the wild horses remain; they havethe American Westthe horse will be from the 18th century.maintained their own freedom byheld from August 3rd through September Sponsored by the State hiding in the trees and escaping from"The Mane Event" by 22nd. Among the many beautiful artworks Bank of Arizona and City helicopters and riders. Today we feelRuth Ann Beeler-Sturgill on display will be Ruth Ann Beeler-of Prescott Office of Tourism.lucky that through these circumstancesSturgills 23x14 oil, The Mane Event." This For further information we still have a piece of living history left in Arizona. painting is of her horse that was a member of the herd call 928-778-1385 orthat lives along the Salt River. Nancy Davidson\'s 16x30 oil phippenartmuseum.org. These horses were brought into the limelight duringUnbroken" is also a good fit for the wild and free horse.the epic battle for their protection; the Salt River Wild 8 August 2019'