Wild Horses of The Salt River

The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group has been monitoring this herd of Wild Horses for over 20 years.  The United States Forest Service acknowledges that the horses have lived on the lower Salt River since the 1930s.  The Salt River is located in the Tonto National Forest just outside of Mesa, Arizona.

Wild Horse round-ups have been a growing controversy for years but somehow the Salt River herds had remained untouched until July 2015. That’s when the Forest Service publicly announced a round-up was scheduled.  With fewer than 500 Wild Horses remaining in the State of Arizona, a public outcry was launched!  As a result of the publicity and raised awareness, the Forest Service first agreed to a 120 day delay and now have agreed to a total rescindment of the round up.  Of course, just like with most government agencies, this is subject to change.  The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group (SRWHMG), is diligently working to keep the herd protected and keep the issue in the public eye.

Since I had done some photo shoots in the past with Simone Netherlands, the spokeswoman for the SRWHMG, I have been following the story of the Salt River Wild Horses and finally had the opportunity to photograph them.  Many of these wild horse photos were taken at Butcher Jones Cove, a popular sandy beach location at Saguaro Lake as well as other locations along the Salt River.