PHOENIX — Wild horse advocates gathered at the Arizona State Capitol Wednesday morning to call on Governor Katie Hobbs to halt planned removals of Salt River wild horses until the state can demonstrate through independent science that the remaining herd will be genetically healthy and self-sustaining.
Approximately 100 people attended the Preserve the Herd — Follow the Science Rally, where speakers challenged the Arizona Department of Agriculture’s plan to reduce the herd from approximately 271 horses to roughly 120 to 125 by the end of 2030.
“Today was not about opposing responsible management,” said Susie Bell of Friends of the Salt River Wild Horses. “It was about demanding that irreversible decisions be supported by credible, independent science. Arizona should not remove a single healthy horse until the public is shown that the remaining herd will be genetically viable.”
Wildlife ecologist and author Craig C. Downer, who has studied the Salt River herd and its habitat, warned that the proposed target could leave the population too small to remain healthy, adaptable and naturally self-sustaining.
“It would be a big mistake for Arizona to reduce this herd to 120 horses without independent science showing that the population can remain genetically healthy and self-sustaining,” Downer said. “The total number of horses does not necessarily reflect the herd’s true reproductive strength. Managers must consider how many unrelated breeding animals would remain, whether family lines are adequately represented, the herd’s age and sex distribution, foal recruitment and the continuing effects of fertility control.
“Once genetic diversity is lost, it can be extremely difficult — if not impossible — to restore. Before any removals begin, Arizona should require an independent, transparent scientific review demonstrating that the proposed population target will preserve the herd for generations, rather than merely keeping a small number of horses on the landscape.”
Dr. E. Gus Cothran, a nationally recognized equine population geneticist and professor emeritus at Texas A&M University, has stated that 150 to 200 horses are generally considered a minimum population for protecting long-term genetic health.
When asked specifically about the Salt River wild horses, Cothran also cautioned that no single number guarantees a herd’s survival. Viability depends on genetic diversity, age and sex structure, the number of breeding animals and mortality.
Rally participants called for herd-specific genetic testing, a population viability analysis and an independent scientific review before any permanent removals begin.
The Salt River herd has already declined by more than 40% during the past five years, falling from approximately 450 horses to about 271 through fertility control and natural attrition.
Advocates maintain that continuing the existing management approach could reduce the herd to approximately 165 to 168 horses over the next five years without removing healthy horses, breaking apart family bands or reducing the population below the expert-recommended range.
“There is no emergency that justifies abandoning a management program that is already working,” Bell said. “The herd is declining, fertility control is working and natural mortality is occurring. Why would Arizona choose removals before completing the science?”
Public records have also raised questions about how the population target was selected. Requested documents indicate that the original proposal to reduce the herd to approximately 100 horses emerged from a straw poll rather than an independent scientific population study. The number was later negotiated upward, but no independent scientific justification for the final target has been released.
“You should not manage a protected Arizona treasure through a straw poll conducted among cattlemen and other interests within AZDA,” Bell said. “A negotiated number is not a scientific number.
Public support for protecting the herd remains strong. A 2023 Public Policy Polling survey found that 78% of Arizonans opposed removing the Salt River horses from their habitat, even when respondents were asked to consider environmental concerns. Other horse-protection organizations have cited polling showing support for protecting the herd as high as 88%.
The horses were protected under the Salt River Horse Act, HB 2340, which passed the Arizona House 53–3 and was signed into law in 2016. Hobbs voted for the legislation while serving in the Arizona Senate.
The law states that a person shall not “interfere with, take, chase, capture or euthanize” a Salt River horse without written authorization and provides that authorization may be issued “only for humane purposes.” It also clarifies that the horses are not stray livestock subject to ordinary livestock-removal statutes.
Friends of the Salt River Wild Horses is asking Governor Hobbs to:
· Pause permanent removals.
· Order an independent genetic study and population viability analysis.
· Require AZDA to release the data supporting the 120-to-125-horse target.
· Evaluate continued fertility control as an alternative to removals.
· Allow independent experts to review the findings.
As for the release date, Governor Hobbs’ office had not responded to advocates’ requests for a meeting or a pause in the planned removals. At the rally, advocates displayed more than 50 written requests from individuals who had sought meetings or assistance, along with the rejection letters they received, as evidence of the administration’s repeated refusal to engage.
Representative Cody Reim, who originated SB 1199, was also on hand, fresh from his primary victory the night before. Reim pledged to introduce new legislation requiring science-based protection for the herd.
“The Salt River Horse Act was never intended to justify removing these horses,” Reim said. “It was enacted to protect the herd and prevent exactly this from happening.”
Supporters of the horse say that a temporary pause would not end responsible management of the herd. They say it would ensure that irreversible decisions are based on credible evidence, transparency and long-term genetic viability.
Supporters argue that the Salt River wild horses attract visitors, photographers, recreationists and families to the Lower Salt River. The horses live in recognizable family bands and have become part of Arizona’s identity and natural heritage.
Be the first to comment