Arizona Department of Agriculture Signs Agreement to Reduce Salt River Wild Horse Herd to 120 Horses in Five Years

Governor's Office Contract Reaffirms Humane Management Approach as Advocates Rally Against Population Reduction

PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Agriculture and the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group have signed a five-year contract to manage the Salt River wild horse herd, with plans to gradually reduce the population from its current 274 horses to a target of 120 horses over the contract period.

The agreement emphasizes humane management through natural attrition, fertility control via darting, and relocation of approximately 25 horses annually to pre-vetted sanctuaries.

An estimated 50 people rallied at the Arizona Capitol on April 7 in opposition to the contract, marking renewed tension over wild horse management that has persisted for more than a decade.

State Department Maintains Ecological Balance Justification

In a news release, the Agriculture Department stated that the gradual reduction balances limited range resources available while maintaining genetic integrity of the herd.

The plan provides new safeguards to protect horses that leave the management area. Those horses will only be relocated to sanctuaries approved by the department.

On April 7, more than 50 people rallied at the Arizona Capitol in support of the wild horses. Supporters say it is a fight they have been embroiled in for the last 10 years.

One year ago, the department issued a request for proposals for the contract to manage the wild horses population. It was given to the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group again but the contract for the first time included language that mandated the humane removal of horses from the herd.

Management Group Proposes Population Target

The department said it has never mandated a herd reduction target and has not specified or required a herd target of 120 horses.

They said the contractor, the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group, proposed reducing the herd to 120 over the term of the five year contract.

The group did not respond to a request for comment.

AZDA is committed to preserving the health, safety, and integrity of the Salt River Horse Herd and is statutorily mandated to humanely manage the herd.

Humanely and sustainably managing the herd requires balancing what the ecosystem can sustain as well as the size and diversity of the herd.

The department said it considered a variety of proposals to reduce the size of the herd.

The proposals included the continuation of fertility control and the gradual, humane relocation of horses.

The department said it does not have authority over wild horses or burros managed on the Bureau of Land Management lands.

They are not coordinating with BLM on the removal of horses in Arizona.

A spokesperson for BLM Arizona said they are removing some burros from Lake Pleasant and Black Mountain Herd Management Areas.

They are not removing horses from the herd management areas near Kingman or Yuma.

The state department said their management of the Salt River Horse Herd is vital to preventing federal management of the herd.

AZDA's role in managing the Salt River Horse Herd came after a federal plan to remove large amounts of horses from the Tonto National Forest.

The department wrote that their current approach to sustainably and cooperatively manage the Salt River Horse Herd serves to prevent future federal efforts that could result in significant removal of horses from the Tonto National Forest.

New Rep. Reim Leads Legislative Push for Protections

Newly appointed Republican Rep. Cody Reim is introducing legislation to provide clarity and definitions in the existing law known as the Salt River Wild Horse Act.

The Salt River Wild Horse Act was passed in 2016.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed Reim to fill former Rep. Joseph Chaplik's seat after he resigned to run for Congress.

The draft is still in progress.

Reim said he plans to introduce it as a floor amendment.

The proposal would also provide protection for a certain amount of time while genetic diversity studies can take place.

He is still working through the stakeholder process.

He said he has gotten mostly bipartisan support in the House and the Senate.

As a constituent, it is an issue that I followed over 10 years ago.

Apparently the interpretation of the current law that we are under now is being interpreted to favor removals, which was never the intent of the legislation.

Advocates Call for Governor Support

Susie Bell, an advocate who is a member of the Friends of the Salt River Wild Horses group, was among those who came in support of the wild horses.

She said they want the governor to stand up and protect the Salt River horses like Governor Doug Ducey did when they fought for them ten years ago.

She said the governor has not done anything yet as far as standing up to protect them.

We are calling on her to do that as part of the effort in trying to stop the removal of over half of the Salt River wild horses with no justifiable imperative to do so at this time.

The group was awarded the contract again in February and has seen previous success at managing the size of the herd.

They rely on natural attrition and a birth control method delivered via dart.

The herd size has been decreased from 450 over the past several years for the sake of preserving ecological stability in the areas surrounding the river.

Currently the horses live on about 19,000 acres around the Salt River but advocates said there are no peer-reviewed scientific studies to determine how many horses can be supported on that amount of land.

The department said in an email they have never mandated a herd reduction target and have not specified or required a herd target of 120 horses.