Salt River Wild Horses May-2019

by Susan Schmitz

A few days ago, this fun little group took a ride out to the Salt River in Mesa, AZ in search of the bands of beautiful wild horses that roam thee area.

Happy Girls

After a fun morning with the Salt River Wild Horses

It was a super early start, meeting at my house at 4:45 am. It seemed even earlier since we ran out of coffee at my house the day before. Ugh!

As we rolled into the the Tonto National Forest, the sun was just beginning to peek through the clouds, slowly rising above the mountain tops, wrapping a beautiful warm golden light around the thousands of Saguaro cactus that dot the land as far as the eye can see.

The Tonto National Forest is the fifth largest national forest in the US, stretching from Phoenix to the Mogollon Rim with mountains reaching heights of 7400 ft.

The forest is home to many species of wildlife. A couple of the girls in our group were lucky enough to catch a bald eagle perched atop a tree that quickly flew away before I had a chance to witness it. The birders in the group had fun scouting for various sightings.

Given the fact that I made a rather dumb decision to wear open-toe hiking sandals, my focus was more towards the ground watching out all of the rattle snakes that are out at this time of year. Fortunately, I managed to make it through the morning without the need for an anti-venom emergency 911 call.

We got really lucky and stumbled upon a group of horses as soon as we arrived in the area. The sun was still low in the sky and was blanketed by a light layer of clouds that acted as a double-layer softbox, providing a dreamy soft light that bounced through the trees and gave the dried up grass that a golden glow.

We were sure to keep a respectful distance as we captured their beauty on camera.

The following morning, were contacted by someone that works closely with the Salt River Wild Horse Management group. It seems that this little baby had been separated from his band on the very morning that wee saw him and desperately needed to be reunited with his mama to nurse. If this did not happen within 24 hours, the mother’s milk would start to dry up and even if they were reunited, the foal would risk starvation.

There was an urgent plea on social media from the management group for photographers that were there to send in any photos/videos of that may help them to identify which band he belonged to. The hope was to reunite him with his mama ASAP! The members of our group all jumped at the call to help and chatted with the management group’s representative. We sent in all of the media that we thought might help.

Unfortunately, the foal’s band could not be located in time and he had to be rescued. The management group took little Peanut in and has been caring for him ever since. They have had some extensive vet bills because he fell very ill and his daily care is quite costly. Donations were made by members of our group. If you would like to help, please visit their Facebook page to make a donation. Even the smallest amount will help this wonderful organization in the tireless efforts that they make on a daily basis to ensure that these beautiful creatures are safe and healthy.