While driving down to Arizona I get to see some beautiful desert views. I always have my camera ready for anything that I may see, like wild horses!
We often refer to these horses as “wild”, when more than likely they are feral. Many of these photos captured were along the Salt River and Saguaro Lake in Arizona and the Navajo Nation near Gallop, NM. These horses in Az are very tame and you can often walk right up to them. This makes for great photos but isn’t always the best idea.
There is an original herd of wild horses that roam the area but as time has gone on there are many that were turned out becoming feral. Many that were turned out still had shoes on or even a halter. Currently just in the Salt River area there are roughly 500 head of these animals roaming the shore line. This herd has been recorded here according to the Arizona Champion Newspaper article, dated January 25, 1890, and located in the Arizona State Archives, classifies horses in the Salt River Valley as “native stock ” and “native animals”. Read more about this herds history here.
I got to watch a very large group feed a cactus covered hill side for an afternoon. I captured a few photos and just admired how they went about their day. Check out this gallery of Salt River wild horses and Navajo Nation horses.
