Join hands to support the existence and bright future of Salt River wild horses

Peekaboo said he, the newest Salt River wild horse! As our humane fertility control program is so effective, this is a very special little one! Welcome to your home in the Tonto National Forest, where you may grow up wild and free for all of Arizona to see.

After a long winter and lots of rain, it is the most beautiful springtime in the Tonto National Forest so how appropriate that the mare’s name, given to her at her birth, is Spring!

As most of you already know, the Salt River herd is managed humanely by the state of Arizona, through the AZDA and us, the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group. We are funded purely by YOU, the public, which is amazing as it was also you the public who helped to preserve them.

The Tonto National Forest is also a cooperating partner in their humane management, so you see, it can be done the humane way, which is something we need to set the standard for, to stop the inhumane roundups and terrible treatment of thousands and thousands of American wild horses.

Our happy news is that this little colt’s future is bright, and he has now reached 2 weeks old, at which time we like to announce them to the world!

Born out of mare Spring and stallion Lindor, his bloodline is new and genetically very diverse! Dad Lindor (also known by his nickname Keith Urban) is a spectacular liver chestnut with bright orange mane. (In the picture, he is right behind his first son there.) Neither mom nor dad have ever had a foal before.

A few darts in the hindquarters saved Spring from having a foal too young, and she is now 4 years old. She is doing very well at being a first time mom and there are also 2 experienced older mares in the band helping her.

Spring is the only daughter of Winter, who is a daughter of Summer. Yes we name all of them at birth and try to keep naming with a theme, so that we remember their parentage quickly. However, naming this one might be a bigger search, as the name Autumn is already taken by one of great-grandma Summer’s other offspring. So we are out of seasons and Solstice and Equinox are also already taken by other Salt River wild horses, born during this same time of year.

Dad Lindor is the son of Cholla/Godiva and his Sire is Robin, who dissapeared and died last year of old age. Its nice that his DNA gets to live on. There is literally 0% inbreed percentage in this precious foal!

Did we pick this mare to have a foal? No we didn’t. We know that we don’t have to pick mares on purpose because there are always going to be a few that will get pregnant at an earlier time frame than their yearly birthcontrol dart. Counting back, Spring became pregnant 8 months after her 3rd booster (which is her 4th dart). We find this interesting and it shows that 4 darts don’t make sterile mares by any means, as her protection did not even last the full year. We are just glad that her first 4 darts did work, so that she did not have a young age pregnancy, which are very risky.

This foal is good size for a maiden mare and he is growing at a good rate, also disproving some speculation about negative effects of pzp on foals, which are simply false rumors. These rumors have no basis of proof in 35 years of research. IF PZP had a negative effect, we would immediately switch to another form of fertility control. However, from our real life documentation of more than 80 foals who’s mothers received pzp while pregnant, there is no negative effect what-so-ever.

What is of actual risk to a new foal and his band is human interferance. People, even well meaning ones, can really disrupt the band where sometimes they don’t get a minutes rest anymore without people around. We want to urge the public to give this baby’s band extra room and space for him to grow strong without having to deal with people trying to pet him. If you see him and his band, please back up and please respect their space and their well-being everyone!!

In the mean time, you can help us by suggesting names from which we will pick the 3 best ones that are not taken yet, and then we will put it up for a vote between those 3 picks. The theme can be anything springtime related or anything chocolate related from dad Lindor’s bloodline. Or we can completely divert from both and give him a memorable name of any officials who help protect wild horses.

We want to thank you the public for your support, to which this new foal owes it’s very existence and it’s bright future.

News by Salt River Wild Horse Management Group

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