We are very sorry to inform you that the first of two unexpected deaths, was Red Wind, the oldest Salt River wild horse. May he run forever free.
“Unexpected” to a certain degree, because we knew Red Wind was very old, but he was doing much better than he was before. Red Wind had gained weight back, with our care, and when we ended the feedprogram at the river, we made sure he was eating grasses and eelgrasses which were easy for him to chew.
We are sad and happy at the same time for Red Wind. Sad, because this beautiful old man will no longer be seen along the riverbanks which he graced for more than a quarter of a century. Happy, because he left this world as he entered it; free and untouched by mankind, in a world where that is so rare.
We were considering rescuing Red Wind, because he had only one upper tooth left, but he decided his ending on his own, in a very peaceful part of the Forest; he laid down in the new fresh beautiful grasses, that were absent for so long in the last years of his life.
We decided to post this picture which is exactly how and where he laid down, but we edited it a little to reduce the graphic value. Please know he looked peaceful with no mow-marks by his feet, which means he did not suffer long. He is with the rest of our Salt River Angels over the rainbow. 
His results are not back yet, so we will not state anything conclusive at this time, but based on what we observed, it appeared to be a combination of his advanced age and the difficult conditions along the river at this time
As an afterthought about this sad news, we appreciate everyone sharing our updates very much, please click the share button and please acknowledge our hard work. Because some people are consistently taking our content and presenting it as their own, without mentioning how they learned the information, this needs to be said:
SRWHMG works tirelessly to protect and humanely manage the Salt River wild horses. For example we did not just come upon a deceased horse by accident on this 20.000 acre habitat. We maintain and answer a hotline, we maintain and manage volunteer teams, we maintain and manage our own veteranary teams who are on call, as well as our outside veteranarians and the state veteranarian. It takes monitoring and systematic searching and coordinating and also paying expensive bills.
Keeping this herd safe and on the landscape requires not only those important components and strong financial support, but also extensive organization, administration, fundraising, and record-keeping. We receive no government grants, yet we continue this work out of deep commitment to the horses and to safeguarding the public’s right to see them remain wild and free.
We share updates because we believe in keeping the public informed—not because we are obligated to do so, it is not part of our contract. We welcome and appreciate anyone who helps spread our accurate information about the horses and about their names and anyone who asks honest questions, before spreading misinformation. What we ask is simple decency: please share our posts directly, or, if you share the information in another format, please credit SRWHMG as the source.
Unfortunately, some individuals prefer to skew our good work as pure evil masterminding instead, which is simply a grab for attention they would otherwise not get. However, it is not harmless, especially when they attack and blame, when times are hard enough as it is. We will give you a few examples in follow up.
However, we want to honor Red Wind’s life in this post and we hope you will remember what a wonderful life he led. He knew and enjoyed the most important things for a fulfilled life. He knew love and friendship, he knew true freedom, he knew every rock and tree and creature in his habitat. He never felt spur or whip and was never made to stand in a 12×12 stall waiting for human attention. He knew life as he was supposed to live it. He knew and protected his family. And we were honored to know and protect him in return.
A united and respectful community is how we best protect the Salt River wild horses. Thank you for standing with us.
We are very sorry to inform you that the first of two unexpected deaths, was Red Wind, the oldest Salt River wild horse. May he run forever free.
