10 June 12th-June 18th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | only 100 horses on the river, which she doesn’t think is a viable number. “I know that if we write 200 horses in our proposal, we will not get hired,” she said. Bad blood The group much more aligned with the department’s new guidelines is the one led by Mack and Hughes, whom Netherlands regards with intense skepticism. Mack told Phoenix New Times that the 3-for-1 provision is “not something I would have done,” but Netherlands fears the Mack- and Hughes-led group would take advantage of it by allowing more foals to be born so that three corresponding adult horses could be removed and auctioned. (Hughes did not respond to a request for comment.) That suspicion is informed by some shared history. Netherlands is familiar with Hughes, who is a former U.S. Forest Service contractor who played an alleged role in the removal of the Alpine Wild Horses in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in the White Mountains in 2022. The Forest Service claimed the wild horses were contributing to habitat damage for the native species, though many wild horse advocates dispute that phenomenon and insist the horses are native to the land. The Forest Service hired Hughes’ company, Rail Lazy H, to facilitate the removal and sell the horses at auctions in Texas, which requires them to be classified as “unauthorized livestock.” Netherlands and other wild horse advocates fear that when these horses are sold at auctions, they are at risk of being sold for slaughter. Netherlands and others from her group tried to bid for the horses in online auctions, but were prevented from partici- pating. Last July, Salt River Wild Horse Management Group and the group American Wild Horse Conservation teamed to sue the Forest Service and the Arizona Department of Agriculture over the issue, claiming the two government agencies failed to provide an adequate 15-day notice of the sales. The groups also accused Hughes’ company of self-dealing, shill bidding — which is when a seller bids to increase the end price at auction — and said the company “has worked for personal gain at the expense of the Forest Service.” At the time of its complaint, the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group said it had found homes for 392 of the Alpine Wild Horses. As of May 19, Forest Service and the Arizona Department of Agriculture were seeking to get the lawsuit dismissed. Netherlands fears the same thing will happen with the Salt River horses, and she thinks Mack’s and Hughes’ group “see(s) money in selling” them. “It’s all a giant, big scheme against these horses,” she said. “They are not fighting for the well-being of these horses. They are fighting for a nice, lucrative way to breed horses and have a constant stream.” The agriculture department bidding process prevents her from expressing such concerns to anyone at the department, so she has been making her case as loudly as possible elsewhere. She said she’s spoken to state legislators on both sides of the aisle and with staffers of Gov. Katie Hobbs. She’s also asked the Attorney General’s Office about the legality of the 3-for-1 provision. The Attorney General’s office declined to comment to New Times. The Governor’s Office did not respond. “The public of Arizona thinks these horses are safe because they have a bill that protects them,” Netherlands said. “Should they hire Jackie Hughes, that would liter- ally be a mockery of the bill, it would be a decision without any compassion at all and it would be a decision that would be the end of the Salt River Wild horses.” A rival perspective As one might expect, John Mack disputes Netherlands’ characterization. A a Fountain Hills resident and a history professor who teaches an online course at Georgia State University-Perimeter College, he certainly didn’t expect to become this intimately involved with wild horses in Arizona. His wife is a wildlife photographer, and the two of them traveled to photograph and research wild horse herds for a book about the history of free- roaming horses in the West. During those travels, the Salt River herd stood out, in a bad way. “It became clear to us that what you’re seeing at the Salt River is not what you see when you travel around the country and look at all the free-roaming wild horse herds,” Mack said. Mack became concerned about how the herd was being managed and decided that there needed to be an alternative. Then, the agriculture department opened its (since-canceled but soon-to-be- reopened) bidding process. On May 5, Mack announced his intention to try for the contract managing the herd alongside Hughes. In a press release about his deci- sion, he said he “took seriously the many accusations and allegations I’ve seen circu- lated about Jackie Hughes” but that he was comfortable teaming with her. “I conducted my own independent investigation. I reviewed public records, communications, and statements made by all parties involved,” Mack wrote. “Based on the evidence, I am convinced that these attacks are based on lies, half-truths, innu- endo, and emotionally charged narratives.” Mack has three main beefs with how the Salt River horses have been managed. He said the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group doesn’t play well with others and he questions how the group manages its money. He also thinks the horses are causing environmental damage, which he said is “based on well-established ecological prin- ciples, direct field observations and scien- tific studies.” He said that “rangeland scientists and wildlife biologists have documented loss of native vegetation, soil compaction and damage to young cotton- wood and mesquite trees” in “areas of concentrated horse activity.” Netherlands and American Wild Horse Conservation dispute that conclusion. They say environmental damage mostly comes from humans and that the horses, which have been grazing on the land for centuries, are “scapegoat(s).” “ There are no scientific data published in any peer-reviewed journal about the Salt River wild horses or the lower Salt River habitat,” American Wild Horse Conservation wrote on its website. “Neither the U.S. Forest Service nor any other organizations have performed a scientific study or overall environmental assessment of the lower Salt River, indi- cating that there have not been serious environmental concerns on the lower Salt River to date.” Netherlands’ group also rejected a 2025 forage assessment study from the University of Arizona that found that the Salt River Horse Management Area did not provide an adequate supply of food neces- sary for the horses. In a Facebook post, the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group claimed the study “is based on unverified, non-peer-reviewed data that dramatically overstates forage needs of wild horses and ignores natural climate cycles.” But Jacob Hennig, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment, says there’s some truth to the notion that wild horses can negatively affect the environment. “Wild horses can, if they’re allowed to, lead to ecological degradation,” said Henning, who works with wild horses around Arizona but not the Salt River horses specifically. Horses eat more, which can limit regrowth. Climate change may make things worse. “Especially in the Southwest, we’re getting more arid and hotter each year,” he said. “That combined with overgrazing can really be challenging and can lead to some unintended and unwanted consequences.” What’s next With the bidding process starting over, it’s hard to forecast what will happen with the horses. Mack said that if another group besides Mack’s wins the contract — except the one led by Netherlands, it seems — he would offer his support. “I’m not a scientist, I don’t know what that looks like,” Mack said. “I’m a process guy, I know how things should be done and I’m really good at getting the right people in the room.” One thing that’s certain is that Netherlands’ group and the one led by Mack and Hughes harbor a deep distrust for each other. What also seems to be true is that both care deeply about the fate of the horses, at least enough to argue endlessly about it on social media. Whoever takes over managing the beloved Salt River horses will be signing up to not only handle the herd but also to suffer the slings and arrows of passionate detractors. “We have to find a way to work together,” Mack said. If that’s even possible. The Salt River horses are thought to have been introduced to the environment by a missionary in 1691. (Andrew Pielage) Salt River horses in their environs near Mesa’s Coon Bluff campground. (Andrew Pielage) Moving Backward from p 8
