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The horse abuse we have all seen at Supai/Havasu Falls/Havasupai (but why didn't we report?? I'm as guilty as anyone else) has finally reached the ears of authorities. Four horses in horrible condition were removed from the reservation, and one man brought into Federal Court on felony animal abuse charges.

The horses are being cared for by the Coconino Humane Association. They'd like some donations which will go directly to the care of the horses, most of which have huge sores and are 200 or more pounds underweight. Their hooves have already been treated by a farrier. There's more info on this page, plus news articles and a TV news link. You'll see a number of familiar names on the donor list.

https://www.gofundme.com/2rnd442s

The tribe makes millions of dollars down there every year with their overpriced camping fees, etc., but this kind of abuse has been going on for decades. I saw it the first time I went there in 1999, but others have told me they saw it decades before that.

Yeah, the Photos finally hit FB and started creating quite a Stir, so it could no longer be ignored.... A lot of the Reason for the Neglect has to do with the Culture itself unfortunately. Animals are merely viewed as Tools or Equipment, there to serve a Purpose and nothing else....They treat Dogs in a similar Fashion, they just don't subject them to carrying loads like they do the Horses. Every time I've seen Horses for "Rent" to Ride on the Reservation, I pass them by because the Horses generally look terrible....If people would quit paying until the Animal Welfare improved, it might make a difference....

This is going to sound bad and if we have any Native Americans on here, I'm NOT generalizing, but I would have expected tribal people to take better care of animals given their heritage/culture, etc.. Maybe I'm just naive, but despite how much my better half wants to go to Supai, and ordinarily I'd be inclined to do anything to get her outside, I'm not going until those animals' conditions have improved.

Their heritage with horses is this: they got them from the Spanish and later from the whites. They used them for food and for riding and as beasts of burden. Sort of like saying fry bread is part of their heritage. It's not. It's what they learned to make when they were starving and the government gave them lard and flour.

Saw the photos on FB. I never paid that much attention to the horses/mules on my trips down there, other than the "road apples" that were ubiquitous in the campground. As for the "free-range" dogs, I have awoken in the middle of the night to one snuggling up to the door of my tent ....

I grew up doing some horse back riding and was around horses a lot as a kid. I noticed right away about their feet and how skinny they are. One time I went there with my son, about 10 years ago. He had his own horse. He was pretty disgusted and disillusioned when he saw those horses.

Rez Dogs. If you expect reverence for animals on the rez, virtually any rez, look at the dogs. You'll see reality.

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

-Ghandi

On my trip down a couple years ago, we followed a blood trail much of the way from an unfortunate horse in front of us. Really glad there is finally some action being taken. I would still go there, but would never use the horses ... will probably helicopter out next time though, just for the experience and to save 8 miles of hot, boring uphill hiking.

destroying a culture and forcing them into poverty-- abuse sure does tend to trickle down.

I think the beauty of the Havasupai is they are probably more than any other Native group the least "destroyed" because of their remoteness.They have certainly not been forced into poverty and there was a time not too long ago and I'm not sure if remains still to this day, as being the highest college educated per capita Native group in North America.

Alston_Neal wrote:I'm not sure if remains still to this day, as being the highest college educated per capita Native group in North America.

based on quick and easy research: 7.5% of the Havasupai population has a bachelor's or higher. The average of all native groups is 9%. So no, you're wrong. And as for native peoples not being destroyed and forced into poverty? I just can't even fathom someone believing that but I'm not going to argue because obviously, its only gonna be a waste of time.

Yep you're right arguing with you would be a waste of time. Thanks for pointing that out. Oh and I apologize for being wrong.
Ciao

In other news ... look! Pretty horses!

If interested in the real story of the Havasupai, read the book "I am the Grand Canyon" ... it's fascinating.

Just another reason I will never go there. I'm hardly a hippie PETA type, but animal abuse is easily one of the top three ways to evoke my otherwise nonexistent violent side.

Thoreau wrote:Just another reason I will never go there. I'm hardly a hippie PETA type, but animal abuse is easily one of the top three ways to evoke my otherwise nonexistent violent side.

Same here...

Whenever someone tells me about hiking to Havasupai they gush about the natural beauty then say "but.. the dogs, outhouses, filth, etc." So it has never risen to be a priority, and if that wasn't enough, this will be.

Sredfield wrote:Whenever someone tells me about hiking to Havasupai they gush about the natural beauty then say "but.. the dogs, outhouses, filth, etc." So it has never risen to be a priority, and if that wasn't enough, this will be.

+1. It's off my wish list, too (and not just because of the horses). If you want to get depressed about the state of things, read Abbey's description of the area from Desert Solitaire (he called it "Eden"). Then read some modern-day triplogs with tales of dogs, overcrowding, theft, etc. Bleh.

I went in September. They do have new restrooms, composting, which were pretty amazing considering what I had seen on 4 previous trips--no odor, etc. I didn't see many dogs this trip. I did see some pretty sad-looking horses. They have an ATV crew which goes around cleaning the bathrooms and policing/rangering. I thought there were at least some positive changes since I had been there 9 years previously.

All that being said, there is no excuse for animal abuse. And even if the horses were just owned by one guy, and he was charged and sent to court, the abuse of his horses was reported by tourists, not by other tribal members, who surely knew of it.