Horses Are Being Shot in the Apache-Sitgreaves — And We Witnessed It Firsthand

By Rachel Joel  ·  AZ Places  ·  Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Arizona

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If you've spent any time in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, you know how special the wild horses there are. Watching them move freely through the pines is one of those experiences that stays with you. Which makes what's happening right now in that same forest deeply troubling — and personal for us.

What's happening

According to a recent report by AZFamily, the U.S. Forest Service is investigating the deaths of four more horses on the Black Mesa Ranger District in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest — following nine horses that were shot at the end of January. At least thirteen horses killed in just a matter of weeks.

This isn't new. Local horse advocate Betty Nixon, who spends dozens of hours each week in the forest, told AZFamily this has been happening for years. In 2022, at least 30 horses were killed in the same forest. In 2020, more than a dozen. Investigators have noted many of the killings appear to happen during full moons — possibly because the light makes it easier to see. The Forest Service is investigating but has made no arrests.

"They need people to be their voice and to be their witness because the story needs to be told." — Betty Nixon, local horse advocate

We were there — this is what we found

We didn't learn about this from a news report. We found it ourselves.

On September 9th, 2025, we had camped and filmed along Forest Road 124 and were making our way out via Rim Road 300 — a less-traveled road that doesn't see much traffic. We had already stopped to clear a downed tree blocking the road when, around the next curve, we noticed several ravens gathered near the roadside. Any time you see ravens like that, your first thought is that something has died.

We slowed down. The first horse was about eight feet from the road. The second was about twelve feet off into the trees. Two horses down, close together. One near the road could be an accident — hit by a vehicle. One alone could be illness or unknown causes. But two, together, in that location? Our instinct said these animals had been killed.

We got out and took a closer look. We couldn't say with absolute certainty, but everything we saw pointed to them having been shot. We marked a GPS pin at 34.28828, -110.56271, photographed the scene, and as soon as we had cell service we called the ranger's office to report it.

RACHEL'S TAKE

This is so wrong, and it's so sad. We had spent that entire morning watching these horses alive — filming them moving through the forest, completely free. A few hours later, we're standing over two of them dead on the side of a remote road. We talked about it a lot on the drive home. What kind of person does this? Is it just for the thrill of it? We don't have an answer to that. What we do know is that people need to be aware this is happening in Arizona's forests. These animals are part of this landscape. They belong here. And they deserve better than this.

What you can do

The Forest Service can't have eyes everywhere — but visitors can. If you're out in the Apache-Sitgreaves or anywhere in Arizona's national forests and you come across something suspicious, please report it. Don't assume someone else already has.

Report wildlife crime anonymously to the Arizona Game & Fish Department 24-hour hotline: 1-800-352-0700 or at azgfd.com. Your call can make a difference.

We plan to keep going back to the Apache-Sitgreaves — it's some of the most beautiful country in Arizona and it will be the setting for many of our future trips. We hope the next time we're out there, the story we bring back is a better one.

Read the full AZFamily report: Advocates want answers after 4 more horses killed in eastern Arizona →