Now that the last remaining Alpine wild horses have been auctioned off, I feel like I can share my take on the events, a massive rescue effort that has been mired by controversy, deceit, and fighting among the various organizations involved.

In late 2022, posts about Alpine wild horse round-ups with the tag #Alpinewildhorsearmy started appearing on my Instagram feed. While I was familiar with McCullough Peaks, Salt Water River, and Sand Wash Basin, I had never heard of the Alpine wild horse. They were not flashy or well-known, but I was touched by the advocates’ urgent appeals.

As I mentioned, the Alpine rescue story is far from ideal. Several factors created a perfect storm:

Lazy Rail H – The contractor in charge of auctioning Alpines gave little notice about upcoming events, barred some rescues from bidding, and trucked a group of Alpines 3,000 miles to an auction in Texas, causing several incidents of last minute fundraising.

Per SRWHMG Facebook page, Jackie also somehow took back several Alpines and re-auctioned them!

Unknown rescue groups – Large organizations partnered with new or smaller rescues that wanted to take in the Alpines. However, little to no vetting was done; the only requirement was having some land.

Lack of transparency – After the initial thrill of saving the Alpines wore off, people began asking questions that were often not clearly answered. What was the total amount raised? How were the funds distributed? Where did the horses end up?

Back to the beginning

Approximately 400 wild horses lived in the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest in Northern Arizona. They were managed by the U.S. Forest Service. which deemed them to be nuisance “livestock” and decided to permanently remove all the horses. Because the Alpines are NOT managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), they do get federal protection. Once captured, they are not branded and therefore, not trackable after the sale.

Disclaimer: This reflects my personal perception of events gleaned from following rescues on social media.

Full disclosure: I didn’t keep track of donations in 2022, but it looks like I donated to the Alpines reward GoFundMe and Salt River Wild Horse Management Group’s Alpine Fund. In 2024, I donated to Nirvana Sanctuary, Moksha Sanctuary, and Red Feather Equine Sanctuary. Due to the ongoing drama, I started donating for post-auction care, not for purchasing at auction.

The Auctions

The Alpine herds were rounded up at different times and auctioned off in separate groups. I believe approximately 374 Alpines were saved in total (as of 10/3/2024).

There may be additional auctions than listed below, but those are the ones I’m aware of

First auctions – series of online auctions from October – December 2022, managed by Jackie Hughes at Rail Lazy H. Main group involved: Salt River Wild Horses Management Group (SRWHMG), the #AlpineWildHorseArmy (advocates that brought attention to the Alpine cause)

Bowie Texas auction – December 2023 and January 2024; 45 Alpines were saved. Main fundraisers: Salt River (SRWHMG), Return to Freedom, All Seated in a Barn

Rail Lazy H auction – July 2024 – Due to public pressure, Jackie Hughes was no longer deciding which organizations could or could not bid. New rescues involved include Lucky A. Rescue, P.A.W. 4 The Foundation, Red Feather Equine Rescue, and Rising Starr Horse Rescue. Main fundraiser: Salt River (SRWHMG)

The last auction (Cleburne?) was held on January 2025. These included horses that had been bailed out before but ended up back at auction. My understanding is that several horses were purchased at previous auctions by a rescue group and then taken by Jackie Hughes using underhanded but legal means.

“Tonight’s Cleburne Auction’s Alpine wild horses were already at the 3000-acre Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary, with $4000 in transportation costs covered and $4000 worth of feed donated during their recovery by SRWHMG. However, a purportedly fraudulent and backdated bill of sale for 80 horses valued at $25, led to their return to Jackie Hughes. A reasonable offer from Paw4thefoundation of $600 per Alpine horse, intended to protect the horses from auction risks, was declined by Jackie Hughes.”

Cast of characters

The Alpine saga is too long and convoluted for one post. For now, I will start with a summary of all the players involved (so far):

The Bad Guys

Rail Lazy H – Jackie Hughes – contracted by the Forest Service to auction off Alpine horses. Drew the ire of advocates for barring legitimate rescues from bidding at their auctions, sending some Alpines all the way to Texas for auction, and providing short notice for upcoming auctions, causing several emergency fundraising situations. Has seem to profit from sales by buying Alpines cheaply for herself and reselling at auctions that are popular with kill buyers and horse traders. Rescues paid through the roof to keep some horses out of bad hands.

U.S. Forest Service – rejected other options for managing the Alpines and set out to remove all from Sitgreaves National Forest.

Advocates / supporters

Kathy Reidhead (arizona.wild.horses on Instagram) – Photographer and advocate who led original efforts to raise awareness and find homes for the Alpines; Became critical of several rescues for the lack of transparency and mass bailing efforts.

Skydog Sanctuary – Well-respected, established mustang rescue founded by Clare Staples; Not directly involved in the auctions; stepped in to help with funds for 4 hooves and ROAR.

The Rescues (alpha order)

4 hooves ranch – first auction; took several Alpines and temporarily kept several horses purchased by Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary; Conflict with Nirvana after being asked to keep horses longer due to bad weather; dispute over cost of hay for the extended period.

Moksha Sanctuary – first auction; new rescue found by Crystal Fields that took in seven (?) Alpines; Like many small rescues, they find it difficult to raise funds for post-auction care. Correction from Crystal: We rescued 21 alpines and have placed 11 with great homes.

Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary – First and second auctions; Saved 22 at first auction and eight from the Cleburne auction. Dispute with 4 hooves after the first auction. Recently took in last remaining Alpines sold in January 2025.

Dawn Olivieri – Bowie auction; new rescuer and actress best known for Yellowstone; Seems close with Tahlia of All Seated in a Barn. Vigorously defended ROAR sanctuary when it was accused of neglect.

P.A.W. 4 The Foundation – New rescue established in 2024 by a woman named Charlotte. Conflict with advocates over a stallion’s care and for selling Alpine horses soon after auction to a trainer named Stephen (who lied and did not treat horses well)

Red Feather Equine Rescue – Established mid-sized rescue with a good record of transparency. Took mother/foal pair. Conflict with SRWHMG over foal- mix-up.

Return to Freedom – Bowie auction; Well-known rescue that worked closely with Salt River Wild Horse Management Group and All Seated in a Barn to raise funds; took in 45 Alpines. Criticized for proposing to adopt out several of the Alpine horses instead of keeping them all together.

Red Orchard Animal Rescue (ROAR)- Bowie auction; new Texas sanctuary founded by Jessica Moreland.  Purchased four stallions and received $3,500 per stallion from ASIAB. Contractor Jackie Hughes gave Jessica the title to Eleonore, an injured mare that several rescues wanted. Was not transparent about Eleonore’s care or recovery, drawing suspicion of advocates. In late 2024, she was charged with neglect and had most animals removed from her property. However I believe she is still soliciting funds for ROAR.

Rising Starr Horse Rescue – Took in mother/foal pair at July 2024 auction. Conflict with SRWHMG due to foal mix-up.

Salt River Wild Horse Management Group (SRWHMG) – Established rescue headed by Simone Netherlands and known for their advocacy for Salt River wild horses; Involved in all auctions; Raised funds to be distributed to new or lesser-known rescues that took in Alpines; Conflict with advocates over concerns about mass bailing and association with ROAR.

The Alpines

And of course, caught in all the drama were the Alpine horses themselves. Below are some of the ones that stood out.

Coronado – band stallion whose mares included Eleonore

Eleonore – Mare injured and not run through the auction; Instead she was titled to ROAR by Jackie Hughes. Several rescues became concerned about her recovery and contacted Jessica of ROAR to buy Eleonore but were refused.

Hannigan – Purchased by P.A.W. 4 The Foundation and later discovered in bad shape.

Zen – Lead stallion with a blind eye; became very ill due to the stress of travel and auction conditions and died in quarantine.

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This is a lot of information to take in at once! I’m not sure I will ever gain enough clarity to  post  a full rundown of events. In the meantime, please support the Alpine wild horses if you can! Rescues need ongoing support for essentials like hay, vet bills, farrier, etc.

If you’re a rescue or person mentioned above, can clarify dates and numbers, or want to share your side of the story, please comment below.