SAVE Havasupai Horses

08/20/2026

*A Havasupai tribe member made this comment on a recent post.

07/27/2026

Recently posted on Tripadvisor. Please continue to spread the word through social media. Tripadvisor, Yelp and Google are all places you can post reviews.

07/08/2026

Based on all the comments on our recent post about the horse that was tied to a tree and died, the hiker who shared the video would like to clarify : “ We did attempt to give the horse water. We also witnessed tribal members verbally assault/scream/yell at other hikers who were trying to take pictures of the horses’ conditions “.

If you see an animal in distress, injured or dead:

1. Take a photo or video and mark the GPS location. Take photos of and or make note of any houses or trailers nearby or in the background so you can help Animal Control or the BIA locate the Animal.

2. If you are near the village, find BIA Law Enforcement. Their office is behind the basketball courts.  Ask tribe members where the “Police Dept” is.

3. Call BIA dispatch at 928-769-2220

07/05/2026

The media loves to do “feel good stories” about the Havasupai tribe while failing to mention the animal abuse and neglect. The reality is very different. Horses so hungry that they wander through the village picking through the trash, tied to trees and left to die.  Feel free to make comments on the ABC News story but please keep it civil. Click on the photo to get to the story. Please tag ABC World News Tonight with David Muir on your comment. You may also email him: [email protected]

07/03/2026

07/03/2026

*** Update ****

“ Please inform those on the post that we did attempt to give the horse water. We also witnessed tribal members verbally assault/scream/yell at other hikers who were trying to take pictures of the horse’s conditions.”

I recently visited Havasupai from June 10–13, 2026, with a group of four. On June 12 around 4:00 PM, while hiking from our campground near Mooney Falls toward Hidden Falls, we passed the turnoff to Havasu Falls and saw a horse tied to a tree on the right side of the trail. The animal appeared severely bloated, exhausted, and desperately searching for food or water, with no tribal members or resources nearby. When our group returned from the hike around 6:30 PM, we found the same horse dead just off the trail. We checked for signs of breathing and found none. The following morning, when we hiked out at 3:00 AM, the horse remained in the ditch where it had died.
I have attached a video I took documenting the horse while it was still alive. These heartbreaking conditions match the reports we had read beforehand. Even horses kept inside fenced areas in the village remain tightly tied with minimal room to move. While some animals may appear better cared for at first glance, they are clearly worked to exhaustion in extreme summer temperatures. Given the significant revenue the tribe generates from tourism, there is simply no justification for this level of neglect and suffering. We will not be returning to Havasupai and feel strongly that meaningful change is urgently needed to protect these animals. Thank you for the vital work your organization is doing to advocate for them. - Taylor D.

07/01/2026

SAVE has just received the following statement from a hiker. 😢

WITNESS TESTIMONY:

"I hiked down into the canyon on Friday the 26 of June. We reached the village early morning about 6 am. The first thing I see is horses tied to posts in the ground with very short ropes. They have buckets next to them that they are pawing with their legs hoping food or water are in them. I see a mare with a young bay next to her tied up so tight that her head could not move. The baby was pawing at a blue water container while mother could not move her head at all. As I walk further in I come to a T in the road. Straight ahead on a field are horses tied up so tight they can’t move heads at all. No water or food are next to them. As I am trying to walk through my tears I come to a blue house on the right hand side of the street with 6 horses out in front. The first horse is a mule. He is tied to a pole with a rope about 2 feet long and then a chain. The chain is wrapped around the pole so tight that he only had the 2 foot rope to move with. No water or food. As I walked further past the house each horse was tied up with a bucket and nothing in it. They were pawing at the bucket for food and water. Every one was very skinny. You could see every rib and hip bones were very pronounced. My heart broke. On the left side again another house with horses all starving. Hips and ribs very visible. They were walking the area hoping food and water was available. No fresh manure. Just empty home lot with horses hungry. As we walked all the way through town we came to the third to last house with a white and tan horse in the yard. Again starving and looking for food. Middle next house that sits back from the road, the second to last house on the left in town I noticed a brown horse walking towards me. His head was down. As he approached me I noticed his lips were actively bleeding. I noticed his lips were all cut up. As he put his head in my arms begging for help I noticed his two back legs were bleeding as well. He had scars all over him. He has big sunken in holes above both eyes from the lack of food. I could see every rib and hip bones were so visible. The tribe members have barb wire around yards and gardens and I assumed he was cut up from the wire trying to get food. He had the word boo marked on his left back leg. I was sobbing leaving him at this point. I just wanted to help him and take him home.
Later that afternoon we came back into town to have some lunch from the little place. As I walked by the house where that brown horse was he was in the road ahead of me. The tribal member that brings the backpacks for tourists was coming with his four horses and scared the brown horse my way. As he was running towards me I got out of the way and he ran into the yard that I had seen him that morning.
The next day I asked the ranger at the station next to the camp for the tourists if members would sell a horse and how I can find out who owns the horse. He said no, they will not sell them and he doesn’t know how to find the owner. Later that afternoon on the second day I walked back into town to the restaurant. After ordering food I walked out of town towards hilltop as they call it. The horses in the blue house still tied up in the same place in the hot sun. No water or food. The house across the road was the same. No food or water. As I walked all the way out of town towards the T in the road that I had seen the horses first wet still tied up. Heads right next to the fence not even able to move. No food or water anywhere. Out in the hot sun. I cried my way back to town. As I walked by the second to last house I was hoping I would see the horse with Boo on the side again but he was not there. The next morning we left camp at 12:30 am. As we approached town I walked again by the blue house. I stopped an undid the chain that the mule was tied to. I let him go at least his head could reach the ground. When he was free he just ran from me hoping there was food and water. My heart broke. As we walked all through town the horses at the T were still tied up in the exact same place as we could see with out head lamps. Not one has moved."

This hiker /witness is filing a formal complaint with the BIA Law Enforcement Unit, however, their hands are tied by the tribal court, which one BIA Officer described to us as “a joke.”

Please contact AZ Senator Ruben Gallegos and ask that he address this issue since he knows the tribal council members.

Phoenix office : (480)697-3600
Washington office (202)224-4521
302 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
Email: [email protected]

Congressman Eli Crane at (202) 225–3361 or (928) 286–5338.
Email: [email protected]

You may also contact the tribe at:
Havusupai Tribe main office (928)433-8130
Emails : Tribal Chair and Vice Chair
[email protected]
[email protected]

06/30/2026

This is 34 year old Pace, a former Havasupai pack horse. He was seen on the main trail in 2017 by two sisters from CA who had hiked to Havasupai Falls. They were horrified by his condition and contacted Susan Ash, who got him out by working with the BIA. Pace was taken to Coconino Humane in Flagstaff for a time to recover. Then sisters Katie and Michelle paid for his transport to Sunrise Horse Rescue in Calistoga CA where’s he’s been living his best life. Thanks to Katie and a Michelle for rescuing him, and to Mary at Sunrise for the photo! 🐴 ❤️Sunrise Horse Rescue

06/20/2026

Imagine what it’s like for the horses and mules in these temps 🥵
Please continue to look for posts from hikers regarding the animal abuse and neglect and share what you find. Your eyes and ears are helpful.

A brutal summer heat wave has turned deadly at the Grand Canyon after three hikers collapsed and died within a matter of days. DETAILS ⬇️

04/22/2026

*** Action Alert **

The 2026 hiking season is in full swing. Please share this widely. Also copy and paste in the comments on any page that mentions Havasupai. Thank you!! 🐴 🙏