For generations, wild horses have roamed the banks of the Salt River in Arizona — a living piece of the American West. But on the final day of Arizona's 2026 legislative session, the bill that would have protected them died without a Senate vote.

Senate Bill 1199 (SB 1199) would have placed a three-year moratorium on removing Salt River horses from their herds except for humane reasons. It also would have required the first-ever independent genetic study to determine the right herd size — a scientific baseline that has never been established. The bill passed the Arizona House on June 9 with support from both Republicans and Democrats. Then a senator blocked it from reaching the Senate floor.

Without that science, horses can still be removed without any verified data to justify it. SB 1199 would have changed that.

Rep. Cody Reim, the Scottsdale Republican who authored the bill, has pledged to bring it back in 2027. But a pledge is not protection. Arizona's Senate leaders need to hear that voters on both sides of the aisle want this bill to get a fair vote. And Governor Katie Hobbs — who advocates say has refused to meet with them — should step up to protect a herd that draws visitors and holds deep cultural value for Arizona.

U.S. Representatives Juan Ciscomani and David Schweikert, both members of the Wild Horse Congressional Caucus, have already called on the U.S. Forest Service to protect the Salt River herd's "historic, cultural and economic significance." State leaders should follow their lead.

Sign this petition to demand Arizona lawmakers reintroduce and pass SB 1199 in 2027 — before another session passes these horses by.