A horse on the Navajo Nation. Photo from Navajo Horse Healing Project / Indiegogo
The Navajo Nation is working on an agreement to address the large horse population on the reservation. President Russell Begaye met with former U.S. congressman Bill Richardson to discuss the issue, The Santa New Mexican reported. A proposed agreement calls for the Foundation to Protect New Mexico Wildlife, an organization Richardson created with actor/activist Robert Redford, to provide assistance to the tribe that would prevent the shipment of wild horses to slaughterhouses, Reuters reported. "The Navajo elders have a saying which translates into English as 'Our horses are sacred,'" Rick Abasta, a spokesperson for Begaye, told Reuters. An estimated 75,000 to 96,000 horses live on the reservation. Most are owned by the 12,000 permitted holders but that still leaves large numbers of wild and unclaimed animals. The tribe rounded up more than 8,900 horses in 2013, TheHorse.Com reported. Most were sold off the reservation, with some going to slaughterhouses in Mexico. Get the Story:
Navajo Nation eyes agreement reining in slaughter of wild horses (Reuters 6/4)
Navajo officials renegotiating wild horse agreement (The Santa Fe New Mexican 6/3)
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