Horse Graveyard Discovered In Desert East Of El Paso

On a secluded stretch of Red Sands west of Hueco Tanks, lies a swath of desert so remote and quiet, the buzzing of the flies is magnified to the audio level of fighter jets.

There are a lot of flies. More and more these days they are finding refuge amongst the remains of the many horse carcasses strewn about the desert sands. Horses that have been shot and dumped. The bullet holes are clear in the bleached skulls that have been there a while, more hidden in the fresher carcasses that were recently put to rest.

Constable Angie Sommers is shocked at what has become of this part of desert land. Neighbors say they still find Indian relics on the property during desert hikes, arrowheads and clay pottery are common discoveries. They say it was part of what used to be the American Indian Winter Trail. Tribes of Cherokee would make their way down from the mountains in Hueco Tanks when the weather would get cooler, migrating south to Mexico. Today, the majority of the feet traversing the dusty land are those of illegal dumpers.

?It?s disgusting,? neighbor Mark Harrington says. ?I can?t believe people would do this. They have no respect.?

Harrington has lived on an adjacent piece of property for more than 20 years. He says the problem is getting worse. More trash is accumulating on the land by the day, but what is of more concern to him ? the dead horses.

?They just bring them out here and shoot them,? Harrington says.

On first sight, it seems as though owners have brought their horses out to the property to put them down. The theory is that with the rising price of feed, owners are no longer able to afford their livestock, and instead of watching them starve, they would rather put them out of their misery quickly and quietly.

?That?s interesting,? Constable Sommers says as she picks up a bony leg and hoof with a new horseshoe attached. ?I?ve never seen one like that.?

Sommers takes a picture of the horseshoe with the camera on her phone and sends it to her equine contact. The shoe is new and unworn. On the bottom of the shoe is a thin, elevated ridge, following the curve of the shoe. She believes that special shoe, found on many of the hooves, may hold the clue as to the origins of the horses.

It does. The findings from Sommers? contact reveal the shoes founds on the horse carcasses are specialty shoes.

?These plates can only be used on soft ground, you don?t use these on hard ground, so they?re strictly for race horses,? Sommers says. ?These horses are race horses.

Unsanctioned horse racing on El Paso?s far east side has been going on for years. According to Sommers, it?s not illegal to race horses, however the betting that often takes place at the make-shift race tracks is. Sommers believes perhaps some of the bodies now being found are those of former race horses ? horses that may have been a little bit too slow. But although the dumping of the horses is illegal, shooting them is not.

?If they put the horse down humanely?,? Sommers asks. ?It?s not illegal.?

Sommers? job now is to find the owner of the property. It?s now up to the owner to deal with the mess. As far as horse owners coming onto the property to kill their equines, Sommers is considering shutting down some of the back roads of O?Shea. But the shutting down of Montana Vista?s horse graveyard will only be a drop in the bucket ? neighbors say the desert is filled with the legs of equines that used to run the tracks.