LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – On Saturday, a child was kicked by a wild horse on Mt. Charleston, causing a head injury, according to the Spring Mountains Visitors Center.
It happened near the residences up the canyon, but they came down to the visitor’s center for medical help. They say the child was taken to the hospital as a precaution, but they are okay. It’s not clear what led up to the child being kicked.
The Spring Mountains Visitors Center says anyone coming to the mountain should get educated about the wildlife before they arrive and pay attention to the posted signs.
Last month, a video surfaced of another wild horse encounter on Mt. Charleston. It shows a man getting dangerously close to a horse, grabbing its face to take a photo.
CAUGHT ON VIDEO: Man grabbed wild horse’s face to take selfie at Mt. Charleston
“The horses are wild, and they should be left wild,” said Alice Whitfield-Hammer from the Hearts Alive Village Horse Rescue. “Sometimes I turn around and I see a wild bunch running, and I say that’s what they were put here to do, and if that’s how it started out, that’s how it should be left.”
She says people messing with wild horses on Mt. Charleston is a troubling issue — and so is how frequently people abuse or abandon their own horses.
“I’m not good at talking about abandoned and abused animals, of which there are many here, but it kills me… There are some people that shouldn’t have animals, shouldn’t be around them,” she said. “Bring them to us because we can help.”
The Hearts Alive Village Horse Rescue is located off Kyle Canyon Road.
They held an open house for the community Saturday, as they break ground on a new horse therapy and rehab center on the property.
The property has about 47 horses. Some are permanent residents, and some are up for adoption.
The goal of the HAV Horse Rescue is to let Southern Nevada know that there’s always a place for their horses to go.
“There are some people that have to surrender their horses due to illnesses or death in the family, and they can no longer take care of the horse or finances have gotten in the way, so we will take those horses. They surrender them to us. If they’re ill, we will do everything to make them well,” said Whitfield-Hammer.
Then, those surrendered horses will either be rehomed — or make the sanctuary their home.
The rescue says some horses were even adopted during Saturday’s event.
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