Ranger D. Romes works with Cinco during a three-day horsemanship training at Steel Creek/M. West/NPS.

Visitors to the Steel Creek Area of Buffalo National River may be greeted at the fence line by a couple of new faces. The National Park Service recently purchased two quarter horses from the Arkansas Department of Correction to revitalize Buffalo National River’s mounted patrol program.

 
The horses, named Nacho and Cinco, have undergone several years of routine training and active service through the North Central Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction’s robust horse program based in Calico Rock. Through this program, Arkansas Department of Correction staff and inmates work cooperatively to breed and train horses that eventually serve the prison’s security mission, allowing officers to supervise field crews, patrol the prison premises and lead manhunts on horseback. A few exceptional horses, like Nacho and Cinco, are later purchased by other agencies to assist with similar security missions.
 
“These two [horses] were selected for Buffalo National River because they have been trained to thrive in that type of work environment,” explained Tom Green, Horse Program Manager at the North Central Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction. Nacho and Cinco have worked specifically on squads and regional maintenance at the facility in Calico Rock. Green transported the new horses to Steel Creek and facilitated a three-day training on equine care, barn management and horsemanship for Buffalo National River personnel earlier this month.
 
The horses will be used for backcountry patrols and search and rescue operations in remote areas of the park like the Ponca Wilderness and Lower Buffalo Wilderness, where vehicular access is non-existent and on-foot emergency response is inefficient.
 
“Buffalo National River has a long-standing tradition of equestrian use,” Chief Ranger Randy Scoggins said. “We are thankful for this partnership with the Arkansas Department of Correction. The new horses will help our rangers better serve the American public and ensure visitor safety and resource protection at the Buffalo. We plan to use them in a few community parades each year, too.”
 
The new horses will also contribute aesthetically to the preservation of an important cultural landscape – the historic Valley “Y” Ranch, an Arabian horse ranch that preceded Steel Creek Campground. Fred and Gus, the horses that previously lived at Steel Creek and served the park’s mounted patrol program, were honorably retired upon the arrival of Nacho and Cinco in mid-April. Fred and Gus are now available for adoption through Hope for Horses Equine Rescue in Yellville, Ark.

For adoption information, please visit www.hopeforhorsesrescue.org