Federal land managers have had a rough time implementing contentious plans to eliminate roughly 3,600 free-roaming horses from 2.1 million acres of southwest Wyoming, where private and public land are interspersed in a checkerboard pattern.
Although U.S. District Judge Kelly Rankin of Wyoming concluded last year that the Bureau of Land Management’s whole-herd removal plan is legal, his decision was appealed and roundups were postponed, and then in July the plan was declared at odds with the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The federal appellate judges out of Denver sent the case back to the Wyoming court to remedy legal deficiencies. The lower court is set to regain jurisdiction over the matter on Friday, according to an involved attorney.
But BLM, in advance of those legal next steps, has already made a plan to move forward.
“[T]he BLM Rock Springs Field Office still plans to proceed with the permanent removal of wild horses in the Salt Wells Creek and Adobe Town Herd Areas, with operations expected to begin on or about Oct. 13, 2025,” Jacqueline Alderman, a spokesperson for the agency’s High Desert District, wrote in an email.
It remains unclear how the agency will address the three-judge panel’s concerns. “The BLM cannot comment on ongoing litigation,” Alderman wrote.
Pro-horse plaintiffs aim to stop the mid-October roundups from happening.
On Tuesday, BLM’s decision to proceed with roundups this fall was challenged by Connecticut-based Friends of Animals, one of the groups engaged in a legal fight that’s dragged for years, in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming.
“The default remedy would be to vacate the illegal decision,” said Jennifer Best, Friends of Animals’ wildlife law program director. “There doesn’t seem to be any justification for keeping this illegal resource management plan in place.”
Friends of Animals’ lawsuit, first covered by E&E News, asks the district court to force BLM’s hand.
“We’re seeking to have the removal decision vacated,” Best said. “I would think the proper course of action would be to allow the district court to rule on the appropriate remedy, before going forward with any removals. Unfortunately … they don’t have any plans to stop the removals right now.”
The nonprofit animal advocacy group may seek an additional emergency injunction if the court doesn’t rule before roundups begin, she said.
And there may be yet more lawsuits. Although Friends of Animals acted alone in its latest filing, in earlier stages it’d been part of a coalition of plaintiffs that included the American Wild Horse Campaign, Animal Welfare Institute, Western Watersheds Project, Carol Walker, Kimerlee Curyl and Chad Hanson, among others.
Erik Molvar, who leads Western Watersheds Project, said that he could not speak to the coalition’s legal plans. But he confirmed that the coalition is concerned about the BLM’s signaled actions.
“The circuit court found the plan amendments to be illegal,” Molvar said. “So it stands to reason that the BLM has no business implementing illegal plan amendments before the process is fully resolved before the courts.”
Joanna Grossman, who directs the equine program for the Animal Welfare Institute, said the coalition of plaintiffs is watching to see what BLM does next.
“I’m hoping that the BLM will rethink this course of action,” Grossman said. “Oct. 13 is coming up soon.”
If BLM stays the course, she said, more litigation is possible.
“We are carefully weighing our options and are strongly considering filing a lawsuit,” Grossman said, “but things can change day by day.”
Federal land managers have spent a decade and a half attempting to rid much of southwest Wyoming’s checkerboard region of free-roaming horses. In 2010, the cattle and sheep-centric Rock Springs Grazing Association, which owns and leases about 1.1 million acres of private land in the checkerboard, revoked consent for the equines to exist on its property.
“We can’t fence it, because of the basic nature of the checkerboard,” said Brad Purdy, a BLM-Wyoming senior advisor. “When you weighed it all out, this was the most informed and the best decision, I think, the BLM could have made.”
But the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals faulted BLM for not explaining how removing all horses would maintain a “thriving natural ecological balance” — a requirement of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.
“The reason they want to remove horses is essentially to minimize conflict with private landowners, even though this covers over a million acres of public land,” said Best, the Friends of Animals attorney. “The bottom line is there’s a mandate to protect horses — and that ‘ecological balance’ should be considered in decisions about horses — and that is repeatedly being ignored.”
It is a disgrace all the killing in this world.
There is no excuse.
It is about control and greed.
Leave the animals be you did not create them therefore you have no right to play God.
BLM WY has ignored and dragged their feet in protecting these wild horses and the federally designated public rangelands BLM restricts them to. BLM has had decades to enter into negotiations for land exchanges with the RSGA to consolidate public and private lands of the checkerboard areas. Public Law 100-409 Federal Land Exchange Facilitation Act of 1988. So Brad Purdy your claim that the BLMs “most informed and best decision the BLM could have made” is bias and irresponsible. BLM is charged to protect WH&Bs and their federally designated areas NOT coward down to the RSGA.
The leadership of BLM is embarrassingly weak. They need to be replaced with people who won’t let companies boss them. If Rock Springs can’t fence their land, that’s their problem. The ending of corporate welfare is long overdue. Cut the purse strings!
I bailed 200 horses before I found out about fake rescues.supposed friends sat literally sold bk to Slaughter pipeline. I wish ppl knew more.it broke me.but at least I thought u was Saving lives.did I? I’ll really never know bcuz ppl say safe n homed. We’re they? I’d suggest a list n Pic of all so flippantly stated safe n homed.if they did I’d know I made a difference .I pray I have
looks like Billy Jack 2025 is needed.
“When policeman break the law, then there is no law. Just a fight for survival.”
#StopTheRoundups #EndPublicGrazing #RetireGrazingPermits #KeepWildHorsesWild
As a United States citizen and taxpayer, I oppose the gather of the wild horses in
this/these area(s). I also oppose any plan to “zero out” any areas that these federally-protected horses have lived on for many, many years.
Wild horses are still foaling throughout the fall in this area. Conducting a
helicopter roundup will risk
harming heavily pregnant mares and newborn foals. This has happened in other roundups. Mares have aborted foals after being made to run for their lives at high speeds being chased by a helicopter. Foals are left behind, as they cannot keep up with adult horses, and are seperated from their mothers.
The decision to turn these Herd Management Areas into Herd Areas in order to zero out the wild horse populations is still being challenged in court. The Bureau of Land Management MUST wait until the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals determines its validity or sends it back to the lower court for further clarification.
The Bureau of Land Management should be managing and protecting the Mustangs. The “Curlies” in this region possess other-worldly beauty, and is a genetic inheritance for this unique herd. They should be managed and protected as the national treasure. This is where the few remaining curlies exist in the wild. Wiping them out is an assault on our national heritage and will cause irreversible harm to the public that loves and respects them. Polling shows that Americans overwhelmingly support the protection of wild horses on our public lands, yet the BLM, a federal bureau, prioritizes the commercial interests of the livestock industry. Protect OUR wild horses as the 1971 Statute directs!
According to Wyoming Statute Title 11, Chapter 28, Wyoming is a “fence-out” state. This means it is the responsibility of private property owners to fence out wildlife they don’t want on their land. Commercial livestock should be contained on the Checkerboard, rather than removing mustangs or other wild herbivores.
Please explore the option of moving these herds. The option of relocating horses to neighboring Herd Areas should be analyzed as a fiscally responsible alternative to keeping captured animals in an overburdened, miserable, unaccountable, extremely expensive, unsustainable holding system.
I oppose the use of motorized vehicles for these round ups. Motorized vehicles should not be used in any removal operation. They are always lethal during and after the roundup. Finding ways to manage wild herds on the range kills no animals and costs taxpayers nothing.
The Bureau of Land Management Land Exchange Handbook states: “Land exchanges allow the BLM to reposition or consolidate lands into more manageable units.” This is an obvious way to reduce tensions between private and public land that needs to be seriously explored.
Livestock on the Checkerboard should be reduced, not wild horses! If the RSGA doesn’t “fence out” it’s private property, commercial livestock crosses onto public lands as easily as wild horses onto private. Commercial livestock vastly outnumber wild horses and are the cause of tremendous ecological damage on public lands. According to BLM regulation 43 C.F.R. 4710.5, privately-owned livestock can be permanently or temporarily removed from public lands “if necessary to provide habitat for wild horses or burros, to implement herd management actions, or protect wild horses and burros.” Private ranchers can let their animals destroy their own land. These ranchers and their livestock should not be permitted to destroy public lands for all.
Ranching is not more important than protecting OUR wild horses!
It’s happening everywhere…not just in Wyoming and not just horses. Wildlife everywhere is suffering loss of habitat, and sadly people are greedily encroaching more and more. Stricter land management and more responsible LM leaders are needed NOW! Maybe people should practice more birth control to stop encroaching on our wildlife??
I am not from Wyoming but this is happening everyday and everywhere in the Western regions..The bottom line is the BLM holds too much power and continue to do as they please.Its all about money and money….People have been shut down for attempting to be heard or get involved….I donated for years to a well known organization that advocated for the elimination of cruel helicopter roundup and to this day it’s still happening..All I do is PRAY because Nothing changes and these poor majestic animals suffer at the hands of these cruel helicopter riders who call themselves modern day cowboys.They are abusive and cruel and SOMETHING MUST STOP…
Leave the wild horses alone! They were here long before us and need our help.
With all of our resources and technology today, why can we not come up with a way to sterilize some of these mares??? I’m sure there are pellet types of hormones that could be put in to prevent yearly outcrops of new foals. I think that would be true management. Just to reduce the breeding population. At least it could slow it down tremendously. There has got to be a solution that is effective, safe, and workable for both sides. This is our American Heritage. They deserve our protection and our care. So many don’t make it and die off from natural causes or disease or bears or even in foaling. But if the BLM and local ranchers who feel they are encroaching on their economy by eating precious grazing ground for their livestock, I just can’t see where this wouldn’t be a possible idea?
Save the Wild Horses
This is just wrong. They have kept the population down with birth control. The volunteers monitor these horses and make sure they have feed snd medical care. These horses have families and sre very close to each other. They are living beings and have feeling. To remove them would be wrong wrong. Why people hate the wild horses ate a mystery to me. They are majestic and free. Please leave them alone. The saltiness in AZ are going through the same thing. It won’t be the same without them.
Are the horses in relatively good health overall? If so, why could not the BLM advertise free adoptions to reduce herd numbers. Gelding most all the colts would accomplish the same. This isn’t rocket science; it’s treating our natural resources with respect.
There are 10’s of thousands of horses that have been offered for a minimum bid of $125. How many would you like?
Stop trying to euthanize our history….if wild horses are a problem, give us citizens who value these horses a chance to adopt them. As far ecological stand points, getting rid of the whole heard as quickly as possible will be detrimental to the ecosystem.
Just an FYI, sadly there are greater than sixty thousand wild horses, from many years of roundups, still in BLM HOLDING Pens. These horses suffer at the hands of the BLM as conditions are horrible for wild animals. The few horses adopted out are n often not successful because of the wild nature…. they need to live wild, these horses do not want to be tamed. The ULTIMATE solution is leave them alone. Let them live and die on their ranges, with their family bands!! They live on public lands that belong to the citizens of the USA….. our greedy and corrupt federal government has NO BUSINESS wiping out these horses so they can allow the welfare ranchers to graze more cattle and sheep on our public lands!! This is the ultimate goal of the govt. Or even worse, drill and mine on these lands!!
This abuse of the federal government and BLM to harass and harm and remove our wild horses is beyond comprehension!
I have never been a fan of PETA, however I think it’s time they get their radical methods in place to stop these round ups. I can’t argue that they get things done. I’m really dumbstruck by how intrusive we have become to encroaching on wildlife, just so we can build more homes, nobody can afford? I don’t have the solutions, I wish I did. I just know that there’s nothing more American, Wild West, than a herd of horses running wild and free. Horses need to have space to run. They need to have places to flee from predators. They don’t need us building on their space, or hunting them down in helicopters, or selling them to the highest bidder to live out their lives broken and made to be a slave to people. It’s tragic. Did we learn nothing from the buffalo’s? Are going to continue roundups and culling until these majestic creatures are on the brink of extinction (from being wild)? Not to mention, there’s a flip side to round ups. We do it to use the land. If we continue to build we will end up with more concrete cities like Phoenix. It has become so out of hand. It has trapped the heat in so significantly. It forces us to increase our air conditioners just to survive. And those who can afford to do so are faced with astronomical electric bills. It’s a vicious cycle that we don’t seem to be learning from. It’s a lose-lose situation unless we let the horses have their land. Again, I don’t have the answers, I just feel this isn’t it.
So BLM is free to break the law??
Horse meat is nutritious and delicious and highly sought out around the world. Allow it to be harvested! Harvesting deer appropriately returned from the brink in Iowa. Same for alligator in South. Same for Buffalo! If we make animals harvestable – in a sustainable way – it promotes proper management for both the Species and Human benefits!
Everything needs value and must have advocates. Horses have only the latter.
Just so you know, your ignorant statements will never disappear from the internet.
Why don’t they implement a program of sterilization, as they have done with other wild animals (although, these horses are feral and not wild)? Back in the 60’s/70’s they had an adopt a wild horse program. The horses were rounded up and sold to people. There were requirements and the horses could not be used for profit.
The easy way to keep the wild horses in the wild are for the state to donate the all the land the horses roam on make it a sanctuary for them and make it legal for absolutely no one to trap kill remove or anything to harm them . And the Blm should all be arrested and fined for all the horses that they have already removed illegally and harmed in the process.
No comment at this time other than I support the horses. Had experience in the 1980’s when the outer banks removed by shooting the dominate male to develope town of Corralla
What will the “managment” do with the horses?
The cost of gathering and keeping horses far exceeds the amount the government gets fro.
from grazing fees ranchers pay. If the ranchers want the horses removed they should pay all costs by being charged more reasonable grazing fees
The horses were not there 500 yrs ago and are NOT part of the ecosystem. Any more than a sea lamprey that hitched a ride on a great lakes freighter is part of the great lakes ecosystem. The ones fighting should commit to owning a few of these animals and save most this way? Own your passion.
Feral horses need to be removed. Competition for water, grass is too much for our native species.
Horses do much more damage to watersheds than do native species or even cattle!
Pres Regan signed Legislation that started protecting Mustangs who’s legacy depends on BLM to properly manage herds across America, not to eliminate them. Who are the landowners adverse to them and Why?
Are land developers wanting to break ground with huge developments and possibly AI centers ? Mustangs, by Federal law, are protected. BLM programs must continue to provide for their care and management not a debate. Do we need new leadership in BLM?
There is nothing more beautiful than watching wild horses run!!! I adopted a wild mustang and 2 wild burrows from the BLM about 20 years ago. We paid $250 for each animal. I thought it was a wonderful experience especially for my 6 year old daughter. Our burrows ended up having a baby. If the BLM rounds up these horses, will they be killed, or can they be adopted?
These wild horses need to be protected they are our American History and Legacy.
Instead of removal why don’t we manage the herds there is a thing called birth control and it can be managed very well by people or veterinarians who know what they’re doing. That includes all wild horses everywhere in the United States.
I firmly believe these wild horses need to be left alone they don’t need to go to auctions and they don’t need to go to slaughter. I firmly believe all horses and donkeys are God’s gift to us.💕🐎🙏🫏
Leave the horses to its natives they were hear long before us all
Make America Great? Yea, really?
Trump has absolutely no interest in nature. He’d live in a totally man made (air, water, etc) environment as long as he can destroy and play golf. A city boy who loves destruction.
It’s sick and he’s not the only one who’ll give it all up especially for spite.
HAS THIS COUNTRY GONE ENTIRELY INSANE AND HEARTLESS ???!!!?
THESE INTELLIGENT , FAMILY ORIENTED , AND SENSITIVE ANIMALS CANNOT , IN GOOD FAITH , BE SLAUGHTERED !!
WHAT IS WRONG WITH HUMANS THESE DAYS !!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬😞😞😞
This is so maddening and SAD. BLM has no long term goal for removing 3600 horses from 2.1 MILLION acres. Thats 580 acres per horse but that are such an impact to 2.1 MILLION Acres which we all know is BS. I will go out on a limb and say some powerful landowners and ranchers want these horses gone. Why do a small group in WY have such a powerful influence. People of WY need to call your reps and complain because there is ZERO reason to remove these horses.
That’s all man knows to do; kill everything. These are God’s creatures. You really want to get on God’s bad side?
I guess Im not quite understanding. I live in Montana, where deer, elk, bear, moose among countless other wild animals cross our private property on a daily basis. The same wild animals that cross into public lands. By law, if i don’t want these wild animals on my private property, I am required to put up a fence at my cost to keep them out. Or they roam freely. I am by law, not allowed to eliminate them. Why is the BLM any different? If they don’t want wild animals on their property, I would suggest they start building fences like the rest of us.
It absolutely infuriates me that there are one million acres for these horses to roam and the want to illuminate them! Fence off the million acres with the land owners that butt up against this property paying half for the fencing cost. Start rounding up 2/3 or more of the stallions and cut them so there are not as many mares getting bred yearly. You can’t take away free roaming horses from our land. They tried this with the bison and it had a huge impact on our ecological system.
If I owned the land they were roaming on, I would think what a privilege to see every day. If I owned cattle or sheep, I would fence off the portion needed for them to graze, and the horses couldn’t get through to these areas. Please think smart and have some heart for a gift of freedom most countries do not have.
“The bottom line is there’s a mandate to protect horses — and that ‘ecological balance’ should be considered in decisions about horses — and that is repeatedly being ignored.”
That’s it, right there.
The law applies to the BLM as well as anyone.
Yes!!! The BLM and the ranchers flagrantly ignore the law all the time when it comes to wild horses.
Humans are the ultimate invasive species. We’ve managed to take over/ pollute and otherwise encroach on every corner of this planet, then act as if it’s them invading our space. Soon, all that will be left will be us and those we eat.
You are correct. In about 200 years we have plowed up the prairie and watched the productive soil blow away in the dirty thirties. Cattlemen over-grazed the public range and the result was the Taylor Grazing Act. Farmers in the Midwest turned over the land and millions of tons of top soil washed down the Missouri and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans and beyond. We have fouled our air and fresh water. Only when we are gone will the earth recover and renew.
So true.it is happening everyday.we are taking away some species completely without considering its outcome.
Why not just catch put up for sale,, why kill something beautiful and make dog food out of. That is right down sick.. And then when they become endangered species,,, you going be saying ,,,,, well we don’t know what happen to them.. Just like the 🐃 Buffalo,,, when everyone was killing and a lot just got left laying,,, The horses were here long,, before any man was..
Why not fence off high fence like Trump put up for Mexican people,,, you don’t see us rounding them up and killing them off,,, so why all living things God created,,have to be put down for.?????
Jees, read a book, these horse have been up for sale for decades, very few people want them and the ones that are crazy about them won’t adopt them. Wow, u need to study up a bit.
There are over 1 MILLION privately owned cows on public land and LESS THAN 75,000 wild horses in the US so not even counting all the sheep. Wild horses are NOT what there is too many of. Less than 10% of US beef production comes from free range cows. Private ranchers want public land for themselves because they don’t pay per head what they should for grazing rights. The government grazing program loses money every year while private ranchers get access to PUBLIC lands to graze stock for a tenth of what they should be paying and the protected horses and burros suffer at the hands of their greed and lies about the “excess” of wild horses.
Geez, you must be a rancher. How many cattle do you already have? How much more money do you need to make for that sprawling ranch and massive home???
I’ve adopted one. I wish I could adopt more.
Blm conducts sales and yes they get good homes, broke to ride, useful to humans, and for examples I have participated several times in mustangs adoption myself, and there are prison programs geared to win win with men / women where they also break , train mustangs, and adopt them out. There are more buyers than available horses these days. The demand is there. Never a reason to turn useful horses into products when herds need to be thinned out annually to manage them adequately.
I agree 100%, they are beautiful animals that need to be left alone. Watching them roam is wonderful🐎💕
I don’t understand this is part of history just getting abolished. I understand managing the herd but to do away with them all people are so cruel.
There are thousands of horses just next to this round up, they will fill in very shortly after the round up, THERE ARE TOO MANY HORSES ON THE RANGE!
No, there are too many CATTLE, and they want to remove the horses to make room for MORE cattle!!!! It’s all about the mighty $$$!!! Stop defending these money grubbers!
There are over 1 MILLION privately owned cows on public land and LESS THAN 75,000 wild horses so not even counting all the sheep. Wild horses are NOT what there is too many of. Less than 10% of US beef production comes from free range cows. Private ranches want public land for themselves because they don’t pay per head what they should for grazing rights. The government grazing program loses money every year while private ranchers get access to PUBLIC lands to graze stock for a tenth of what they should be paying and the protected horses and burros suffer at the hands of their greed and lies about the “excess” of wild horses.
There are too n many humans pushing them out of the land that was theirs in the 1st place! This might sound cruel, but why not put several thousands of people on islands or just put them down to preserve our wild life. They’re so quick to want to put horses down but I can think of a mess of ways to stop them from putting down such majestic animals! Yes, I’m very, VERY, much a horse lover and to evict them from the homes they know I’d just wrong on sooo many levels! Sorry, but that’s just how I feel!
You’re misinformed and obviously no nothing about these organizations and could care less about the manner in which these roundups take place…If you are disquested by these animals ,maybe advocate for another animal or do you hate them all?[
You should get in touch with Laura Trump, she is animal lover and explain to her that the mustangs are part of our history. Their are ways to control the numbers but slaughter is not acceptable. She should be put as head of animal welfare from the white house. Also eating tall grass prevent fires. We need her help.
Trump wants all horses off public land, where have u been?
Lara Trump is her own person, she can do what she wants.
Cattle vastly outnumber wild horses on U.S. public lands, with an estimated 1.5 million cattle compared to approximately 73,500 wild horses, resulting in a ratio of about 20 cattle for every wild horse on these lands as of March 2024. This imbalance is due to livestock grazing being permitted on 155 million acres while wild horses are restricted to a much smaller area, often shared with livestock.
Yepppp..great idea!!! Wild West experiences??;Billions of city folk could have their lives changed in a positive way..if they rode a mustang, saw some mountains, got some peace in God’s precious nature!!..Even if it is dusty and dry, it will change a person’s soul, to ride a native horse and look at the creation of our Holy Father. 9
I would absolutely provide a reserve for horses if I could afford the land ( or if someone wanted to donate land) and I would set up an adoption fund to feed! Can’t there be an auction and the money raised for entry can be used to transport the horses to other sites? The horse could be adopted and kept on site with owner providing feed $$. For me to do this the (no flood zone) land would need to be near Charlotte NC area.
U can buy all of these horses, as many as u want.
Where the hell are the cowboys in this country? Get your butts there and save some beautiful animals before the stupid government starts shooting them. Man sometimes I hate what the stupid government does. Why isn’t Elon Musk putting them on all the land he bought and is doing nothing with?
This is a travesty. Has to be some way to place these horses in a Horse Sanctuary?!!! These are beautiful animals and probably have lived in this area for decades. Can’t they LIVE TOGETHER!!! Ranchers and wild horses?!!!!
Invasive Species. Every Civilized Nation eats them!! Indian tribes ate them!!
That is not a true statement.
Cows are invasive. Equines evolved in North America. Stop spreading lies. It all comes down to greed.
So why can’t the Ranchers feed more hay and live in harmony with the wild horses? They certainly can afford it with the price of beef! It’s our heritage. Wild horses and Wyoming!
Don’t get rid of them, live with them.
Preg shoot some mares, that works!
I agree, 1 thousand %%%! Whhhhhyy is this country considered the land of the free, which includes or wild horses, when three BLM wants to round them up and eradicate them . To me that’s insane! What they need to be focusing on sending the ILLEGAL people back, that could open up a mess of land for the wild beauties! This isn’t a “racist” remark towards any one group of race. I am probably one of the least racist people but I would rather save the majestic beauties than have some folks here that have a home to go. We have to stop the BLM, they aren’t any better than the people that work on the “slaughter pipeline ” !!! They do that type of work just to have a job!! There’s many, many, jobs out here, even it is a burger flipper, or pizza dough spinner! Why aren’t they’re focusing on the eradication of the invasion of the wild hogs that are destroying the ground and people’s corn, wheat, and cotton crops?!? In my opinion the BLM has a one track mind and they are stuck on how to removing the horses from THEIR lands where theyaren’t hurting anybody!
I believe these horses have right to roam and live. If ranch owners have issues,, then they should be the ones to fence in their areas and not approve a barbaric killing spree on these innocent horses. My god people, you’re a bunch of murderers!! Leave them alone and protect your own properties without killing! That’s totally unacceptable and deranged!!!
Thank You, and may God Bless You…..
What are the horses doing that other animals aren’t doing? Why remove them from where they have been for many years,for what purpose? What can that land possible be useful for? Out there in the middle of no mans land. Drilling , those horses will go around that! Leave our wild life be!!!
I have followed the Wild horses protection process since I was a child growing up with horses myself.
I see the decision to remove all the wild horses by the BLM, even though the court order authorization has been blocked and sent back to the state of Wyoming a mockery of legal protections already in place!
So, the way I see it, the ranchers feel they shouldn’t have the wild horses moving across the different private area ranches because they would have to fence their borders to do so.
Then, I flip the coin and see this, if their ranchers animals roam OUTSIDE the ranchers private land it should be no problem.
Who is being protected here? The ranchers animals or the wild horses?
I guess the ranchers don’t want to reduce their herds when drought hits, hmm? But, they DO WANT the wild horses to be not just reduced but REMOVED entirely because the drought makes their abundance of animals to be in contention with the wild horses? The wild horses that have been there since WAY before their ranches??
The BLM does reduce the wild horse herds to prevent over use of the land. Why can’t the ranchers do the same?
Someone’s pockets seem to be getting a bit deeper and heavier or that’s what looking at this REFUSAL TO FOLLOW THE LAW looks like to me. Someone who can make me understand this stupidity can explain this “thumb on the scales” idiocy can let me know, huh?
Wyoming State Legislature, the BLM, and the ranchers association need to stop playing illegal ping pong with these horses who’ve been here since the Spaniards arrived on the continent! Good grief, if a 65 year old retired woman can see through this plan to the iniquity you should ALL be ashamed of yourself.
Horses are Native North America….scientific fact has shown that the horse evolved from a small, multi-toed herbavore that improved and adapted to its prairie surroundings through millenia.. Horse fossils are found in rugged areas..all over the west and midwest… some are hundreds of thousands of years old, and some are as recent as 100 years ago.Horses are a native species that were reintroduced when the Spaniards brought mustangs on their ships… The original species of horses in the Americas migrated over the Bering Strait and spread all over Europe and Asia…after thousands of years, horses were domesticated, and were a huge part of building up various societies, all over Europe , Asia, and North Africa…. In the 1400s, Europeans
Brought horses back to their original home, the Americas!!
If you find the horses a new home, equitable to what they have now, I believe the transition might be better supported.
It’s not fair that a person owns land and can’t fence it to keep wildlife from trampling over their property.
It’s also not fair to enslave animals without giving them a new home and a continued sense if freedom. We removed Indian’s from their land and they were at least given a reservation. The horses should be given some land where they can still be free. Then your move would be better supported.
Get together and find some land for the horses. Think of their needs as well as your own. Because just kicking them out isn’t going to be supported by everyone. Where are they going to go? Meat markets? That’s totally unacceptable!!
It is so defiant and obstinate what BLM in cahoots with the public lands ranchers are trying to do to these beautiful and majestic wild horse herd. They are by the way, deeply rooted North American natives who restore a vital, ecosystem-enhancing Keystone role here. It’s high time people learn to share the land and freedom with such highly evolved and life-enhancing animals as these horses!
When, oh, when will we concede that humans are only one of the Earth’s species and that all have a right to be here?
Can we purchase land for them?
Totally disagree with Eliminating wild horse. Wyoming could create an awesome tourism industry
How ironic that Spain, Portugal and other Europeon countries are re introducing wild horses to re wild their ecosystems, and the US is doing the opposite. Millions of acres!! Thus us so sadly obviously politics, not eco science.
Maybe send these horses to Spain, Portugal and European countries to help them get started. In the meantime who is going to take care of them and feed them in the winter? Did you donate any money to help with taking care of the horses?
Hmmmm, so the horses that have been here since the Spaniards landed on this continent should be removed so the ranchers don’t have to either reduce THEIR cattle numbers to prevent “over use” or fence their property? Fencing their property like any other cattle owner in the United States? Wyoming ranchers need to look at that entire area and note where THEIR animals are? Like public lands should be reserved for private land RANCHERS only?
Yup, deep pockets are definitely getting heavier in Wyoming.
The horses can take care of themselves. As a wild species, they will self regulate. Some may die. The strong and fit will survive. It’s called survival of the fittest. Just like and other wild animal. It’s only the domestic cattle that need help, more and more land for more and more grass. Why don’t the ranchers feed their cattle instead of grubbing more land?
The private landowners need to get over themselves. These horses were meant to stay free. They take care of themselves. Landowners need to stay out of it. They are so worried that their stock might be deprived. And there is .million of acres for the wild horses
They keep putting money in the pockets of the BLM.
They don’t take care of themselves.
Yeah, they do.
Don’t they? Seems as if they do or ranchers and BLM wouldn’t say there is an abundance of horses. Seems, if they couldn’t take care of themselves, then there would be fewer horses and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Leave the horses alone. They are part of our American heritage . That would be like blowing up mt. Rushmore.
How can the Chamber of Commerce in Rock Springs advertise the Wild Horse loop on White Mountain if there is no Wild horses to see? Leave the horses alone so future generations can see horses in the wild!!
First question: How do you maintain an ecological balance by completely removing the animals?
Second question: Why doesn’t Mr. Purdy of the BLM explain what makes the BLM decision about the wild horses, “the most informed & best decision the BLM could have made”,. Star the facts Mr. Purdy.
Third: question: The 10th circuit court found the BLM plan to be ILLEGAL. So why is the plan still in place? Is the BLM planning on ignoring the court decision & going ahead with it’s plan? I am tired of our gov’t agencies from the executive branch on down ignoring written law! It is time to put teeth into our laws instead of expecting people, gov’t agencies etc. ignoring the LAW.
IF private land owners want the animals removed let them get the, “Wild- free roaming horses and burro act”, repealed.
The federal government was paying people 1000 dollars to adopt a mustang and only had to hold onto it for a year. They then found out that a majority of those adopters then sold the horse in auction for the meat factories in Mexico and Canada. They published this story a few years ago. The congress is trying to pass a law to allow horse slaughter again. But now they get sold to Mexico and Canada.
“Wild horses” is a political term. Biologically, they are not a native species, but feral descendants of European stock. They rapidly overpopulate, damaging the rangeland, which is not good for native species. Thinning the herd leaves a breeding pool that again will overpopulate: again leading to expensive removal, followed by storage in holding facilities at more expense in a never ending cycle.
How do they damage the rangeland? What species has suffered ? The horses have been there for I would guess over 150 years and I have not heard of detrimental damage to the rangeland publicly except for the private landowners.
They evolved in North America and are a reintroduced native species. That’s it in a nutshell. There’s more, such as the question of whether they did actually go extinct, whether pockets survived in Iberia and America, and many other things. Recent studies by Murchie et al show that they were here until at least 5,700 years ago. Science is closing the gaps.
North American horse fossils date back thousands of years. The Spanish may have reintroduced them upon arrival hundreds of years ago, but horses roamed the lands here before humans had ever come. Removing them is a shameful reminder of the destruction ‘modern man’ has on the land he has recently inhabited. Let’s buy the land and set up a trust for the horses.
You are wrong and the whole non native rhetoric is getting old. Horses were on the North American continent 10,000 years ago. You know what animal has NEVER been a native species in North America? COWS! Cows and sheep destroy range land because they’re ruminants so they linger and lay around and eat everything down to the dirt. Horses are selective eaters that constantly move and they have fast, inefficient digestion that also spreads the seeds the consume.
That is incorrect information. There is current scientific evidence that they are native.
Please continue to fight to protect America’s Wild Horses & Burros from greedy people. Make no mistake, greed is the basis for this dispute so sheep & cattle owners can get grazing for thier livestock & shove out the wildlife so thier bottomline is $$ lucrative, if its not they should get out of the bussiness or move.
Wildlife & our environment need to be protected & kept on OUR public lands.
No excuses for private landowners not to put up fence, if you cant afford $$, too bad,.. sell some of your land you can’t even afford to maintain & stop free loading off the tax payers. Checkerboard?? excuses.
BLM we are watching you & how you “protect” & personally I am going to vote for those who truly uphold our laws to protect wildlife & environment & those who benefit from betraying the public will pay the price.
You can’t use our public lands just cuz you have sheep/cattle & no way to contain them! We would have land wars all across America otherwise. Imagine if I just decide to use the empty pasture across the road, there’d be hell to pay! Not fencing your property is failure to maintain a boundary, thats a poor excuse for land theft & wrangling thru courts for the upper hand robbing the public tax payers!! Get real! Landowners certaintly seem to have $$ for laywers but not fencing??
Put up your $$ & fence your land.
Not sure about Wyoming but in Texas, NY & some other states if you don’t maintain a fenceline around private property, you lose your land to those that use it.
Here in Texas we have fencing surrounding ALL our property we maintain for our livestock. Why is it different anywhere else?? what corruption do we have here??
Settle it once & for all! … private landowners have NO rights to public lands that are LEGALLY protected for the welfare of free roaming wild animals & the environment. The laws are not being abided by, clearly! the public is being betrayed:/
Wyoming has an apparent dislike of wildlife in general. The Representatives are in bed with the Rich welfare ranchers. $$$ and the Good Ole’ Boy system hard at work. Public Lands. It’s that simple. Wild horses and burros have legal rights to be on public lands and protection to stay there. Total disrespect for the law and the animals that have rights to it.
It does seem that private cattle on public land could be the issue. The horses, while not truly a native species, do have prior rights to live. Cattle are also non native and with the support of humans, far more destructive.
The inconvenience of fencing the checkerboard is more than compensated by the economy of not actually having to buy the land. Those of us who pay taxes to maintain public lands should have some input in the conversation.
They are native “The earliest known ancestors of modern horses originated in North America over 55 million years ago, with the genus Equus appearing about 3.5 million years ago before migrating to the Old World.” Is 55 million years not far enough back to be considered native to North America?
They are native. There is current scientific evidence. The non native status is a BLM misinformation tatic.
Is this the way we protect our natural resources and follow the laws that were enacted to protect these horses years ago? If over a million acres is not enough to share then what will it take? What have we become as a society when we must either cage, kill or destroy everything that once brought us such joy and beauty .
Sounds like there is plenty of land to share with the horses. What’s the problem. The horses have roamed longer than man has owned land. They have as much right to be there
Please let our horses remain it’s just about all we have and it’s all the horses have left respect what is is all they have freedom don’t take that away not to be miserable cases up to be sold or worse on some one dinner table freedom let it ring love open your heart …
2 things:
1 – What do you mean by “fully eliminate”, “fully, permanently remove”, “scrub”, & “get rid of”? After they are all captured, then what? Auction, adoption, euthanasia? There are many organizations that provide land for wild horses to live. Have any of these been contacted?
2 – Like people, horses have mates, family & best friends. Is any effort going to be made to keep bonded horses together?
I realize that local ranchers with grazing rights for 1/2 the square miles in the checkerboard do not want “wild” horses eating the food that their cattle & sheep have the right to eat. Besides, horses are not native wild animals like deer, antelope, elk & bison. They are feral – originally brought to this continent by people. But they deserve to be treated with the compassion living creatures deserve, not thrown away like trash.
Horses are not feral. There is recent scientific data proving that. Ranchers animals are degrading our rangeland at alarming rates. It’s Our Public Lands , not welfare rancher land and the Wildhorse and burros have Government protection to stay on those lands. BLM and Department of Interior are not managing it properly. Put the blame where it rightfully belongs but don’t take their mistakes and greed out on the Wildlife that’s on it.
Why take the horses off of millions of acres of PUBLIC lands.? They cost nothing to maintain there. Let nature take its course. It costs millions to round up and keep them off range and they are miserable
What are they going to do with the horses move them to other areas or what
These horses are part of American history and it would be a shame to purge them all. I don’t like the way they round them up with helicopters. I think its reckless especially for the foals. What ever happened to rounding them up with Cowboys horses? Helicopters should be eliminated. I hope they keep our wild horses in that area. I hope they don’t kill these horses and if someone knows the answer please let me know.
The wold horse go to private holding pens at a huge expense to taxpayers that by the way over 80% of want the horse to stay on public lands. The holding pens are horrendous. No protection from weather. Many lacking basic vet care and food and water. Mares and foal in one area stallions graded in another. Family bands broken up. No natural hosre behavior. Big dirt pens. Mind numbing boredom , day after day in theat and cold with absolutely nothing to do. Go to Wild Horse Education dot org. They have tons of photos and information.
You are correct. This usually what happens to them, if not worse- like being shipped off to Canada or Mexico to slaughter… I have an adopted wild mustang, and she lived in a holding facility for 5 years. I think she still carries trauma.
I liked your article
I have seen wild horses being abused and did not who to contact your article gave me names. The BLM is all for the cattle owners.
Thank you
Horses are native to North America that went extinct
Reintroduced by Europeans
Obviously they are thriving in an environment that supports them
without help from humans
The eliminating process for humans most likely means killing them instead of relocating. ONCE AGAIN GREEDY HUMANS ONLY THINK OF THEMSELVES
The modern day horse is NOT native to North America. Trex was also once native to North America. Try a little honesty.
Per NSF.gov
“Horses and their relatives originally evolved in North America, before travelling across the Bering Strait into Asia and further west. While North American horses were still present as late as 5000-6000 years ago, they had likely died out before Vikings arrived on American shores around the end of 10th century.”
In case you don’t get that, it means they evolved here, died out, and then were brought back. They are more native than you or me. Should we humans be rounded up and killed off?
Many animals died out. The horse that was in America is not the same horse that’s here now. Honesty.
The human race that’s standing here today isn’t the same as it was 5-600 years ago, or even 100 years ago. So what is humans excuse for not doing better for our world? Boy funny how honesty is a 2 way street when the same exact argument your attempting to use stands for you just as much as the horses your saying need to go. How about you learn better herd management practices for your cattle and leave the native species’ that are being put back where they belong, alone. First the wolves, then the bears, now coming at the horses yet again after being shut down over the wolves again 🙄
The American human race has historically stood upon the shoulders of horses to fight battles, to deliver mail, to farm, to survive, to travel, to live elevated life. We would not be the great people we are today, if not for the glorious horses who carried us and lifted us up to achieve greatness. To callously slaughter our horses, our precious friends who have selflessly given us these incredible gifts, is an unspeakable destruction of a most profound part of our very legacy.
There must be a different solution. Please find it. Our horses are beautiful gifts from God. Please save them.
Very well said.
The horses are part of our American history. They have been here longer than we have. The land that they are grazing and roaming on is public. The ranchers who want to get rid of the horses are free ranging their livestock on it. Wealthy Ranchers! Horses have been killed in these round ups. These ranchers are not good stewards, they should pay for usage of the land. Problem solved.
I am sick and tired of cattle ranchers using our public lands to graze their massive herds at CHEAP rates!!! Charge them a lot more or get rid of the cattle. This land is not owned by the cattle ranchers!!
These wild horses are in their natural home. Leave them alone! I’m tired of greedy people taking it out on animals! Protect our natural resources, in this case the wild horses.
This planned cruel action by BLM is deplorable and must be stopped…you think they consider the welfare of these horses? No-they are in the way of man so they will be destroyed ed in the most horrific way possible. More animal welfare groups need to get on board before this deplorable extermination!!!
These are all our public lands and our wild horses and while the ranchers have the right to have cattle out on their land they are also on our public lands as they do not fence out. So by effect they get use of over a million extra acres. So I feel it is a fair trade to have the horses there also. The livestock vastly out number the wild horses and are out in the most critical growing periods. Also the businesses who count on us spending our vacations and all the tourism dollars will suffer many towns count on it to survive.
A point not taken into account is also that Horses graze areas livestock do not graze so help control fire loads. Wild horses are positive in many ways. They spread seeds with their roaming miles a day which helps keep the range healthy. Rewilding and restoration projects all around the world are using wild horses to revitalize the land, to take them out of the ecosystem has many unknown issues.
I have visited many times and I was at the July round up and it was sad to leave and see the vast land with no beautiful horses.
If, as the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has decided, the BLM is violating the law by removing the wild horses, then there should be an immediate halt to implementing the plan unless and until that decision can be reversed in the courts. Saying, ‘We can ignore the law because we have a problem to solve” is a very bad idea. The Federal government (especially under the current administration) has gotten away with that sort of illegal behavior far too often already.
Im tired , frustrated and mad. Stop killing horse. Stop this evil. I cannot stand to see the horses rounded up and killed. The horses are not harming anyone.
I think this continual encroachment on our beautiful natural wildlife’s habitat and the absurd amount of space we consume for livestock( enslaved animals) is appalling. These iconic beautiful horses and other magnificent animals like Wolves are what keep ecosystems in balance. The blatant disregard by people who believe our collective planet is at there disposal for reckless selfish monetary gain do not understand anything about respect and beauty. The majority of people have continually been in support of maintaining our wild animal populations as nature intended. We are the MAJORITY. Let us remind those who would destroy our nations treasures.
Even though the horses appear cute and cuddly, what people seem to forget, is that the horse in this environment, is an invasive species. It never belonged here, and was introduced by being abandoned by early Europeans in the area. It destroyed ecosystems, leading to the near extinction of many of the animals who had lived there for centuries. I know that people love the horses and think they are wonderful, but catching and distributing them to private individuals would be the correct thing to do, rather than letting them continue to run freely in places they never were supposed to be in the first place.
Such an old, worn out and ignorant argument. Horses originated in North America, which makes them native. Maybe you should look up the origins of the cattle and sheep that have decimated the land since the Europeans immigrated here. In fact, Europeans are just as invasive as their invasive cows and sheep.
No, they are not native, get ur history straight, stop lying to yourself. If u cared about horses, you would support wild horse management. But, you don’t understand range management and would rather see it turned to dirt and weeds, keep that up and the range will not support mice in a few years. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE SAGEBRUSH.
Those wild horses have been there for many, many years. That’s their home. People moved on the horses environment. They should be left alone and be free to roam just like the cattle do
More evidence that wildlife management by the courts is a disaster. At some point, wildlife managers must be allowed the freedom to make some decisions without interference by the courts. That applies to Wyoming Game and Fish and the BLM – but how about the USFWS? Under our system, residents of Connecticut can interfere in Wyoming issues and be granted standings – unbelievable. Residents of America Samoa could probably file in Federal court in Wyoming trying to block the BLM . All this interference does nothing to solve the underlying problems with mixed land ownership in the checker board which can only be solved by exchanging land – blocking up vast tracts of Federal land with minimal private in holdings. The Red Desert can only support so many critters – it falls upon the BLM to allocate available forage among the users – elk, deer, antelope, cattle, sheep and wild horses – someone must do the allocating – it has to be done. Sorry horse lovers but the high desert must be shared – and that includes the Rock Springs Grazing Association whose rights are well established well over a century on both public lands and private lands in the checker board. And, you never hear discussion about approaching the RSGA about compensating them for hosting wild horses on their private land in the checker board. The BLM just has to go ahead and do what they need to do.
Im so tired of people killing animals. What is wrong with you?
I cannot stand to watch man’s willingness to destroy. It’s evil.
I can see what your saying to be true however in my opinion people just need to start realizing that man alone will destroy the beautiful things over simple greed. The day people start using some common sense and realize all this land must be shared with every living thing on earth, its there land to. That everything has a purpose and what function in life it does to balance out all. Stop being such grade school kids and stop getting but hurt when something is on your land. Use some sense and deal withit before ur sitting back asking what happened to everything. Its not that hard!
Total elimination? Have you ever been there, seen the distances and the land we are talking about, seen the wild horses. I don’t have a problem with management being a hunter but total elimination is unnecessary, cruel and at this point illegal.
7,200 acres (minimum) to 14,400 acres (maximum) is the recommended amount of land required to maintain roughly 3,600 horses. That is like a drop in a bucket of 2.1 million acres. The land can only sustain so many critters you say. Let’s say hypothetically that something happened to all the humans. No one here to decide what animal has to live or die to satisfy the greedy nature of “men”. Not one of the animals that now feed, roam and live on this land would die out. They would all thrive and so would the land. I always wonder why the wild horses are the animal that is decided to eradicate. There is More then enough land for all the critters your so worried about. And compensation to land owners where the Wild horses roam? Really? Do they ask for compensation from the elk, sheep, cattle , deer, and antelope? Another sign of human greed. And you state The Rock Springs Grazing Association has established the right to graze on public and private lands for over a century. The wild horses have been there longer than that. I’m glad there are people stand up for their rights. There is a law for the wild horses also. Just leave the horses alone. There is plenty for all the animals.
Ruth, if you looked up online how many acres are required to support 1 horse (2-4 of lush grassy land according the first Google answer that comes up), you are not talking about the Red Desert, which probably receives less than 12” of precip. a year.
Its nature. You are invading there space not yours. You choose to live in these areas they don’t. It’s ignorant people like yourself who really only have their own wellbeing in mind. We do have to share the desert, I agree. So what are you doing? Sounds like you feel it is not shared enough. Sad times when humans blame nature for their created problems. Nobody asked you to move into their territory.
These sentient beings are supposed to be protected and preserved, not eradicated in the most cruel and terroristic way possible and no the BLM does not have the right to do that. The people have spoke ! We the people do not want our taxpayer dollars paying for this cruel and unjust eradication process done by the BLM and done illegally against the courts. The the BLM are ignoring the will of the people , they’re ignoring scientific facts , proof that the horses are not part of the problem, the cattle and sheep do more damage to the landscape than the horses do at all, and that is a fact! The BLM does not have the right to go against what the courts said. The BLM does not have the right to go ahead and proceed with their round up against the courts wishes and also the will of the people 80% of the population in America is against helicopter round up is against separating mares and folds when they’re not even ready to be weaned yet Against containing them and cattle panels where so many accidents have happened and animals have had to be put down because the animal has gotten hurt and the injuries are so severe that they have no choice, but to put them down the people are against the BLM hiring these fucking Yeehaw Joe shomes to run the show and abusing and neglecting the horses, the people are against the BOM lying and making false reports about the horses eating everything on the range that is a blatant lie all in the name of greed so they get more money for their round ups. This is nothing but a money grab all promoted by greed, power, and money judges are getting paid off. Congressmen are getting paid off by all the cattle and sheep and environmental lobbyist and the horses are getting sold down the river. They’re getting treated like we treated the Indians when we came in and took everything from them. What we’re doing the same thing to the horses.
Remove like relocate? Eliminate like kill? Can we get a truthful straight answer as to the plans? Either way I really don’t understand “just doing what they have to do”. Legality should never be ignored like this sounds.