The on-again, off-again and heavily litigated roundup and elimination of more than 3,000 free-roaming horses from about 2.1 million acres of southwestern Wyoming is looking increasingly unlikely in 2025.
Over the course of the last few months, the Bureau of Land Management’s plans have been OK’d administratively, but then appealed, delayed and found to be illegal by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The federal agency wasn’t fully deterred, however, and had scheduled the roundups for Oct. 13, triggering a Friends of Animals lawsuit aimed at stopping BLM from proceeding.
This week, more plaintiffs joined the fray with yet another lawsuit, seeking to block the 2025 removal operations, which will eventually eliminate the Salt Wells Creek Herd, Great Divide Basin Herd and northwestern portion of the Adobe Town Herd. Those pro-horse groups and individuals — American Wild Horse Conservation, Animal Welfare Institute, Carol Walker and Kimerlee Curyl — sent word Thursday that the federal government informed them the BLM’s plans have changed.
“Late yesterday afternoon we heard from the Justice Department, which represents BLM, that … the roundup is not happening this year,” Bill Eubanks, an attorney for the petitioners, told WyoFile on Thursday. “It won’t happen before summer of 2026. That’s all we know. It’s just a written assurance by counsel.”
The next step in the legal process is a status conference in the U.S District Court for Wyoming scheduled for early October. Attorneys will convene to discuss potential remedies to a 2-year-old Resource Management Plan amendment that the appeals court found to be illegal. The court ruled that the BLM didn’t demonstrate how eliminating horses would maintain a “thriving natural ecological balance,” which is required by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.
The ongoing dispute over the existence of the Salt Wells Creek, Great Divide Basin and Adobe Town herds goes back 15 years. In 2010, the Rock Springs Grazing Association revoked consent for the free-roaming horses to exist on its property within the 40-mile-wide swath of southern Wyoming where interchanging public-private land forms a checkerboard pattern.
they are not wild but feral horses. The native wildlife that depends on the habitat that the horses destroy take precedence! nLook atthe resu;lts to the range on the wind river reservation where they removed over 9000 feral horses. The improvement to the habitat is incredible. We cannot have feral horses continue to double every 4 years and destroy our state. They are way over carrying capacity of the land and hurting all the habitat that our wildlife depends on. If the horse lovers want them, buy some land and put them on your land. I bet you would control their numbers then!
Thank God!
I believe it’s inhumane to round up horses by Helicopters. It’s scary for them and many get hurt. Good riders can be helpful and make sure they don’t get hurt. BLM won’t to destroy so much, it’s unbelievable. I love the wild horses and burrows. If fact all wildlife. Please stop Animal Cruelty. That’s what it is. 😥
No helicopter or summer Roundups please!! It can be done from horse back! Get 10 horsemen and good horses and slowly push them to the trap. You will have healthy and calmer horses and no deaths or injuries!
I’m relieved the equinicide is put off for now. I’d like note by putting the hunt off til next year doesn’t that essentially mean the ‘serious ecological threat’ isn’t that serious after all? As they have stated ‘wild horses have destroyed nesting areas, cleared grazing and shelter plants and shrubs other animals struggle to find to survive and caused starvation and disease among the herds themselves’. Why is their determination waning? Where’s the fight to protect a shrub birds territory? If the serious threat is not so as to choose to wait a year then their tunnel vision mission needs to be scrapped and this waiting period better used finding acceptable conclusions for all parties.
If the world would just focus on the commenting rules, guidelines and suggestions for commenting throughout the personal lives with particular attention to the finally, the world would be a better place. IMO.
BLM unfortunately designated federal public lands within the checkerboard area as their historic range, relabeling as HAs/HMAs. This decision by BLM was arbitrary and careless. BLM has had decades to correct their negligent decision by entering into negotiations with the RSGA for land exchanges to consolidate public and private lands; Public Law 100-409. BLM WY has relentlessly coward down to the RSGA. The RSGA needs to be put in their place and BLM needs to protect the wild horses and their range (federally designated public lands) as mandated by law.
3,000 “free roaming” anything is a huge load on any habitat, especially a fragile semi desert environment like southern Wyoming! Cattle are managed by ranchers and farmers. Elk, deer, pronghorn, squirrels and prairie dogs are managed by the game department.
Please, manage these “running wild” feral horse numbers!
Thanks
Please understand how those horses are in the middle of political and land mining operations and all they want is to survive .It’s been going on and people do care and are trying to rescue them.Then we have Mexican and Canadian meat processing plants buy them to feed people.ive eaten horse meat in ny.disgusting.There are farms rescuing these horses training and rehoming.Send them to locations they can survive.
I am glad that the courts blocked the rounding up of the horses I have had horses since I was 6 years old nowadays 63 they mean more to me than ever it is a shame the government eliminated all most of the Native Americans now they want to get rid of another part of our of our American heritage what is next The national parks!!!
Why couldn’t they have a round up like they do on Chincoteague Island. That is one way to control the population without killing the horses. It’s a more humane way of dealing with the situation and it won’t get animal activists angry.
Delayed is positive news but we must NOT let off the gas to stop these cruel and ridiculous helicopter roundups/killings for good – once and for all! These innocent horses deserve to stay wild and free forever!
Feral horses, not wild horses. Feral horses continue to cause damage to federal lands and out compete native wildlife. To the extent of guarding water holes. Horses belong on private lands as pets and work horses, not on public lands as an expensive nuisance.
Stop with the helicopter roundups, horses are being run to death!
I believe this is wrong these horses have been here long before any of you one day this will all be gone but not today we need to live together we can help one another these horses are part of the land they belong would you like it if the tables were turned we have to learn to be as one i say let them stay it is there home also
It seems possible that delaying the October roundup will mean a winter ahead of starvation for these horse herds. I of course love horses myself, but do not approve of “kicking a can down the road” and calling that a solution.
This practice of terrifying these horses by using helicopters to round them up sterilize and release or auction is horrible. If that’s not enough send to slaughter if not adopted. They are not feral as proven by Wyoming game and fish. We protect grizzlies and destroy horses?
Grizzlies don’t eat much grass. Doing away with the horses is all about the cowboys wanting more grass for their invasive cows.