BLM’s Broken Promise: How Decades of Mismanagement Have Failed America’s Wild Mustangs
For decades, concerns about the management of America’s wild horses and burros have grown louder, more urgent, and more heartbreaking. The Bureau of Land Management tasked with protecting these animals under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act has presided over a system that many agencies, lawmakers, and experts have acknowledged is deeply broken.
From Wild to Wanted. Not Wild to Wasted
Wild Mustangs are failing in the adoption system because their transition off the range is ignored. New Home Syndrome is real, and without proper education and support, these horses are pushed into a cycle that ends in kill pens. We can stop this by demanding responsible management and protecting the welfare of every Mustang from range to home.
Flipping the preference to Wild Horses instead of cattle- buy a base property
A base property is a game changer — it gives your efforts real value and helps move livestock off the land so Wild Horses can return to the range where they belong
Wild Horses Lives Matter
Learn more about Wild Horses Lives Matter
The organization remains committed to transparency, efficiency, and purpose-driven work. Each dollar entrusted to Wild Horses Lives Matter directly contributes to protecting the freedom, dignity, and survival of America’s wild horses
Wild Horse Diets are Adaptable
A sweeping University of Wyoming study of wild horses on federal lands across seven Western states has found that the animals have a high ability to gain nutrition from a variety of plants and, by so doing, maintain good body condition, even in winter.
BLM Winnemucca Wild Horse Holding Facility. (100 Acre w/ 4,000 Horses) FOA returns to court for appeals
In legal filings and court rulings tied to a 2022 environmental challenge, the Ninth Circuit noted that the Winnemucca Off-Range Corrals operate under the same conditions and standards as other BLM holding facilities nationwide.
What Happens to the Wild Horses Wearing USGS Collars if Federal Funding is Cut?
When Americans think of wild horses, we picture untamed freedom — not government-issued GPS collars and data transmitters strapped around their necks. But hundreds of mustangs across the West currently carry those collars, part of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) studies designed to track their movements, survival, and range use.
Beyond the Blame: Human Activities Ravaging Nevada's Public Lands While Wild Horses Take the Fall. Does anyone consider noise pollution being part of the blame for the wildlife declining numbers
Nevada leads the nation in mining, with over 180,000 active claims on BLM lands, primarily for gold and lithium. Projects like the proposed Rhyolite Ridge lithium mine and others approved in 2024 threaten biodiversity by degrading water sources, fragmenting habitats, and leaving toxic legacies that persist for millennia. Groundwater drawdown from mining can drop levels by hundreds of feet, drying up springs vital for wildlife and horses alike. Abandoned mines pose physical hazards and pollute waterways, harming ecosystems far beyond horse grazing impacts. Yet, while horses are rounded up for "overpopulation," mining expands, encroaching on HMAs and cultural sites.
Overpopulation of Wild Horses: What the Data & Funding Don’t Tell Us
Many Americans believe that wild horses and burros are vastly overpopulated on public lands..that their numbers are exploding, they are degrading ecosystems, and they must be removed. But a close look at the data, the models, and the funding reveals a far more complex picture. Below are data points, critical analyses, and scientific observations that suggest the “overpopulation” narrative is heavily shaped by assumptions, agency incentives, and funding sources—not always by unbiased science.
Can you water the Virginia Range Horses? Feeding is never allowed by the public, diversionary feeding is only allowed by those authorized to do so.
What do we know about watering the Virginia Range Horses. Is it legal or not?
Montgomery Pass Wild Horses aka Mono Lake
Montgomery Pass Wild Horses also known as the Mono Lake Wild Horses are located at the Nevada- California border along Hwy 120 E and US Hwy 6. Managed by both US Forest Service and the BLM. The AML for this area is 138- 230.
Private Land owners have requested all horses along Hwy 120 E and US Hwy 6 be removed.
Based on EA and public comments the Forest Service has decided to remove the Wild Horses, not taking in account the comments against the removal.
The USFS stated that they realize and appreciate the emotional connection stakeholders have to Wild Horses and the value of the MPWHT herd as a valued resource and decision to address the excess horses has been emotional and challenging to balance all the desires of their many stakeholders. They stated they received numerous impassioned pleas not to remove the horses along with suggestions for planning. Stated they took into consideration all public comments but cannot wait for plan updates, they will need to immediately remove the excess Wild Horses due to Several Horse- vehicle collisions.
Protections for Mustangs and Burros
Our wild horses and burros are not excess stock to be dumped into the slaughter pipeline. They are living symbols of our nation’s history and freedom.
BLM is now using Sale Authority to dispose of as many wild horses and burros as possible
Devils Garden Wildhorses
:Devils Garden Wild Horses The use of tracking collars is confirmed, but only on a limited number of horses, specifically the 30 mares released as part of the 2023 study. The collars are used to track the mares for research purposes
Devils Garden WH Territory Roundup
As of Sept 13th 181 Wild Horses have been removed during the Wild Horse Roundup at Devils Garden WHT in the Modoc National Forest. These Mustangs are amazingly beautiful. The Devil's Garden wild horses are the last viable herd managed by the U.S. Forest Service. This Roundup will put these horses dangerously close to the entire estimated population on the range.
Devils Garden roundup
The USDA Forest Service began gathering 350 wild horses from the Devil’s Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory on September 2, 2025.
The Modoc National Forest remains committed to managing wild free-roaming horses in a manner that is designed to achieve and maintain a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-use condition on public lands.
The Modoc National Forest has contracted CD Warner Livestock, LLC. to conduct the gather. Gather contractors will utilize mechanized equipment and bait traps to gather horses. If you come across a livestock corral in the forest, please avoid the area.
Wild Mustangs and Burros Are Still Ending Up in Kill Pens—Despite Federal Protections
At Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sales and adoption events, wild Mustangs and burros continue to surface in kill pens—despite explicit federal rules prohibiting this outcome.
Callaghan Complex Herd Management Area Plan and Gather Plan -Public Comments Due
Public Comment DUE
The BLM is proposing to manage wild horse populations in the Callaghan Wild Horse Complex through gathers to maintain Appropriate Management Levels (AML) and address resource concerns like overgrazing, water scarcity, and rangeland health. However, the report highlights the importance of balancing wild horse management with other factors like livestock grazing, drought, and invasive species, while considering humane and sustainable alternatives such as fertility control and improved water infrastructure.
BLM Cancels Plan to Expand East Pershing Complex (gather plan)
BLM Cancels Plan to Expand East Pershing Complex
One of the goals was to sterilize approximately 30 percent of the low-AML population of each herd, even though it was not approved in the 2018 decision.
FERAL VS WILD and why its important
FERAL VS WILD
Why is it important to distinguish the two?
We need to start standing for the term wild. If you see it in an article or headline, write a respectful letter or comment:
“Per the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, these horses are legally considered wild—not feral. Please correct the terminology.”
The word feral is used to downplay the significance of Wild Horses and their value to the American People.