Buffalo Hills HMA Roundup Report: July 2022

July 2, 2022

AWHC Contributor

The Buffalo Hills Herd Management Area (HMA) spans approximately 132,000 acres of public and private lands. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has set a population limit of just 188-314 wild horses for this area. According to the agency, there are approximately 541 wild horses in the HMA. Beginning on July 1, 2022, the BLM initiated a roundup of approximately 353 wild horses using helicopters to chase them into traps. Up to 30 mares were treated with Gona-Con, a fertility control suppressant that the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign) believes requires more research before implementation. The helicopters were operated by Sampson Livestock.

The captured wild horses were transported to Indian Lakes Off-Range Corrals in Fallon, Nevada, which has been documented to have several concerning violations.

The American Wild Horse Conservation was onsite to hold the BLM accountable.

Roundup Report

ROUNDUP CONCLUDED: 353 wild horses were captured and there were 10 deaths.

July 9, 2022

The American Wild Horse Conservation was one of two public members present at the Buffalo Hill roundup. The observer reported having no view of the trap during the operation. There were only two runs today. The first run started at 7:00 am with 8 adults and 1 foal. The second run began at 9:00 am, with 20+ horses coming in at a slow trot/walking. The roundup ended today.

July 8, 2022

35 horses were captured and two died. One 3-year-old Bay mare died unexpectedly due to a fractured neck, and one 20+-year-old Bay stallion was euthanized for a "pre-existing condition (pre-existing fracture -- broken leg)."

July 7, 2022

39 wild horses lost their freedom. The American Wild Horse Conservation's field representative was one of two public members in attendance today. She was placed approximately 240 yards away from the trap and was unable to see it due to trees obstructing the view, but she could view the wings and the alley leading into the trap’s pens. They were placed at the same location as yesterday and had the same concerns regarding the barbed wire fence line along the route horses were being chased.

There were a total of five runs today, but our observer was only able to view four of the five as the route the horses were driven on the last run was obscured. A few of the runs had young foals running in them.

After the roundup operation concluded for the day, our observer could not access the temporary holding pens as they are placed on private land.

July 6, 2022

56 wild horses lost their freedom today. The American Wild Horse Conservation's volunteer field observer was one of two public members onsite today for the sixth day of the operation. We met BLM at the meeting site at 5:30 am and drove 10 miles to the trap.

Horses were brought in close to barbed wire fencing, appearing sweaty. One stallion escaped the trap, and a mare and foal broke off from horses coming into the trap. Horses came in at a steady gallop. The trap is approximately 360 feet away, providing a good view of the wings of the trap; however, there is no view of the trap itself due to trees blocking the view.

July 5, 2022

31 wild horses were captured today, and there were 3 deaths:

30-year-old Bay stallion was euthanized by BLM due to a hernia
11-year-old Bay stallion died after breaking his neck
30-year-old Bay stallion was euthanized by BLM for having a "pre-existing fracture -- broken leg"

The American Wild Horse Conservation's volunteer field observer was one of two public members onsite today for the fifth day of the operation. We met BLM at the meeting site at 5:30 am and drove 10 miles to the trap.

The trap was watered down. Horses were brought in throughout the day, sometimes only one at a time. The temperature ranged from 56° to 93°, with wind speeds of 5 to 20 mph. We will be moving back to the trap from the first day tomorrow. Horses appeared sweaty and exhausted when coming into the trap.

July 4, 2022

48 wild horses were captured today (final numbers pending BLM report), and there were 2 deaths: a 25-year-old stallion was euthanized for being blind in one eye, and an 11-year-old mare was also euthanized for having a sway back.

The American Wild Horse Conservation's volunteer field observer was one of two public members onsite today for the fourth day of the operation. We were placed across the road approximately 1500 yards away. Visibility through the camera in the morning was clear, but due to the temperature in the afternoon, the heat restricted the view. The trap appeared to be set up differently than usual -- horses were brought into a larger pen and then guided into the trap area where they were loaded directly onto the trailer to go to temporary holding.

The temperature ranged from 56° to 93° with winds at 5 to 20 mph. The operation concluded at 3:30 pm due to wind.

July 3, 2022

70 wild horses were captured today, and there was 1 death after the BLM euthanized a 7-year-old Sorrell stallion due to a "pre-existing condition": physical deformity -- previous injury to the right front fetlock.

The American Wild Horse Conservation's volunteer field observer was one of two public members onsite today for the third day of the operation. We met BLM at 5:30 am and drove 10 miles to the trap. We were placed across the road approximately 1500 yards from the trap.

The trap appeared to be set up well. The temperature ranged from 53° to 88°. The pilot commented that these were the "squirreliest" horses he had ever worked with, meaning they broke off quite a bit and separated into different locations.

The Runs

6:57 am: The first run brought in 4 horses
7:44 am: 2 horses were brought in
10:30 am: 20 horses were captured
11:46 am: 15 horses were brought in
1:12 pm: 15 more horses were captured. Two horses ran back out of the trap, escaped back up the hill, and one foal was brought in by the wrangler.

There were approximately 56 horses for the day. The wind ranged from 10 to 20 mph, and at 1:30 pm, they called it a day due to wind.

July 2, 2022

18 wild horses were captured, and there was 1 death after a mare was found dead in the pen due to a "rattlesnake bite."

The American Wild Horse Conservation's volunteer field observer was one of two public members onsite today for the second day of the operation. The temperatures began at 50 degrees and reached 88 degrees by the time the roundup was called.

The trap was not visible from the observation site. Our representative requested to view the trap; however, we were told that the trap is on private property, and we are not allowed to enter. Trees around the trap blocked any visibility.

It appeared that the pilot was having issues keeping the horses together while bringing them into the trap. The horses' backs appeared sweaty, and they looked exhausted. The horses coming in had a body score of around 5.

The American Wild Horse Conservation's observer noted that a barbed-wire fence leading up to the trap was not tagged in the morning; however, in the afternoon, they tagged it.

There was a foal that fell behind, so the wranglers came out on a side-by-side, got out, picked him up, and forcefully threw him on the ground twice, hogtied him, and put him in the back of the side-by-side.

The operation concluded early at 1 pm due to high wind conditions. We are not allowed to go to temporary holding as it is on private land.

July 1, 2022

68 wild horses were captured today, and there was a death of a 4-month-old foal of "unknown causes."

The American Wild Horse Conservation's volunteer field observer was one of three public members onsite today for the first day of the operation. We met BLM at the meeting site at 4:30 am, arriving at the trap at 5:50 am. At that time, the temperature was 44 degrees Fahrenheit.

The BLM placed us in an area where we could not see the end of the trap and only had a partial view of the wing. The horses could be seen drenched with sweat, and young foals were falling behind, exerting themselves to keep up with their herd.