Court Sides With Wild Horse Advocates in Landmark Case

A recent ruling by a Nevada U.S. District Court judge has marked a significant victory for wild horse advocates. The court dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Nevada Association of Counties and the Nevada Farm Bureau Federation, which sought the removal of wild horses from public and private rangelands to protect ecological balance.

The Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971 provides federal protection for wild horse and burro herds on Western rangelands, placing them under the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) jurisdiction. According to the BLM, over 20,000 wild horses and burros resided in Nevada during the last fiscal year, while the state's maximum management level is approximately 12,700 animals.

The lawsuit alleged that the BLM violated the act by failing to remove "excess" horses, which allegedly harmed the ecological integrity of the rangelands and threatened the livelihoods of ranchers grazing livestock there.

American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign), author Terri Farley, and wild horse photographer Mark Terrell intervened in the case, filing a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on the grounds of lacking merit.

On March 12, Judge Miranda M. Du granted the motion to dismiss, citing the complaint's lack of specificity. "The court reasoned that, despite the plaintiffs’ allegation that the BLM's administration had rampantly violated applicable laws, the plaintiffs failed to identify a single agency action for review," the ruling stated.

Furthermore, the court denied the request to ensure BLM compliance with the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, stating, "The court lacks the jurisdiction to oversee such a sweeping request."

Attorney Katherine Meyer, representing the American Wild Horse Conservation, Farley, and Terrell, praised the decision. "We are pleased that the court declined to allow these grazing interests to use the judicial system to revamp the priorities of the 1971 wild horse and burro act to protect wild horses on the public lands as much as possible," she said.

Jeffrey Fontaine, executive director of the Nevada Association of Counties, and Tom Gorey, BLM spokesman, were unavailable for comment.

Originally Posted By The Horse