Forest Service's Troubling Record of Wild Horse Sales and Transportation

In August 2020, the Modoc National Forest (MNF) faced criticism for its handling of Devil's Garden wild horses. The Forest Service's practices of selling and transporting these horses have raised significant concerns regarding animal welfare and the use of taxpayer money.

In an attempt to manage the horses at the Double Devil corrals, the MNF continued its controversial sales and transportation practices that began in January 2020. The Forest Service announced that all Devil's Garden wild horses at its facility after the 2019 roundup were available for sale for $1 each.

The Forest Service offered free transportation across the country to anyone with an approved sales application who could assemble a "load" of horses, ranging from 10 to 35, to a specific region. According to the MNF, this was intended to "open up markets" for the horses, as shipping costs deterred many potential buyers.

These federal "giveaways," coupled with inadequate screening of potential buyers, undermine the Congressional prohibition on sales without limitations on slaughter and raise questions about the Forest Service's placement of Devil's Garden horses and taxpayer money usage.

Recently, the MNF sold and transported 19 horses, including several foals, to a private couple collaborating with the nonprofit Love Wild Horses for a rewilding project on 60 acres in remote northern Colorado.

Welfare concerns about this project include inadequate fencing, forage, and shelter; lack of access to deliver supplementary hay in the winter; and regular monitoring of the horses and fencing.

Since the horses arrived, Love Wild Horses has been "emergency" fundraising for foal-proof fencing, surgery for a foal with an umbilical hernia, and vet/farrier care to trim the horses' overgrown hooves.

Before selling these horses, the MNF did not conduct a site visit due to lack of funding, instead using Google Maps or other GPS tools to confirm the property's location and size.

Questionable Sales and Transportation

Questionable sales and transportation of Devil's Garden horses in July include:

• After 14 horses were delivered to private individuals in northwestern Pennsylvania, several broke through the corral fencing and escaped. To date, four horses have not been caught, and according to the MNF, it will not assist in capturing them as the Forest Service has no jurisdiction after the title is granted.
• Another load of 23 horses, aged 11 to 18 years, was shipped to northern Florida for the 2020 Devil's Garden Challenge, a privately organized competition to demonstrate that older mustangs can be trained. A 17-year-old gelding died from colic a few weeks after arrival. Participants have around 120 days to work with their horses before the in-hand competition, and those who do not wish to keep their horses can sell them.

About 20 horses remain at the Double Devil Wild Horse Corrals, with hundreds from the 2018 and 2019 roundups available at the Litchfield BLM corrals.