Home on the Range: Federal Options Dwindling for Wild Horses

In 1971, Congress recognized the rapid disappearance of horses and burros from the American landscape, prompting the creation of protective legislation. Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), responsible for managing these wild populations, faces a critical shortage of space for these animals.

In northeastern Nevada, a recent adoption event faced potential setbacks due to unexpected snowfall. The foals, aged 6 to 11 months, were gathered from the Diamond Complex and held near Eureka for adoption. Despite the weather, turnout exceeded expectations.

“Surprisingly, it went very well,” said Shawna Richardson, BLM Battle Mountain District wild horse specialist. “We were impressed with the turnout. ... It’s a testament to those people.”

Nineteen horses were available for adoption on February 9. Prospective buyers examined the horses and their information sheets before the event began.

“There were so many people walking around looking at the yearlings and sitting doing paperwork that we could not get an accurate count,” BLM Battle Mountain District public affairs officers wrote in an email.

Some horses attracted multiple buyers, leading to an informal lottery where the drawn name had the first option to purchase the horse for $150. Ultimately, 12 horses were adopted.

“I know that we’ve got folks out there in rural Nevada interested in adopting these horses for ranch work and recreation,” Richardson said. “For us to be able to bring horses close to them, it allows them to cut through some of the red tape and it allows them to see what horses are available without traveling very far.”

Despite the turnout, seven horses were not adopted and were sent to Palomino Valley, a BLM facility north of Reno, for future adoption opportunities. Richardson speculated that more horses might have been adopted if not for the snow.

“Ideally we would like to adopt them all out,” said BLM Elko District spokeswoman Leslie Ellis-Wouters.

How it Works

The BLM’s wild horse and burro management strategy involves rounding up excess horses in overpopulated areas and offering them for public adoption. Buyers receive the horse’s title after a year, following an inspection to ensure proper care.

“But we know they’re not all going to get adopted out,” Ellis-Wouters added.

Unadoptable horses, typically older than six and passed over three times, are sent to long-term holding facilities in Oklahoma and Kansas.

“The ones that go to the pastures in the Midwest, they live out their lives there. They’re very comfortable, spacious pastures. They have nice grass and don’t have to work as hard for a living,” said Tom Gorey, National BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program spokesperson.

Storage Capacity

The number of horses in long-term pastures has surpassed those on the range, leading to a capacity crunch. “We’re reaching a critical mass in terms of what we do going forward because we cannot gather horses that we can’t take care of,” Gorey said. “At the same time, we don’t want to see horses that are in need, due to drought or other factors. We don’t want to see them suffer from malnutrition.”

More than 49,000 wild horses live in long-term holding, with a capacity of about 52,500. Each gather brings the total closer to the holding ceiling.

In total, 792 horses were gathered from the Diamond Complex between January 18 and February 6. Two horses were euthanized due to preexisting conditions, Richardson said. One had an infected cut that had spread to its organs, and the other was severely emaciated.

Most of the gathered horses, 778, were sent to Palomino Valley for adoption preparation, where they received shots, a freeze-branded marking, and other care.

Overpopulation

The number of horses gathered from the Diamond Complex is more than three times the appropriate management level for the area, set at 210. An estimated 161 horses remained after the gather, with another 30 sent to Northern Nevada Correctional Center’s holding facility, with the possibility of returning to the range in the future.

“We have an overpopulation problem,” Gorey said. “By our calculation, which is determined by our field offices, we have a free-roaming population of 37,000 right now, and the appropriate management level is 26,500.”

In Nevada, the state with the largest wild horse population, numbers approached 20,000 in fiscal year 2012, according to the BLM’s website. The state’s appropriate management level is deemed 12,778.

Room and Board

Efforts to recruit more ranchers to house wild horses have been largely unsuccessful, as horse storage is less lucrative than cattle. Holding costs are a significant portion of the wild horse and burro program’s budget.

“We pay between $1.30 and $1.40 per horse per day, which is about $475 per year, per horse,” Gorey said. “Our budget is about $75 million, and 60 percent goes to holding.”

“As far as a quick fix, there is none,” he added.

Slaughterhouses

In 2004, Congress amended the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, directing the agency to sell excess horses and burros “without limitations to any willing buyer,” according to the BLM website. This program is separate from the BLM’s adoption program.

Since 2005, about 5,400 horses have been sold, many to Tom Davis of Colorado.

“He is a livestock buyer who buys domestic horses at auctions and sells them to slaughterhouses, that much is known,” said Suzanne Roy, American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation) Director.

ProPublica reported that Davis bought 1,700 wild horses, raising questions about whether these horses were sent to slaughterhouses.

Purchases were made at various BLM sites, including a purchase at Palomino Valley of 67 animals at $10 a head in March 2010, according to BLM records.

An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of the Interior is ongoing related to these sales, Gorey said.

The Inspector General’s office did not return calls for comment. Davis was unable to be reached.

The allegations sparked outrage from many horse advocates, prompting the BLM to change its sales policy on January 3. Under the new rules, no more than four horses or burros can be purchased by one person in a six-month period. Buyers must describe where the animals will be kept for the first six months, and transportation trailers are to be inspected.

If a capacity solution is found, it could come from outside the agency.

Public Input

Before a wild horse gather, local districts collect public comments included in an environmental assessment.

“‘Wild horses should be controlled by natural means,’” Bruce Thompson, Elko District BLM wild horse specialist, read from a binder regarding the Owyhee Complex gather.

The gather finished around the same time the Diamond Complex gather began. A judge had temporarily ordered the gather to cease after horse advocates worried the animals were hurt with shock sticks.

“Opposed to the gather. ... It’s a waste of taxpayer money,” another commenter said.

A February 13 letter signed by 21 members of Congress was sent to Secretary of the Department of the Interior Ken Salazar, asking to “modernize the wild horse and burro program.”

“It must also develop a long-term strategy that reflects balanced interests of America’s wild horses and burros and the unique legacy of our public lands,” the letter said.

Originally Posted By Elko Daily Free Press