Roundup Report: Triple B Complex Wild Horses - July 2022
In remote eastern Nevada, a familiar tragedy is unfolding. Government-contracted helicopters are descending on a vast, 1.6 million-acre expanse of public land known as the Triple B Complex, where thousands of wild horses live.
The goal of the roundup is to remove up to 1,800 of these iconic mustangs from their natural habitat in an effort to reduce the wild horse population on rangelands where approximately 7,300 privately-owned cattle or 36,000 sheep are authorized to graze either wholly or partially within the wild horse Complex each year. Powerful ranchers, like the Goicoechea family (State Senator Pete Goicoechea and his son, former Nevada State Veterinarian JJ Goicoechea), hold permits to graze their livestock on our public lands in the area at vastly below market rates that are subsidized with our tax dollars. The more political clout these federally-subsidized ranchers have, the more likely they are to secure large wild horse roundups on the public lands where their livestock graze.
ROUNDUP REPORT
The Triple B Complex roundup concluded on August 24, resulting in 1,897 wild horses captured and 23 deaths.
August 25, 2022: Wild Horse Release
We met at the BLM office in Ely, NV at 8:00 am. We followed out to where the temporary holding was approximately 30 miles NW of Ely off Hwy 50. We were instructed to park across the Hwy. As we pulled in, one livestock truck was leaving, going in the direction that would take you to the Indian Lakes facility in Fallon, NV.
We sat across the street while they loaded the two other livestock trucks. We then followed a BLM truck and trailer loaded with 12 stallions. There was another truck and trailer with an unknown number of stallions that they released into a different area. Originally, their press release stated that they would treat and release 100 mares; however, we were informed that now they will be releasing 50 treated mares and 50 untouched stallions back into the Triple B complex.
During the loading of the livestock trailers, the horses seemed agitated, scared, and confused. The Triple B roundup has now concluded, but the release of the rest of the stallions and treated mares will occur in approximately 40 days.
August 24, 2022: 43 wild horses were rounded up and removed. The operation has concluded.
We met at the Ely BLM office at 5:30 am, and it was a mild 64°F. The BLM Ely District Manager, Robbie McAboy, came out and met with us to see if we had any questions and to check on how the roundup was going. We then traveled approximately 56 miles NW of Ely.
At 8:19 am, we could hear the helicopter approaching; by 8:30 am, he brought in approximately 15 to 20 horses. A few minutes later, around 5 horses ran past the wing of the trap, but he quickly got them turned around and brought them into the trap. At 10:11 am, he brought another group; a foal was separated just outside the open area of the wing, and a wrangler went out and roped him.
Around 11:18, the helicopter landed, and we were done for the day. This concluded the roundup.
We were allowed to visit temporary holding today and did not witness any injuries on the horses' legs or hooves. Contractors were starting to gather their things up around the temporary holding site. Once we walked around temporary holding, we met with the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Specialist and the lead COR for this gather and were told that instead of 100 mares being treated and released due to the stallion/mare ratio, they now plan on releasing 50 treated mares and 50 older stallions back to the range.
We will meet in the morning for the release of 12-15 of the older stallions that are in temporary holding currently. Others will be released when they release the mares approximately 40 days from now. The horses rounded up will be shipped to the off-range holding facilities Indian Lakes in Fallon, NV, and the Sutherland facility in UT. Anyone wishing to adopt can visit the BLM website for information.
August 23, 2022: 207 wild horses were captured.
August 22, 2022: 62 wild horses lost their freedom today.
August 21, 2022: 11 wild horses were captured, and there were two deaths after a 3-year-old sorrel stallion broke his neck and after the BLM euthanized a 3-year-old mare for partial blindness.
August 20, 2022: 158 wild horses were captured.
August 19, 2022: 14 wild horses were captured.
When we arrived at our observation, there was barely any activity going on at the trap site. We had to wait about 2 hours before we could hear the helicopter in the distance, and at the same time, the first trailer pulled up.
Around 9, we could finally see the helicopter out in the valley with a group of 12 horses.
Nearing the trap site, a black foal got separated and quietly stood on a hill. At 9:50, the group was in the trap site. We saw a trailer go out to where the foal was with two saddle horses in it. At 9:55, the foal got roped. He could have been very tired as he didn’t try to get away when the saddle horses got close to him. But when he felt the rope around his neck, he reared up a few times.
The trailer pulled in, and he was trailered to the trap site as it was too far away to guide him all the way on horseback. The helicopter went out again, and for the next hour/hour and a half or so, he could not find any horses in the area. I could see about 50 out in the valley still, but I was told there is fencing, so that’s why he couldn’t get them.
They called the day off for today and are moving the trap site.
August 18, 2022: 115 wild horses were captured, and there was 1 death after a foal was euthanized after suffering a break to his left leg.
As we arrived, we could see several groups scattered across the enormous valley. During the first run, we saw around 25 horses coming to the trap site. Nearing the trap site, a band of 5 managed to break away from the larger group. The other 15 horses ended up being pushed into the trap quickly. He then went after the remaining band of 5 horses. It took the pilot some time for them to enter the wings. He managed to get the family all the way to the catch pen. The stallion quickly became aware of the situation, stopped for one second, and took off right past the helicopter without hesitation.
His family also quickly turned around, following him right outside the wings. They took off to the left, and the stallion tried everything to bring his family to safety. It appeared to me that the pilot was now trying to cut off his family so the stallion would eventually give up, but as the helicopter tried to keep them separate, he turned back around, wondering where his family went, and started running towards them again.
He managed to guide them away from the wings one time, but the helicopter was able to cut them off soon after. Again, stopping and looking back at his family, he approached the helicopter again but then decided to take off in the other direction. The helicopter guided the family towards the wings, and entering the wings, they just stopped. The helicopter kept hovering over them for a few minutes as they just stood there. They eventually moved off, and the pilot turned on his sirens to get them to go in.
At 7:57, the 4 of them were in the trap site.
I followed the stallion going all the way across the valley. He tried joining another band while escaping, but he got run off by the stallion of that herd. He cantered off into the valley alone and without his family. After this, another group of about 13 came in, and one 3/4-week-old foal got behind as they were nearing the trap site. The wrangler came out as the foal started to approach us. We watched the foal getting roped. As they were standing still, I could see the foal in an obviously highly stressful situation. Despite the roper giving him lots of slack, he still got scared/flustered and fell over on his back. The foal quickly got up and appeared to be fine.
A band of 10 horses came in from the other side. As they approached the wings, a buckskin stallion led them away out of the trap site into the valley. The pilot was determined to get this family and chased them for about an hour all the way out of sight. When they came in again around 9:15, I couldn’t see their stallion anymore, and only 9 came into the trap site.
Around 9:20, I saw another very tired group of 9 horses come into the trap. They seemed very tired. At 11:20, another 5 horses were brought in. At 12:30, a larger group of 23 very tired horses came in. At 1:30, 9 horses came from between the mountains, and by 1:41, all horses made it to the trap.
The stallion, however, tried to get his family to safety, and I noticed him charging at the helicopter multiple times. At 2:04, 4 more horses came in, and the day ended after this run.
August 17, 2022: 39 wild horses were captured.
August 16, 2022: 59 wild horses were captured.
Our meeting point and trap site were the same as yesterday. Only one helicopter ended up flying today.
The same band of 11 horses we saw escape yesterday was being pushed into the trap site around 8:20 am. It was an easy and quick run, and by 8:44, everyone was loaded onto the trailer. 3 foals were kept separate in a side pen and were then loaded at the end.
At 9:50, approximately 10 horses came into the trap site, with one of them escaping and jumping over the left wing. At 10:05, they were pushing the second group of horses into the trap site, and as they got closer, 5 horses took the lead and ran through the left wing, with the others following soon after. The helicopter managed to get them all in by 10:10.
By 10:50, two trailers went out, with the last one going very fast. By 12 pm, the next run came in with about 10 horses. There were two foals, and one of them looked pretty young; my guess was 2-3 weeks old. When the foals got separated in the small side pen, the older foal was very anxious but eventually settled down.
I saw a few older horses rearing up to the fence a couple of times, but other than that, they were pretty calm at the trap site; I didn’t see any fighting. Loading didn’t always go as smoothly, but I did not see any horses get injured.
At 1:40, we noticed 6 horses up on the ridge. For a moment, they all stopped as they were directly above us. They looked down at the trap site and started calling for each other. They then proceeded to trot out of sight. At the same time, the helicopter was pushing 16 horses down into the valley. At 2 pm, they were all in the trap site.
The helicopter went after those 6 horses we saw earlier. As they were being pushed into the trap site, we noticed the helicopter go back behind the hill. A foal got separated and was cantering over the hill to the other side. The helicopter took off, leaving it to a wrangler to come rope the foal. The wrangler did a good job being gentle and bringing the foal to the trap site quickly.
We watched all the horses load and two more trailers going out. We then left to go to temporary holding. When we arrived at temp holding, they still had to unload a trailer. They were still sorting the horses, and during that process, I saw one horse rearing up to the fence. I assume he fell over, but the fencing obstructed our view.
I did not see any visible injuries. The weather has been quite nice the past few days, and today ended with a high of 84°F.
August 15, 2022: No horses were captured today.
Our meeting point was the BLM office in Ely, which we left at 6 am in the morning. We had about an hour's drive to the new trap site. Nearing the new trap site, we saw several groups of horses running out on the open range. We were able to pull over and get a few shots as they ran across the road.
At 7:30 am, we could hear the two helicopters in the air going after that same group of approximately 20 horses.
Around 8 am, the group of horses was getting closer to us; they got split up, and one group went up the ridge next to us while the other group ran down into the valley.
At the same time, we noticed both helicopters were landing. They were obscured by trees, so we couldn’t see what was going on. About 30 minutes later, we got notified that one of the helicopters had mechanical issues and took a hard landing. The pilot was shaken up, but thankfully no one got hurt.
They ended the roundup at that time, and no horses were captured today.
August 13-14, 2022: No roundup operations occurred today.
August 12, 2022: 72 wild horses were captured.
August 11, 2022: 74 horses were captured today.
August 10, 2022: 76 wild horses were captured, and there were two deaths after a sorrel foal died unexpectedly due to colic, and the BLM euthanized a 5-year-old sorrel mare for having a "pre-existing" broken front leg.
August 9, 2022: 100 wild horses were captured, and there was a 7-year-old bay mare that died after she suffered a broken neck.
August 8, 2022: 41 wild horses were captured, and there was 1 death after the BLM euthanized a 7-year-old mare for missing her left eye.
August 7, 2022: 79 horses lost their freedom.
August 6, 2022: No roundup today due to heavy rains.
August 5, 2022: 12 wild horses were captured.
August 4, 2022: 39 wild horses were captured, and there were 2 deaths after the BLM euthanized a 1-year-old sorrel filly for having colic and a 20+-year-old dun stallion who the BLM euthanized for being blind and missing a right eye.
August 3, 2022: 49 wild horses were captured.
August 2, 2022: 67 horses were captured today, and there was 1 death: a bay filly was euthanized by the BLM for "lameness -- weak tendons." This brings the death toll so far to 14.
August 1, 2022: 28 wild horses were captured today.
July 31, 2022: 37 wild horses were captured today.
July 30, 2022: The helicopters did not fly today.
July 29, 2022: The helicopters did not fly today.
July 28, 2022: 76 wild horses were captured today, and two were euthanized. One 20+-year-old bay stallion and one 20+-year-old sorrel mare were euthanized due to pre-existing conditions.
The following report is from photographer and AWHC field observer Darlene Smith.
Today was an extremely long day. We met again at 4:45 AM, 40 miles outside of Ely, Nevada. We arrived at the observation site at 6:10 AM, which was located 110 miles Northwest of Ely.
At 6:26 AM, I saw dust rising and horses running in from a couple of miles away. At 6:36 AM, 10 entered the trap. 20 minutes later, 6 more entered.
At 7:25 AM, about 8 were seen coming down a bluff and into the valley. They entered the trap at 7:49 AM. The pilot refueled until 8:05.
I could hear the helicopter but not see it until 8:46 AM when I spotted it hovering near a rocky slope on the mountain right behind the trap. I had no visual of the horses until they actually entered the wings. About 10 entered at 8:53 AM.
The helicopter was gone over 45 minutes before he came in sight again at 9:35 AM. He was moving horses through the trees about 1/2 mile south of the trap. 8 went into the trap 10 minutes later. The pilot refueled until 10:00 AM.
The helicopter disappeared for another hour. I saw it again at 11:06 AM, and he was pushing 4 horses toward the trap. They entered a few minutes later. I couldn’t see any of the approaches, so I have no idea how long during that hour they had been running. They are bringing them from the other side of the ridge, which is completely out of sight. The temperature is now 93°F.
At 12:30 PM, he drove a beautiful band of 6 containing whites and buckskins, including a young foal, out of the foothills. They had broken off from a group that was caught yesterday, so I was sad to see them caught today. As they got closer to the trap, the foal was lagging behind. At 12:40 PM, 5 went in the trap, but the foal did not. I lost track of it in the trees. The helicopter went back out and circled. Wranglers went into the trees, but I could not see anything. I inquired about the foal and was told it was roped behind the trap and was fine. We had no visual.
At 12:55 PM, the pilot drove one horse down from the foothills. He got close to the trap but escaped again into the trees. Clouds have moved in and lowered the temperature, so they are going to fly longer today. At 2:00 PM, approximately 8 black and bay horses were spotted running in. They entered the trap at 2:14 PM.
The sun was now back out, and it was 93°F.
Over an hour passed, and then I saw a few horses coming in at 3:30 PM. They went into the trap at 3:48 PM. The pilot went back out and attempted to get one in that I hadn’t seen following the others. He must have broken off near the trees. He looked either injured or completely exhausted. He just stood there as the helicopter swirled dust from above. Wranglers went out, and they caught him a couple of minutes later. They stayed in one spot for about 10 minutes before starting to walk him in. I didn’t have a good visual due to the distance to see what was going on. He walked in very slowly and would often just stop and stand there. I lost sight of him as he entered the wings due to trees.
At 4:25 PM, approximately 8 horses and another group of 4 were being run toward the trap from a couple of miles away. I do not know how far they’d come before I saw them. They were moving slowly. At 4:40, the first 4 went into the trap. The other 8 entered at 4:52 PM. By the time they reached the wings, they were walking very slowly.
They were finally done flying today. If I wanted to go to temp holding, I was told I’d have to wait for the remaining trailers to leave the trap for holding. Then there was still no guarantee I’d be able to walk around due to the late hour and the horses still needing to be processed. I stayed.
An hour later, we headed to temp holding. I inquired about the horse that had to be roped and slowly walked in. They said it was an older stud, very emaciated, and he was euthanized. I checked on the foal that was separated, and it was back with his dam and appeared okay. Horses were calm, had food and water, body scores between 3-5. I left temp holding at 6:40 PM and drove two hours back to Ely. Very long day. We were told there will be no flying on Friday the 29th due to FAA inspection.
July 27, 2022: 47 wild horses were captured, and two were euthanized. The BLM euthanized a 20+-year-old sorrel mare for severe tooth loss; unable to maintain or improve a BCS of 3. The second horse euthanized was a 3-year-old sorrel mare for being blind.
AWHC observer Darlene Smith is onsite at the Triple B roundup. Below is her report.
We left our meeting spot 40 miles North of Ely at 4:45 AM and traveled 70 miles Northwest to the same trap location as Tuesday. They put us a tiny bit farther down the road. But that actually made it harder than the day prior to see the horses as they were hauled to temp holding. This observation site is impossible to view anything meaningful from. The trap is over 1.5 miles away, completely obscured in the trees, and the only way we know if horses enter is by the cloud of dust that rises from the trees as the helicopter swoops them in. But there is no way of knowing if they all went in, or if a foal was separated, etc...
About 7:00 AM, I saw the helicopter hovering near a canyon. I soon saw 6 horses making their way down a rocky slope. They kept running back up and into the canyon out of sight. After a 20-minute pursuit up and down, the pilot left them to go find others.
At 7:30 AM, 4 horses were run toward the trap. One lagged a little behind and veered off by himself as the others turned toward the trap. The other 3 entered the trap at 7:51 AM. The one horse got away. The pilot refueled until 8:04 AM.
At 8:41 AM, 5 entered the trap. 3 minutes later, another 8 were caught. There were 2 small foals in that group. The pilot refueled until 9:05 AM.
At 9:33 AM, I spotted 7 running in from the opposite mountain range that was farther away. At 9:49 AM, 5 went into the trap. The other 2 ran north of the trap. The pilot went back out for them and brought them in just 5 minutes later. The pilot refueled until 10:18 AM.
The helicopter disappeared for an hour before I saw him at 11:15 AM. 11 horses are spotted at this time, but I have no idea how long they’d already been pursued. They were coming from a much farther distance. The last horse (a beautiful black stallion) veered away about 1.5 miles from the trap and ran to the East of the trap. Every so often, he would stop and look toward the rest of his band being pushed into the trap. He was still free, but now alone. 10 entered the trap at 11:28 AM. Shortly after, 4 more were spotted heading toward the wings, including a very small foal. All 4 entered the trap at 11:40 AM.
At 11:55 AM, 3 horses were being pursued. The lead horse broke away in the opposite direction. The pilot pursued the other two, what appeared to be a mare and a yearling. The two entered the trap at 12:08 PM at a slow pace. I’m sure after running for a few miles in 93° heat, they were exhausted. The lead horse remained free but alone.
We were done with another difficult day of viewing due to distance. We had to wait on-site for the trailers to leave the trap. The first 2 trailers of horses left from the trap to temp holding at 12:24 PM. The last at 1:20 PM.
We then followed them to temp holding and arrived at 1:50 PM. They were watering down the pens. We waited until 2:30 and then walked around. Horses were calm and had food and water. There were a lot of young foals today. It is definitely still foaling season. I asked how they go about choosing which horses will be returned to the range. He commented that they generally choose mares over age 10 to release back because the younger ones are more adoptable.
Unfortunately, we will be returning to the same observation site for a third day on Thursday.
July 26, 2022: 52 wild horses lost their freedom today.
We met 40 miles North of Ely at 4:45 AM and then traveled an additional 70 miles Northwest to a new trap site. We had to pull off the road at about 6:10 AM because the helicopter was already flying and had horses he was pushing to trap. We had to watch from miles away, which was impossible to see clearly. I had no idea if any horses were already caught at this point. We finally arrived at the observation point around 6:45 AM, which wasn’t much better. We were still over 1.5 miles away, and the trap was in the trees with no visibility. If you looked very carefully, you could barely make out part of one wing. This was the worst observation site I've ever been to.
At 7:20 AM, I could see 9 horses being run in. As they approached the trap, they dispersed into the trees and were no longer visible. I followed the helicopter and then saw 7 emerge from the trees heading the opposite direction from the trap. The pilot pursued, but they fled higher on the mountain. The pilot aborted the run and left for fuel at 8:10, nearly an hour after the pursuit began.
At 8:30 AM, I saw the helicopter over the same ridge he’d left the prior run at. He was pursuing the same group again.
At 8:45 AM, 3 went into the trap.
At 8:47 AM, 6 went into the trap.
The helicopter hovered on the mountain and would disappear into a canyon for the next 30 minutes. I could then see a few horses making their way down the rocky mountainside behind the trap. At 9:30 AM, about 5 entered the trap. The pilot left and refueled again.
A trailer hauling the first group to temp holding came by. The road looked quite rough. They stopped for a few minutes. I observed the driver grab a stick off a bush and poke it into the trailer. The BLM then drove up and assisted. I asked what had happened, and he said a horse fell down in the back, and they used the stick to prompt her to get back up. He said she had been kicked in the face. As the trailer passed, I could see blood on that horse's head.
For another 30 minutes, I once again could see the helicopter hovering over the mountain in and out of canyons. At 10:10 AM, I could see a couple of small groups of horses heading down the mountain. At 10:30 AM, one of those groups of about 4 entered the trap. The others fled to the trees.
The helicopter disappeared over the mountain and was out of sight for almost an hour. At 11:20, I could again see a couple of small groups heading down the mountain. At 11:35, about 6 entered the trap. 2 minutes later, 2 more entered. 10 minutes later, another 6 entered.
At 12:16 PM, 8 horses were spotted coming down the mountain. At 12:29 PM, they entered the trap. The temperature was now reaching 92°F.
At 12:58 PM, another 5-6 went into the trap.
At 1:45, the last 3 for today were caught. The temperature had now climbed to 94°F.
They were done flying for the day.
Due to distance, temperature, and heat distortion, it was a very difficult day for viewing. Unfortunately, we will be back at the same site on Wednesday.
On the trailer going from trap to temp holding, the road was quite bumpy, and a mare fell down. They used a flag and stick to help get her up. When they came by closer, I could see blood on her face. BLM said she had been kicked.
We had to wait onsite for a couple of hours before seeing temp holding.
July 25, 2022: 19 wild horses lost their freedom today, and two lost their lives. One 6-year-old palomino stallion died unexpectedly due to a broken neck, and the BLM euthanized a 10-year-old sorrel mare due to a clubbed foot.
July 24, 2022: 42 wild horses were captured.
July 23, 2022: The helicopters did not fly today.
July 22, 2022: 37 wild horses were captured today. Two young foals lost their lives. A 4-month-old dun foal was euthanized due to a pre-existing fractured right front leg. Another 4-month-old bay foal was euthanized for a "pre-existing deformity -- congenital lax flexor tendons."
July 21, 2022: 69 wild horses were captured today.
July 20, 2022: 41 wild horses were chased into traps today. One was euthanized due to a "pre-existing fractured right front leg."
July 19, 2022: 56 wild horses were captured today, and three lost their lives. A 20+-year-old sorrel stallion was euthanized for a pre-existing fractured right front leg, a 5-year-old bay stallion was euthanized for a pre-existing sway back, and a 5-year-old bay mare was euthanized for a pre-existing fractured back.
July 18, 2022: 39 wild horses lost their freedom today.
July 17, 2022: 43 wild horses were captured today.
July 16, 2022: The helicopters did not fly today.
July 15, 2022: 19 wild horses were captured, and there were 2 deaths: a 6-year-old palomino stallion died after suffering a broken neck, and the BLM euthanized a healthy 10-year-old sorrel mare for having a club foot.
I met the BLM at 4:45 AM, 40 miles North of Ely, and then traveled another 40 miles Northwest to the trap site. We arrived at the trap at about 5:45 AM. Not long after we arrived, they watered down the trap area to cut down dust. The trap was a little over 1/2 mile away from observation. I could see the entire trap and left wing but little to none of the approach leading up to the trap.
I heard the helicopter at 6 am but didn’t see any horses until right as they entered the wings at 7:15 AM. Run 1 was about 7 horses. As they were loading the trailer, one black horse tried unsuccessfully to jump over the panels.
Run 2 came in at 7:45 AM of just 2 horses. As they entered the wings, one veered off and tumbled over the left wing and escaped. The pilot went after him and immediately brought him back in. The pilot landed until 8 AM. Horses were loaded onto the trailer, and one became very agitated and kept kicking another. They let them back out of the trailer into the trap and then reloaded them again before leaving for temp holding.
We later found out at temp holding that they removed the horse that was the subject of the aggressive stallion and loaded him with the foals. The aggressor was then loaded first with different stallions, and the fighting subsided.
The pilot was gone over an hour before I could hear the helicopter again. At 9:20 AM, I saw about 10 horses coming in. I do not know how long they were being pushed before they came into sight due to terrain. They entered the trap at 9:30 am. At 10:30 AM, they called it a day since they are changing trap sites for Tuesday.
We then went to temp holding that was 21 miles from the trap site. We waited outside the gates for an hour until we could walk around. I could see them watering down the pens for dust, feeding, and watering. Horses seemed mainly calm. No injuries seen or reported to us.