Utah Horse Roundup Sparks Controversy and Debate

The Blawn Wash Gather in Utah has once again sparked debate about the management of wild horses. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) aims to collect 140 horses from state land in the southwestern portion of Utah. This roundup has brought to light differing opinions on how wild horses should be managed, with discussions focusing on adoption and fertility control methods.

Lisa Reid with the BLM reports that the roundup is proceeding smoothly. "Thus far we’ve been able to gather 70 horses successfully, we’ve had no incidences, no deaths, everything had come in healthy, looks great and we couldn’t be more pleased with operations," Reid said.

Opponents of the horse collection argue for new management practices. Suzanne Roy, Director of the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation), points out that the area where the horses are being gathered was once designated as a federal habitat. When the BLM traded the area to the state, no provisions were made for the horses, leading to their current removal.

Roy criticizes the BLM's practice of putting horses up for adoption, noting that 50,000 horses are in holding facilities across the U.S. while only 2,500 are adopted each year. "To suggest that adoption is the solution here is definitely misleading," she said. "The majority of the horses are going to be sent to long-term holding facilities where they have to be maintained at taxpayer expense, and that’s not a solution."

Roy advocates for birth control methods instead of collection, though Reid counters that this isn't feasible due to land designation issues. She explains that horses on state land are considered a nuisance. "Fertility control is a wonderful method that we use, it’s a tool that we have, however, in this particular area, because it is on state land there should be no horses on the property, this is considered private and no horses are to be managed on this," Reid said.

Despite the disagreements on management practices, Roy believes the conflict is resolvable. "I believe that the conflicts with ranchers are resolvable and I think that we can agree with the ranchers that the BLM has not managed the horses in the right way," Roy said. "Where we disagree with the ranchers is what the right way to manage horses is. It’s pretty clear that the majority of Americans support humanely managing the horses on the land that has been designated their habitat."

The collection of the horses is expected to continue through August 5.

Originally Posted By UPR