Utah Off-Range Corral Public Tour Reports
Date: Aug 7, 2024
Facility: Sutherland Off-Range Corral
Location: Sutherland, UT
Capacity: 102%. Holding 1,524 horses at max capacity of 1,500 (via BLM's latest survey).
On August 7, 2024, the Sutherland Off-Range Corral opened its gates to the public, holding wild horses recently removed from BLM roundups. Only one observer attended the tour joined by three BLM employees and the facility owners.
As of July 21, the facility exceeded its max capacity of 1,500 with 1,524 horses and foals. AWHC’s observer questioned that the corral is over capacity since foals were born in the facility; approximately 65 foals were born in holding, with mares still pregnant. The facility, which can only temporarily exceed its capacity, has been operating near or over its maximum for the past year due to more horses being trapped and minimal shipments out. The facility is in discussion to expand capacity to 2,000 horses using up to ten acres.
Most horses at Sutherland are from Nevada, including those from the Caliente Complex and Moriah Herd Area (HA). The facility has been focused on maintenance, preparing for future adoptions by fixing fences, gelding, and trimming hooves—recently trimming over 340 horses in the past few weeks.
Horses are being fed a grain and alfalfa hay mix, monitored by a nutritionist, and adjusted as needed to ensure proper nutrition. The facility’s veterinarian is regularly visiting and remains on call.
During the tour, horses were sorted by type—geldings, yearlings, mares, and mares with foals—with some gates left open to provide extra space. According to the observer, the animals appeared healthy. A foal, having squeezed through the bars, was observed sitting in the hay outside its pen but quickly returned to its dam.
Overall, the facility was orderly, clean, and well-managed, with calm horses and ample food and water.
Date: Aug 8, 2024
Facility: Axtell Off-Range Corral
Location: Axtell, UT
Capacity: According to observer reports, the facility is currently holding 1,612 of the 2,250 permitted horses with an expected influx of an additional 400 from the upcoming roundup in the Sulphur Herd Management Area. This will raise the population to over 2,000 horses—80% of its max capacity. As for burros, there are 968 being held at a max capacity of 2,000.
On August 8, 2024, the Axtell off-range wild horse facility held a public tour from 9 AM to 12 PM. The tour focused solely on the wild horse area, as the facility's contract does not currently include public access to the burro section. The facility recently received 269 burros from Blue Wing—mostly jacks and a few jennies—but they were not available for viewing. Mind, the burro’s wellbeing is of particular concern considering the distressing events that occurred during the recent Blue Wing roundup, including abusive treatment by the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) contractors. However, the BLM indicated that future contracts may allow for burro tours. The only visible burros were those grazing in a pasture seen from the road. Axtell remains the only off-range corral and pasture facility dedicated to burros.
Three BLM employees, including Utah Wild Horse Manager, the Axtell Facility Manager, and Program Assistant were present, along with the facility’s owners, their family, and contract workers. Seven members of the public attended the tour.
The facility expects an influx of 400 horses from the upcoming Sulphur Herd Management Area (HMA) roundup, which will bring them near capacity. Once horses arrive, they are branded and receive vaccinations, microchips, bloodwork, and the stallions are gelded. A contract veterinarian visits twice weekly and remains on call for emergencies.
The horses are fed a mix of 50% grain hay and 50% alfalfa hay once daily, with additional feedings in the morning and afternoon. Water is provided through a tire and float system, with rocks surrounding the water source in the largest pen to help naturally trim the horses’ hooves.
Attendees viewed two pens of horses recently removed from Swasey HMA, set to be returned to the wild after receiving fertility control measures. Other pens housed horses from various HMAs (including Bible Springs, Antelope, Cedar and Roberts Mountain), some awaiting long-term holding or adoption events. One pen contained fillies born at the facility, but about 300 other horses, mostly born in the facility, were off-limits due to their proximity to the burro area.
The horses appeared to be in good condition; there were a few visible wounds and one horse with a limp. The facility, including the prepping area, looked clean and well-maintained, with food and water accessible. The hydraulic chute in the prepping area presented safe handling during procedures like vaccinations and hoof trimming.
After the tour, some attendees drove around the burro area to observe the animals in the pasture. The burros, in seemingly good condition, were said to thrive better in pasture environments. The facility plans to eventually move the Blue Wing burros to the pasture, where they may be visible from the road.