Wild Horses at the Center of Complex Legal Fight in Denver Federal Court

DENVER -- A legal battle has commenced in federal court over the controversial rounding up of thousands of wild horses that inhabit millions of acres in the Western United States. This case highlights the ongoing conflict between federal management and preservation efforts.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) annually removes these animals frompublic lands. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals is tasked with determining whether federal officials violated the law by not considering alternatives to the roundups and whether theBLMfailed to establish an "appropriate management level" for the horses.

"BLMhas proven itself unable to effectively manage the horses over 40 years given politics, money, and just the difficulty of the program," stated Connie Brooks, attorney for sheep ranchers.

This litigation is complex, involving multiple parties such as state and federal governments, preservationists, rancher associations, andBLMinterests, with wild horses caught in the middle.

"TheBLMis essentially turning control of ourpublic landsover to private livestock interests that want to wipe out the wild horses and send them to slaughter," said Suzanne Roy with the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation).

Wyoming is suing to protect the rights of private property owners.

"So you have both the private landowners and the Bureau in a tough spot, and I think what you heard (Monday) is that the Bureau has arrived at the best solution to a very difficult problem," commented Wyoming Assistant Attorney General Eric Peterson.

TheBLMhas scheduled its next wild horse roundup for mid-October, likely before the court rules on what one of the judges described as an "intractable problem."

Originally posted by Fox 31 Denver