The BLM protects, manages, and controls wild horses and burros under the authority of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 to ensure that healthy herds thrive on healthy rangelands. The BLM manages these living symbols of the Western spirit as part of its multiple-use mission under the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act .
 | The BLM estimates that more than 38,000 wild horses and burros are roaming on BLM-managed rangelands in 10 Western states. Wild horse herd sizes can double about every four years. As a result, the agency must remove thousands of animals from the range each year to control population. New research on and stepped-up application of fertility-control measures will help bring herd sizes down to appropriate management levels. |
 | Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has proposed a national solution to restore the health of America’s wild horse herds and the rangelands that support them by creating a cost-efficient, sustainable management program that includes the possible creation of wild horse preserves on the productive grasslands of the Midwest and East. The initiative has received wide support from local and state agencies as well as advocacy groups. |
 | Secretary Salazar's Initiative and the recent gathers have generated a considerable amount of publicity about the wild horse program. Local as well as national news organizations have commented on the program. State wildlife agencies have joined wilderness and wildlife groups, such as the National Wildlife Federation, in support of the initiative and/or gather. |
 | Providing a home for a wild horse or burro is a challenging and rewarding experience. For qualified individuals, this is a unique opportunity to care for, then own, a "Living Legend" of the American West. If you can't adopt but still want to help, the program encourages people to volunteer, serve on advisory committees, and make donations. |
 | During the 1950s in Nevada, Velma B. Johnston, later known as Wild Horse Annie, worked to stop the ruthless manner in which wild horses on Western rangelands were being treated by "mustangers." Today, nearly 40 years after Congress passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, the BLM carries out a program that includes adoption, research, and management of these iconic animals in a humane manner. |
BLM State Wild Horse Program Links |
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