Gather, Adoption, Holding, and Sales Statistics
Federal protection and a lack of natural predators have resulted in significant increases to wild horse and burro herd populations. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) monitors rangeland conditions and wild horse and burro herds to determine the number of animals, including livestock and wildlife, that the land can support. When deteriorating rangeland conditions are determined, the BLM removes excess wild horses and burros from overpopulated Herd Management Areas (HMAs) and restricts livestock grazing to keep animal populations at sustainable levels. Wildfires and severe drought conditions are important factors in the condition of the public rangelands, too.
The excess wild horses and burros removed from the range are offered for adoption to qualified people through the BLM’s Adopt a Wild Horse or Burro Program. After properly caring for a mustang or burro for one year, adopters are eligible to receive title, or ownership, from the Federal government. While the BLM faces a constant challenge in adopting out enough animals to match the number removed annually from the range, the adoption program is a popular one. In fact, the BLM has placed nearly 225,000 wild horses and burros into private care since the adoption program began in 1971.
Wild Horse and Burro Gather Information by Fiscal Year (FY)
Completed Fiscal Year FY 2009 Gather Schedule
Tentative Gather Schedule for FY 2010
A revised format has been instituted for Fiscal Year 2010. It links to the responsible BLM office for gathers. You may also want to visit the link for BLM offices and contacts. BLM office contacts can direct you to pages where informational documents regarding a specific gather are located.
The BLM is interested in your input pertaining to how long this data should remain in this format. If you are interested in commenting, please e-mail Janet_Neal@blm.gov. Please advise on whether the information should be maintained for either three or five years.
Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Statistics by FY
Adoption Statistics FY 2009
Adoption Statistics FY 2010
Wild Horse and Burro Sales Statistics
Holding Facility Statistics
Holding Facility Statistics FY 2010 (as of October 2009)
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