2025 Sand Wash Basin Wild Horse Gather

The Bureau of Land Management’s Little Snake Field Office conducted a wild horse and burro bait trap gather July 7-16, 2025. A total of 42 horses were safely removed from the range during operations.

Purpose of Gather:

Through increased fertility control and by conducting smaller bait trap gathers when necessary, the BLM seeks to manage and maintain a Sand Wash Basin wild horse population within an appropriate management level of 163-362 animals and avoid a large scale gather. There was an estimated 487 wild horses both inside and outside the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area based on a the 2025 Wild Horse and Burrow Population Estimates published in March. The current population is now estimated at 402 animals.

Follow this link to learn more about the gather.

Details of Gather:

The BLM seeks to manage and maintain a Sand Wash Basin wild horse population within an appropriate management level of 163-362 animals and avoid a large scale gather. There were an estimated 487 wild horses both inside and outside the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area based on a the 2025 Wild Horse and Burrow Population Estimates published in March.

Public Observation:

The BLM conducted this operation using water and bait traps consisting of a series of corral panels stocked with water and hay. No helicopters were used.

Adoption Information:

Gathered horses will be transported to the Canon City Off-Range Corral. Upon arrival at the facility, the horses will be checked by a veterinarian and readied for the agency’s wild horse adoption and sale program. BLM will announce adoptions as they are scheduled via the BLM website and social media channels. To learn more about adopting a wild horse, please visit the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program Adoption webpage.

Background:

The Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area is in northwest Colorado, about 45 miles west of Craig. The appropriate management level is 163-362 animals on a total of 157,730 acres, including 154,940 acres of public land, 1,960 acres of private land and 840 acres of state land. The herd management area's ridges and mesas are covered in sagebrush and bunchgrass, saltbush and pinon-juniper woodlands. The climate is typical of the Rocky Mountain region's cold deserts, with warm summers and very cold winters.

Oct. 3, 2024 (included as part of fiscal year)

Thursday, Oct. 3

Animals Gathered:  4

Animals Shipped: 0

Friday, Oct. 4

Animals Gathered:  0

Animals Shipped: 4

These totals are included as these horses were gathered in fiscal year 2025. Since the 2024 Sand Wash Basin bait trap gather spanned FY24 and 25, these totals are noted on both gather pages.

Daily Gather Details

July 7, 2025

Monday, July 7

Animals Gathered: 9 Wild Horses (3 Stallions, 5 Mares, and 1 Foal)

Animals Shipped: 0

Animals Treated with Fertility Control: 0
- PZP: 0 (0 Mares)
- PZP-22: 0 (0 Mares)
- GonaCon: 0 (0 Mares)
- IUD: 0 (0 Mares)
- Sterilizations: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares)
- Other: 0 (0 Stallions, 0 Mares)

Animals Released: 0

Deaths: 0

July 8, 2025

Tuesday, July 8

Animals Gathered: 3 Wild Horses (3 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 5 Wild Horses (2 Stallions, 2 Mares, and 1 Foal)

Animals Released: 0

Deaths: 0

July 9, 2025

Wednesday, July 9

Animals Gathered: 4 Wild Horses (4 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 7 Wild Horses (4 Stallions, 3 Mares, and 0 Foals)

Animals Released: 0

Deaths: 0

July 10, 2025

Thursday, July 10

Animals Gathered: 8 Wild Horses (1 Stallions, 5 Mares, and 2 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 4 Wild Horses (4 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)

Animals Released: 0

Deaths: 0

July 11, 2025

Friday, July 11

Animals Gathered: 0 Wild Horses (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 8 Wild Horses (1 Stallions, 5 Mares, and 2 Foals)

Animals Released: 0

Deaths: 0

July 13, 2025

Sunday, July 13

Animals Gathered: 0 Wild Horses (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 0 Wild Horses (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)

Animals Released: 0

Deaths: 0

July 14, 2025

Monday, July 14

Animals Gathered: 6 Wild Horses (2 Stallions, 3 Mares, and 1 Foal)

Animals Shipped: 0 Wild Horses (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)

Animals Released: 0

Deaths: 0

July 15, 2025

Tuesday, July 15

Animals Gathered: 8 Wild Horses (3 Stallions, 4 Mares, and 1 Foal)

Animals Shipped: 6 Wild Horses (2 Stallions, 3 Mares, and 1 Foal)

Animals Released: 0

Deaths: 0

July 16, 2025

Wednesday, July 16

Animals Gathered: 0 Wild Horses (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 8 Wild Horses (3 Stallions, 4 Mares, and 1 Foal)

Animals Released: 0

Deaths: 0

News

BLM to conduct bait trap gather in Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area

Gather Status

As of July 17, 2025 (gather operations ceased on July 16, 2025)

Animals Gathered: 42 (18 Stallions, 19 Mares, and 5 Foals)

Animals Shipped: 42 (18 Stallions, 19 Mares, and 5 Foals)

Animals Treated with Fertility Control: 0
0 Wild Horses (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)

Animals Released:
0 Wild Horses (0 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals)

Deaths: 0
-Sudden / Acute: 0
-Pre-existing / Chronic: 0

Scroll to the bottom of this gather page for detailed “Daily Gather Reports"

Downloads

Access official planning documents on BLM’s ePlanning site