The ongoing Fish Creek roundup has moved into the boundaries of the HMA. This area was once a great place to visit and is now only cow pies. For years you could travel the HMA and you would be lucky if you found a few horses. In 2021 BLM hit just about low AML in this area. In 2024, the HMA just edged over high AML by a few horses.

The Fish Creek HMA consists of 250,244 acres of BLM land and 2,527 acres of a mix of private and other public lands for a total of 252,771 acres. BLM says the Appropriate Management Level (AML) is 101-170 wild horses. (You might find it interesting that the BLM website listing for Fish Creek has AML at 107-180, not 101-170.)

It is really hard watching horses you have known for a long time chased by helicopter and understand the uncertain fate if they are not one of the few slated for release. We have known the horse above since he was a sweet and curious youngster and is now such a beautiful young stallion.

This young wild one was separated and tried to hide in the trees. The roping above took over 30 minutes to bring him into the corral. 

Wild horses slated for removal will be shipped to the off-limits to the public facility in Winnemucca, NV. In the five years that that facility has been operational, BLM has only provided one tour. 

Fish Creek was once a thriving representation of the Damele Curly. Today, with the low genetic pool left at “low AML,” fertility control without any plan to protect the entire gene pool, the future of these Fish Creek curly horses is truly uncertain. The mutation in the genes that cause the curly coat is truly fascinating. However, like most issues having to do with horses and genetics you can cause a real stir when you talk about it. After a roundup at Fish Creek where most of the curlies were taken, we wrote an article that caused a real kerfluffle we still can’t figure out. Maybe it was because we pointed out the bleak future outlook?

A curly baby was born into the Fish Creek herd this year. But the baby will not grow up to contribute to the wild. The baby is being shipped to an off-limits to the public facility where the post-capture death rate averages 12% in the first 6 months.

The BLM Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP) mentoring team is onsite. The BLM standards used in CAWP are not a formal policy that is enforceable. BLM created standards after relentless litigation and began a “beta program” that was to be reviewed and then formalized after public input. No review was ever done. In fact, it took BLM 6 years to even hire someone to field the program and typed the word “permanent” onto an Internal Memorandum claiming the task “was done.” We ask that you take the time to learn more about the insanely difficult fight to get the agency tasked with humane management to create an enforceable welfare policy HERE and take action.

So far 123 (59 Stallions, 61 Mares, and 3 Foals) of the 196 targeted have been captured. We expect capture operations to end tomorrow. 

Our team remains onsite. 

Our team is working hard in the field and in the courts. Without your support, none of our work is possible. Thank you for keeping WHE running for our wild ones.