Speak Out!

There are many layers to the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program that need deep reform to protect and preserve our wild ones.

Many advocates and organizations are meeting with legislators. Save Our Wild Horses and Wildlife set up a “how to get an appointment” page HERE. You do not have to meet with your lawmakers in DC. You can meet in person at the local office or meet virtually with staff. Even if you cannot call or speak to your representatives on those two days, can you make it a point to contact them next week? Collectively raising our voices can demonstrate how much our wild ones matter.

We know there are many issues that need reform. The power of Congress is limited to passing bills or “funding/defunding” language in a spending bill.

Colette Kaluza

Colette Kaluza, Wild Horse Education welfare team assistant director (volunteer) for the Nevada-based non-profit resides in Minden, Nevada, and member of National Press Photographers Association and Society of Professional Journalists. She wrote the following article to provide you information and ask that you keep a concise and enforceable welfare policy on your list as you speak to your lawmakers.

Technically, BLM is halfway through the Rulemaking process. It would be very easy and inexpensive for BLM to place their draft (CAWP) “policy” out for comment and review. In less than a year we could have a real enforceable welfare policy (in fact). BLM will not do this on their own, even though the law already grants them that authority. It will take a clear directive from Congress. That language can come in the form of a simple line-item in the budget: “Designate funding to complete formalization of a welfare policy through Rulemaking.” 

We have filed new litigation.

However, if Congress would include that single, simple, budget request, expensive and time-consuming litigation would no longer be needed. It would save the taxpayer a lot of money (you pay for Department of Justice attorneys to defend BLM) if BLM just created a real welfare policy.

Lobby to Stop Wild Horse Abuse

There is an urgent need for a humane welfare policy to prevent abusive treatment, unnecessary suffering, and death of wild horses and burros.  We can lobby our members of Congress to address all of the areas we are seeking reform from rangeland issues and holding facilities. We can also lobby to stop wild horse and burro abuse. When talking about preventable injuries and death, the solution is simple and very doable.

Every year the public anguishes over exposed abusive treatment of wild horses and burros at the hands of those charged with ensuring their health and welfare. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) does not acknowledge there is abuse, and has not taken needed steps to stop it. Not to mention BLM uses its resources to maintain a façade of humane treatment.

Roundups and removals of wild horses from our federal public lands are at historically high rates. Fiscal year 2024 has been devastating for wild horse populations with over 18,000 captured.  And fiscal year 2025 calls for removals of over 11,000 wild horses.

Below: Abuse and violations of the (unenforceable) CAWP “policy” are rampant today. During a snowstorm wild horses are being taken from trap by stock trailer and then reloaded onto a semi-truck before going to temporary (sorting) corrals. You can see the paddle turned around and used to jab horses to move them faster blatantly in violation of current standards.

The History of Fighting Against Abuse.

The word “humane” is repeatedly referenced in the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act unanimously passed by Congress to preserve and protect our wild horses.  BLM is the main agency with jurisdiction over wild horses under the 1971 Wild Horse Act.  Yet they resist making a policy to ensure their humane treatment.

BLM has always denied any abuse ever occurred and any need for oversight or policy.

But then advocates won a long hard-fought battle to gain public access to roundup operations under the First Amendment; otherwise, we would have no way of knowing about the inhumane treatment that the horses and burros receive. 

Due to the fight to gain access, our video revealed a wild horse being hit with the skids of a helicopter. This incident led to a successful court battle; the roundup shut down and the first court order was issued to address abuse. Two additional court cases involving abuse won. Only then did BLM finally initiate the creation of a humane welfare policy for wild horses and burros.

Below: The Air Quality Index (AQI) at the Blue Wing roundup had been in the unhealthy zone for three days. The PM2.5 particles (the “bad stuff” in wildfire smoke) are 13 times the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The current guidelines say to wear a mask outdoors and avoid all outdoor activity, but BLM would not even pause a roundup. 

Rulemaking.

“Rulemaking” is the policy-making process for agencies of the federal government.  It begins with initiating rulemaking, publishing a draft for review, public comment period, and then a final rule is published.  Policy created through “rulemaking” has integrity, transparency, public comments and is enforceable.

In 2015, BLM published a draft Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP), and created a self-assessment tool. However, the necessary review and public comment period never occurred. BLM simply typed the word “permanent” onto the draft and created a word game to obfuscate legal avenues to create enforceability. Inexplicably, in a 2020 permanent memorandum, BLM claimed their program is “policy,” which is invalid, because policies require public participation.  It excluded any public input.

Technically, BLM is halfway through the Rulemaking process. It would be very easy and inexpensive for BLM to place their draft policy out for comment and review. In less than a year we could have an enforceable welfare policy. BLM will not do this on their own, even though the law already grants them that authority. It will take a clear directive from Congress. That language can come in the form of a simple line-item in the budget: “Designate funding to complete formalization of a welfare policy through Rulemaking.” 

Every year we have asked to participate in the process of Rulemaking, in the critical timeframe (2015 – 2019), but were excluded and told to “be patient.” BLM is deceiving the public, the media, and Congress.  The dishonesty has to stop, so the abuse can stop. (We have filed new litigation.)

The government creates welfare policies regarding animals bound for slaughter, the import of animals, and exotic animals via Rulemaking.  So why then doesn’t BLM care about “protected” wild horses and burros?

Through Rulemaking, BLM must address public comments on what is humane. Real veterinary standards could be supplied by the public and input from observers that have studied capture methods for decades could be provided.  A future real policy should include concise language, compliance with current welfare standards for equines, consideration for actual foaling season, consideration for dangerous heat and air quality indices, including for on-range management, off-range corrals, transportation, adoptions, sales, and enforceability.

As written, BLM’s “welfare” program does not work.  It leads to abuse of power and abuse of wild horses.  The program uses vague language that leaves the determination of what is “humane” mostly in the hands of those in charge of operations.  Worse yet, there is no consequence or penalty for noncompliance with the program’s “welfare” standards, although inadequate. There are no tools for enforcement.

Found on a January morning after the colt and mare were relentlessly chased by helicopter. BLM manipulates foaling season through use of fertility control and then fails to define when foaling season occurs. BLM is prohibited from helicopter drive-trapping during foaling season.

Documented Abuse.

My documentation of roundups has exposed helicopters fly so dangerously close to horses one hit the ground, but BLM never even acknowledged the accident.  Horses are aggressively helicopter-driven and without limitations on distance travelled, including bands with small foals, and through barbed wire. Electric shocks or jabbing horses with paddles are used to speed things up. Most roundup operations prioritize reaching a capture number rapidly, though brutally.

This summer, the Blue Wing roundup in Nevada slammed through dangerous heat and air quality index warnings (smoke), without a merciful pause. Burros dropped dead in the heat during transport.  Deaths on site were high.  Often, horses that had already evaded helicopters were needlessly chased and roped by multiple wranglers on horseback.  One roped mare was kicked and punched, yanked by the neck and collapsed multiple times brought attention to the urgency for an enforceable welfare policy.  My eyewitness report is in contrast to BLM’s report on the roundup. BLM repeatedly give themselves excellent ratings with regard to their treatment of wild horses in their slew of white-washed internal reports, which are deceptive and waste taxpayer money.

My community is so disturbed by BLM’s failures to stop wild horse abuse, we went to the Nevada Capitol. My comment, video, and roundup report were given at the State Public Lands Subcommittee Meeting.  We are aware the State of Nevada does not have jurisdiction; we want to raise awareness at the state level as states hold real influence over local BLM offices.

The 2024 Saving our Wild Horses and Wildlife Conference recommended to BLM they should create an enforceable welfare policy through Rulemaking.

I have spent hundreds of days observing and filming wild horse roundups from Wyoming to California and have developed suggestions on improving BLM’s program, while saving taxpayer money and saving wild horses. I want an opportunity to comment. 100% of people that responded to a survey last year also stated they want an opportunity to comment, too.

A little life cut needlessly short. Neglect and abuse in holding facilities occurs, and must change. Click image for more on this baby burro.

Lobby. 

2026 is the 55^th anniversary of the 1971 Wild Horse Act whose main tenet is to stop abuse. It would be really good if we did something positive. Creating an enforceable welfare policy should not be controversial. 

Even in this contentious environment we can stop wild horse and burro neglect and abuse. It is not about blades of grass. It has nothing to do with horses left on the range or taken off, or lengthy and controversial environmental review. 

BLM won’t be honest about abuse of wild horses and won’t stop it.  So Congress has to step in and say “Do it.”

Now is the time to try to persuade our Congressional representatives on this issue and the resolution while they are considering their own funding priorities for 2026.

Congress should create a small funding 2026 budget request for BLM to complete the Rulemaking process and finalize an enforceable welfare policy for the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program, including prohibiting killing healthy wild horses and burros and sales without limits.

We should all agree that the abuse and killing of a national symbol is not okay. No matter what side of the political spectrum your lawmakers sit on, this simple funding request should not represent a controversy. 

A small budget request is truly not much to ask for that could prevent needless suffering, injury and death. 

Why do we need an enforceable welfare policy? This is just one roundup.

In the video above we have tried to edit down the East Pershing roundup into 5 minutes.

Even with obstructed viewing to traps and holding facilities, during the East Pershing Complex roundup we documented numerous issues including, but not limited to, the following:

• Routine use of hotshot (electric prods) to speed loading.
• Paddles turned around and horses hit and poked with the handle.
• A lot of roping including a colt that broke his knee while being roped (after escaping with his mom).
• A mare tied and dragged.
• Unflagged barbed wire and gates.
• Trailers getting stuck and needing to be towed on roads that were poorly chosen.
• Dirty trailer floors at the start of the day.
• Pregnant mares falling.
• Newborn babies.
• A baby dragged by the tail.

While WHE battles it out in the courtroom, you can help

Click image to read more about a new lawsuit filed by WHE

When speaking with your lawmakers remember:

Technically, BLM is halfway through the Rulemaking process. It would be very easy and inexpensive for BLM to place their draft (CAWP) “policy” out for comment and review. In less than a year we could have an enforceable welfare policy. BLM will not do this on their own, even though the law already grants them that authority. It will take a clear directive from Congress. That language can come in the form of a simple line-item in the budget: “Designate funding to complete formalization of a welfare policy through Rulemaking.” 

On March 25-26, many advocates will be in DC meeting with legislators. Save Our Wild Horses and Wildlife set up a “how to get an appointment”page HERE.

You do not have to meet with your lawmakers in DC physically to participate. You can meet in person at the local office or meet virtually online with staff.

Please speak out. 

We need your support to keep our critical work alive. We must keep active litigation running to conclusion and launch new cases as needed to keep a strong line of defense. 

All of our work is only possible with your support. We thank you for keeping the critical work we do at WHE running for our wild ones.