The roundup of the Herd Management Area (HMA) portion of Adobe Town began on July 15. Under the 2023 Resource Management Plan (RMP) BLM made a determination to zero out a large portion of Adobe Town and revert it to Herd Area (HA) status meaning “designated for wild horse or burro use but not managed for use.” There remains a lot of confusion and contention as the Circuit court remanded the RMP decision back to the lower courts, but the gather-EA remains unchanged in practice in the field.
Appropriate Management Level (AML) in the Adobe Town HMA was lowered in the RMP Amendment to 259–536 from the 2021 numbers of 610-800. The lower number for Adobe Town remains the active goal in the field today.
Today we have heard that the Salt Wells HA and the part of Adobe Town that is part of the zero out scheduled to begin August 25, has been postponed until the new fiscal year (October). As we understand it (as of 8 p.m. on 7/22) that this is a voluntary pause from BLM and not a court ordered delay.
HOWEVER, BLM is not acknowledging any pause. They stated if there is a oause, there will be a press release.
The gather schedule does not reflect any changes at this time. We believe BLM will be publishing a new gather schedule soon and possibly adding “rapid fire” roundups to fill the spaces. Advocacy needs to be ready to move fast.
This remains a dynamic situation. Please always check the dates of any news you see and refer to the most recent updates.
NOTE: People are asking us about Pancake. Yes, we filed documents with the court and observers were in the area a few days before the announcement of an “emergency removal of around 100 wild horses.” For years BLM has been setting up wild horses for disaster in that area as they allow hot season livestock (cattle) grazing (meaning gates closed during the hottest times of the year limiting access to grass and water) and spring (fragile season) sheep grazing. On top of that, there are numerous failures to mitigate impacts from mining. Without an HMAP, we had no “leg to stand on.” We won a case last year that showed BLM failed to create any actual management plan (Herd Management Area Plan, HMAP). These plans would allow mitigation measures and water improvements. But we have to litigate those plans too. The water issue is real. But it is not “emergent.” It happens nearly each year and gets worse because BLM has mismanaged the entire range. We will update as we hear from our attorneys.
You can see video, images and info from week 1 (including background) by clicking HERE.
Cumulative totals as of 8/2
Removed: 1,677* (603 Stallions, 719 Mares, and 355 Foals) The goal is the post 2023 Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendment level (Appropriate Management Level or AML)
*Includes one branded mule gathered on July 21. The original owner no longer wanted the mule and, we were told, it has been adopted by the contractor. Privately branded horses and burros are not under the jurisdiction of the 1971 Act (BLM/USFS), but are under the jurisdiction of the state. Owner search and placement/auction of branded animals is under the jurisdiction of state Department of Agricultures.
Shipped: 1,677* (603 Stallions, 719 Mares, and 355 Foals) BLM shipped to 3 different facilities: Canon City (CO), Wheatland (WY) and Rock Springs (WY).
Deaths: 8: A 4-year-old brown mare was found deceased on trailer upon arrival at temporary holding (BLM reported a necropsy performed and was inconclusive). 10+ year old bay stallion BLM said was missing an eye with infection. 18-year-old sorrel mare suffered a broken neck while being moved from stock trailer to semi truck. A bay foal died in the trap due to capture myopathy (capture stress). A 5-year-old bay stud BLM said had a non-recoverable eye condition was put down. A 2-year-old roan stud BLM put down they said due to a pre-existing spinal condition. Another foal died of capture myopathy (BLM said “A 4-month-old gray filly died overnight from capture myopathy.”) Chestnut foal found dead, capture myopathy. 4-month-old roan foal BLM said had a left front club foot and was put down.
Newest daily report will appear at the top of the page. Scroll down for earlier reports. This page will update frequently as images are processed and loaded.
Video is a few clips from the Adobe Town 2025 roundup. The photos at the end are a few horses we saw after the helicopter left the area.
August 2: 61 (47 Stallions, 14 Mares, and 0 Foals) shipped.
August 1: 93 (0 Stallions, 66 Mares, and 27 Foals) shipped to facilities.
Week 2
073125
65 (36 Stallions, 43 Mares, and 14 Foals) captured. 2 studs released after BLM captured 2 over goal.
Our team members spent some time with some of the ones still free, but remaining in the target zone of the last day. (More HERE)
073025
93 (36 Stallions, 43 Mares, and 14 Foals) were captured. This would leave 63 for the target of the final day of operations tomorrow. There will be no viewing of the final day where the last wild horses will ship.
Above: Run one so you can see distance some of these wild ones travelled. The first groups came in south of yesterdays trap.
We saw a small foal drop off during the third run and BLM send two riders out to bring him to trap.
Note: We have gotten word that he died overnight. The baby will be listed as “capture myopathy.” Capture Myopathy is stress related death and can happen immediately, within days, weeks or months. We expect the death toll of foals to be really high after this operation (the ones that made it in and were not left on range). The youngest foals often do not run, but hide. Foals a bit older run until they can’t, break off, and then travel in a direction they think their family went. Each and every day operations pushed too hard and too far for this time of year.
Those of you following our reports have seen this type of care has not been provided throughout this operation and team actively engaged. We are sincerely hopeful that the idea of “room for improvement” does not fade. (Tour of temporary holding and where our team began to engage)
We have an immense amount of video from this operation and our team is still editing and uploading. These pages will update frequently.
072925
141 (54 Stallions, 61 Mares, and 26 Foals) were captured.
Only 74 (61 Stallions, 13 Mares, and 0 Foals) shipped. This means 226 spent the night in temporary corrals going back to crowded quarters. No observation of temporary corrals is provided on Tuesday.
Babies, babies and babies. Our team is editing images and video. Check back for more soon. It was a long and hot day. It is estimated that around 140 were captured. This operation may end tomorrow or the next day.
Baby got tangled in the jute and was roped.
There was another horse down in the trailers. We really wish that transport was slower and trailer floors were cleaned throughout the day instead of just once at the beginning of the day.
We are uploading more images and video and this page will update frequently.
072825
The roundup began just as dawn began to break and fog sat in the valley. The day heated up to be one of the hottest of this operation and BLM pushed and pushed and pushed to 2 p.m. squeezing everything from this area.
The first bands of the day made a daring escape attempt breaking through the jute at trap. 3 made it back to the draw they were driven in from and the rest were captured.
100 (32 Stallions, 44 Mares, and 24 Foals) were captured including bands that came dangerous close to the cliff edge.
Our team also visited temporary holding. Doing the math: the difference between captured and shipped means 155 wild horses will spend the night of 7/28 in temporary corrals. A big improvement over what we saw earlier in this operation.
Another foal died of capture myopathy (BLM said “A 4-month-old gray filly died overnight from capture myopathy.”) The foals were not shipped the day after capture, but the following day.
BLM is now under the low AML in the 2020 gather EA and is heading for the target of 259 left in the area.
We have a lot more video and images to edit and this page will update frequently.
072725
Only two bands (one run) were driven near observers today at the third day in a row at this trap location. 100 (34 Stallions, 46 Mares, and 20 Foals) captured.
All of the rest of the activity was over a mile away.
Below: A foal is roped on the cliff far above the trap. It is really far away, but we edited the video anyway.
152 (113 Stallions, 39 Mares, and 0 Foals) shipped.
A 5-year-old bay stud BLM said had a non-recoverable eye condition was put down.
No visit to temporary corrals.
072625
140 (46 Stallions, 65 Mares, and 29 Foals) were captured.
The theme of the day seemed to be foals lagging and left behind. We have a long form story of sad circumstances with a happy ending for three foals. Long form daily report with extensive video can be found HERE.
Plenty of room in both the mare and foal pen and the stallion pen. Horses can rest from the ordeal and staff can see injuries and if babies fail to pair up.
Of note: Many of you read our piece on our visit to holding on Wednesday and saw some upsetting photos and a lack of care. We wanted to let you know of the visit to holding today only one pen (the “dry mare” pen) held too many horses. The stallion pen, mare and foal pen, and young boy pens had room to move or to lay down. We saw only 3 wounds (compared to over a dozen last time).
BLM informed us that treatment such as antibacterial spray and electrolytes will be part of the evaluation and care moving forward.
Below: Mare and foal pen with moms and babies. One facial laceration found today compared to many found on Wednesday.
That might not seem like a lot to some people. But it certainly matters to the horse that might now have a better chance of fighting infection or the baby that has been running hard and scared that needs a boost.
The ability to simply solve a few issues in the moment still exists. Only time will tell if the statements hold merit or contain only lip service. For now we will hold onto hope that the intention to improve is real and that someday there will be willingness to address larger issues as well.
We are editing a long form daily , click HERE.
072525
Before the roundup by the trap location
159 (51 Stallions, 75 Mares, and 33 Foals) were captured at a trap with really lose alkaline soil (range dust).
Only 37 (37 Stallions, 0 Mares, and 0 Foals) were shipped, one semi trailer, because the semi was used to transport wild horses from trap due to apparent “vehicle issues” so the stock trailers could not be used.
BLM filled the temporary corrals back to the brim instead of taking a day off to fix vehicles. See more on the issues at the temporary corrals at this operation HERE.
Our off-site team has already begun drafting the Freedom of Information Act requests to find out the complete death toll from this operation where “move ’em in, move ’em out fast” is the motto. Death rates at operations like this can be nearly twice as high in the first months in short-term off-range facilities. The national average death rate is 1 in 9, or 12%, from capture through the first six-months. Over ten times higher than (BLM reported) mortality on the range.
Observation was over 1.3 miles away. Temperatures rise quickly on the range and view of the trap was impossible with the heat and dust.
Above: Only the last run of the day had horses come close enough to get a glimpse.
We are editing video to show that “dust control” at this trap is not sufficient. Horses are nasal obligate breathers. Roundups are not part of “natural living on the range” and can set up horses for a respiratory infection and make them vulnerable to disease in facilities.
These pages update frequently.
072425
19 (9 Stallions, 6 Mares, and 4 Foals) were captured and BLM FINALLY caught up on shipping. 166 (74 Stallions, 62 Mares, and 30 Foals) were shipped to facilities.
We contacted BLM about several issues we had seen at temporary holding on 072325. You can click here to read the report on the visit to temporary holding.
Mare and foal at back of the run and the last to enter the trap after a run of over 9 miles.
Same mare, her band mates, and somewhere near her in the crowded pen is her baby.
072325
Just as dawn began to break the helicopter began to “get everything moving” in the area.
The largest single day of capture of this operation saw 175 (90 Stallions, 55 Mares, and 30 Foals) captured. BLM shipped 101 (12 Stallions, 55 Mares, and 34 Foals). Let’s do the math: 859 captured minus 4 dead and 2 branded, minus 588 shipped. 265 wild horses spent the night in holding corrals. Overcrowded holding is the #1 CAWP violation at roundups.
Our new observation location allows us to show you a specific aspect of the operation that is really overlooked: The band that hits the trap is not the only band running in the area. All day long horses are constantly on the move trying get out of (or hide from) the area of danger.
At the trap from week one, where operations remained in the same location an unbelievably long time (6 days), wild horses were moving every single day for the entire duration of operations but our observation location made that harder to document (we had a much better view of the actual capture at the other trap, but here we can document something that might not make a great “picture” but speaks volumes on impact to wild horses and wildlife).
Patterns like movement to water are disturbed every day increasing the probability of illness and death. The disturbance impacts everything on the range. This rise in illness is not limited to “dropping dead in trap.” Capture stress illness related deaths can happen days, weeks, months, after the stressor.
BLM has not reviewed CAWP. BLM simply typed the word “Permanent” on an unreviewed draft. Our litigation on CAWP is gaining real deep insight into just how much time and resources BLM has used to create a facade to avoid finalizing concise and enforceable welfare rules.
Our CAWP team lead is in the field and will work on an update webinar soon. She said for all of you to continue calling Congress as Congress also avoids directly addressing welfare and just focuses on “getting to AML and keeping populations there with more fertility control.” We must have a real enforceable welfare policy.
(Fast “click and send” letter to your reps, HERE)
Our team lead is working on a really in-depth article/update addressing events of July 23 and some insight gained in our CAWP legal battle. We will link it here when complete.
Youngster left in stallion pen tries to hide behind grey (with bites all over him) that should have been sorted out to stop additional fighting and to prevent injury.
Above: Young horse that was NOT sorted out of the mature stud pen trying to hide behind the big grey with bites all over his neck (most likely his father). Young boys that are NOT foals that would go with moms are sorted at temporary and placed in a different pen (because fighting increases as studs try to protect their boys and the younger studs can’t compete with the big guys for water, food and even a place to stand). This little guy was overlooked. Our team did notify BLM and they said they would “watch for him” during morning loading to ship to facility. We will have more about temporary holding in our extended piece we will publish later today.
We will include the facility report in our long form we will link as soon as it is completed.
072225
42 (11 Stallions, 20 Mares, and 11 Foals) were captured.
BLM had sent out a trailer with saddle horses because this little one had been having trouble keeping up. We do not know how far or how long they were driven, but from what we could hear, it was over an hour in total.
For the sixth day in a row, the roundup continued at the same trap. We have heard BLM in some districts call this “squeezing” to get all the horses out of an area. This trap location is a the southern edge of the HMA.
Squeezing a trap (multiple days to get everything) causes disturbances to everything that lives on the range and interrupts simply things like routines animals (wild horses included) getting water. It sets up a scenario where injuries and illnesses like capture stress or other dehydration related issues become more common.
Above: As we were tracking the little one, to see it finally catch up to the band, we began to notice numerous fresh injuries. Injuries similar to ones we have seen before after collisions with barbed wire on the gray and roan band.
We do know gates were being opened and closed throughout the 6 days we were at this trap site out of our view. We know these horses came from that direction.
The little buckskin was obviously engaged in full exertion for an extended time. The pilot called for the ropers to be ready, just in case. They were not needed and this little one made it, with his band, into the trap.
We did see the veterinarian at trap after these bands went in. We assumed it was to check on the foal and may also have involved checking injuries after whatever accident caused the lacerations.
There was no access to the temporary corrals today. BLM did not report any life threatening or serious injuries today. Our team will check into the status of these horses and report back to you.
Trap, finally, moves tomorrow.
We have additional pictures and video, but have not had time to process.
Our team is also working on legal action at Pancake. We have developments in our “CAWP” case. We are juggling a few other briefings and meetings and will report as soon as time allows.
Our teams need your support. All of our work is only possible because of you. .
Your support keeps our teams in the field, our investigations running and our litigation alive. Together, we will take a strong stand to defend our precious wild ones.
Categories: Wild Horse Education
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