It is an end-of-year tradition for Wild Horse Education to publish the most popular stories, videos and images of the year after Thanksgiving.
These represent what you, our readers, want to see from WHE. Every year we stretch our resources as far as we can to “be there.” To document, research and engage. To take a stand on range, in the courts, the halls of Congress, wherever our wild ones need us. Together, we have continued to break new ground in the fight to protect and preserve our wild ones.
A vital fundraising match challenge is active to keep our work moving forward. Every dollar will be TRIPLED up to $10,00.
A generous donor has offered to “match the match!” through the end of the year! Every dollar donated will be TRIPLED! Your gift now will keep our teams in the field, all of the litigation moving forward and help us begin 2026 strong.
Top Ten Countdown of the most viewed of WHE for 2025
10. A Baby Burro. A baby burro was completely failed by the system. Even after facility staff was notified that a baby burro was in distress, a potential adopter found, the baby died. Even appropriate record keeping was not done.
As part of a 4-part series on facilities, that features information from our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) investigations, we featured this baby and call for deep reform that includes enforceable welfare rules. See more HERE.
9. Appropriations (Budget) Fight. The Presidential Budget request did NOT include prohibitions against open sales to slaughter or the outright killing of healthy wild horses and burros. See more HERE.
With your help and continual outreach, these vital protections were restored in ongoing funding. The budget battle is not over and the debate for 2027 funding begins in January. We must push Congress to include funding that includes formalizing enforceable welfare rules, funds evaluation of real management planning that includes setting numbers of wild horses and burros on the range with science (not agreements) and so much more. We have our work cut out for us in the coming year as powerful and well-funded oppostion keeps pushing the faulty narrative of “overpopulation.”
8. Bottom Line AML. Not only did BLM corrupt the law out of the gate and set numbers based on agreements with permittees and not data, BLM came up with a new construct called “low AML.” The target number for wild horses and burros on the range is now 10,000 fewer than were found when Congress passed the 1971 law stating wild horses and burros were “fast-disappearing from the American landscape.
Our article on AML comes in as one of the top-read pieces by the public in 2025. If you missed it, you can check it out HERE.
7. Federal Lawsuit Filed For Carter, Buckhorn and Coppersmith. We are taking a stand in Federal District Court for three herds managed by BLM California. The history of the herds in this area include the loss of 90% of their designated territory and genetically bankrupt target goals.
The Carter mustangs contain some of the most unique and isolated wild horses in the country. We will not let this herd disappear simply because BLM has historically caved to livestock interests. See more about the lawsuit HERE.
6. Lawsuit: Welfare Rules. Instead of completing the process to create enforceable welfare rules, BLM spent taxpayer money to create a program that endorses and coddles abusers. BLM continually lies to the courts and Congress about what they dub a Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP). Earlier this year WHE filed a lawsuit. This charade needs to end. See more HERE.
This lawsuit is coming to an end and we were successful! We are working on an in-depth report of the information uncovered that proves, without a shadow of a doubt, that there has never been a review of welfare standards and BLM is operating for administrative ease ignoring their legal obligations and allowing preventable suffering to continue.
5. Right Place, Right Time. Our field team was out checking on faulty cattle guards and the herd that lives nearby. We did not know we were going to get footage that looked like a roundup as a survey, that should have been completed, was underway during foaling season. We were able to stop wild horses from fleeing onto the highway. See more HERE.
4. NEW Lawsuit Filed for the Pancake Complex. After a ground breaking legal victory that stopped the BLM 2022 roundup plan and proved BLM illegally delayed creating a real management plan (instead relying on removals), we are taking the next step to hold them accountable. BLM is continuing to hide how they set numbers, refusing to actually analyze management options (that include protecting unique genetic characteristics) and continuing the “same old” by simply changing the name of the document. We are fighting in court. See more HERE.
3. Babies Lost At Roundup. Our onsite observers are critical at roundups to document to report to the public, create a record for policy change and to advocate in the moment.
At the Adobe Town roundup this summer the eyes and ears of our observer were vital at a trap where multiple babies were being left on the range. One such baby was one that feel behind and, in panic, began to follow antelope. She insisted they look for the baby saying she could still here it, even after BLM claimed they found it. What they found was a baby ion an area they hit the day before… and then the baby our observer kept hearing (as others made fun of her) showed up behind observation and was captured.
She was able to track additional foals and, eventually, BLM onsite began to ask her where the babies went that fell off. She was vital in the moment. But it begs much larger questions about what happened in the valleys she could not see and why BLM simply refuses to designate site-specific foaling seasons and simply slow down so babies do not suffer in the first place. See more HERE.
2. Update. Coming in at number 2 is an update article that addressed lawsuits at Stone Cabin, Devil’s Garden, Antelope, Triple B and more. The update covered the SAFE Act (to stop transport to slaughter) and comment periods on several new roundup plans BLM was approving. Many of you rely on us to take action. But you also rely on us to keep you informed and guide you through your own advocacy journey. See more HERE.
- A Tour of Temporary and a Shocking Statement.
Onsite advocacy is critical. When at a roundup it is not enough just to take pictures. Understanding how the system works can help advocate in the moment when an opportunity arrives to ease suffering.
During a roundup our team found out that Wyoming was only contracting veterinarians to euthanize horses and do necropsies after they were dead. They did not authorize the vet or contractor to perform the most basic of wound care and additional care to foals (like electrolytes). That type of care is standard in other states. We were able to, in the moment, create a long overdue change in Wyoming. See more HERE.
The ten items above represent a small portion of our work in 2025. The items above represent where you, the public, want our work to focus.
We are carrying the fight into 2026. We remain dedicated to taking a stand for our wild ones. We remain dedicated to speak for our wild ones and to be your frontline voice.
A vital fundraising match challenge is active to keep our work moving forward. Every dollar will be TRIPLED up to $10,00.
A generous donor has offered to “match the match!” through the end of the year! Every dollar donated will be TRIPLED! Your gift now will keep our teams in the field, all of the litigation moving forward and help us begin 2026 strong.
Thank you for keeping WHE running for our wild ones!
Every dollar we can raise from sales in our Zazzle store (where Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals run 20%-50% off!), new tier members on our Patreon page to donations made through the mail or on our website, will also be matched dollar-for-dollar!
You can also take advantage of online shopping and holiday deals at iGive. Thousands of stores will give a percentage of sales to nonprofits, including WHE. If you are shopping online, register and pick your charity of choice as Wild Horse Education and help us while you shop!
Categories: Wild Horse Education
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