Antelope HMA horses in holding

First a “misinformation” alert: A “news story” circulating online states that there have been 13 deaths so far at ongoing BLM roundups. It appears that story added the deaths from the two helicopter roundups (Owyhee and the recently completed Antelope off-HMA) and is not actually a report that references deaths at the 5 bait trap operations that have begun to remove 2500 wild horses in Nevada. The bait trap operations have not reported any captures as of March 16.

Our team members are working on litigation to defend as many herds as we can (cases must be brought herd-by-herd). But we are also actively tracking wild horses in holding facilities and checking herd and range health in several HMAs.

Below is a piece from Marie Milliman who has been making regular visits to see the Antelope wild horses at Palomino Valley Center (PVC). The captives sent to PVC are the only ones we can see. Wild horses from Owyhee went into the closed door facility in Winnemucca. The vast majority of wild horses and burros from bait trap operations are also going into off-limits to the public facilities.

The Hazy Maze of Holding

Roundups and holding are equally hazy and appalling. “Hazy” in the sense of the intentional or habitual concealment of on-site information — whether by design or due to the repeated failure to make it meaningfully accessible. It’s a maze for anyone attempting to gather real-time data to provide welfare input and suggest ways to improve humane treatment for the benefit of the horses and burros.

BLM and USFS play a continuous word game — a ring-around-the-answer exercise that leaves one wondering, Did I ask the question clearly? If I phrase it differently, will I get a factual answer? If I ask someone else, will they know? If I ask later in the day, will that irritate them and lead to even more concealment? It’s a tightrope walk, balancing the effort to get answers against both agencies’ determination to maintain opacity and instill doubt and intimidation.

Bear in mind: they hold 100% of the authority, while we are the mice searching for the proverbial, limited crumb of cheese.

Mare I have seen several times nursing more than one foal. BLM swears wild horses do not have twins. Did one of these foals get separated at trap? during sorting? Or did she arrive an orphan or was she made an orphan when her mom died in holding? No one from BLM knows an answer and depending on who you talk to, the answer is different.

At the Palomino Valley National Wild Horse and Burro Center — the only public holding facility in Nevada — we have our sole opportunity to regularly observe animals in short-term holding. Even there, our access is limited. The design of the facility conceals key areas, including the processing zones and “sick pens.” Expanding networks of off-limits, privately contracted facilities further restrict the public’s ability to advocate for humane care and promote adoptions once animals are captured.

Did you know that the Palomino Valley Corrals (PVC) have not hosted an on-site or online adoption event for nearly four years? Wouldn’t it be beneficial to promote adoptions directly from public facilities — with animals advertised nationwide as available? Instead, PVC now functions primarily as a processing hub, moving animals quickly to private facilities, long-term pastures, or distant adoption events.

Private facilities — now the majority of BLM’s holding network over the past 15 years — deepen the problem by barring public oversight entirely. As a result, welfare concerns such as untreated injuries, inadequate feed, and foal deaths from neglect remain undocumented and unresolved.

BLM’s reliance on low-bid private contracts prioritizes cost over care. With no enforceable welfare standards, these bargain-basement stockyards pose real dangers to animals’ health and survival.

For reference: When we are talking about holding corrals in the state of NV, we are talking about warehousing more wild horses than multiple states have in the wild, combined. The capacity of holding in NV is the second largest wild horse population allocation in the country, only surpassed by a few hundred in the “wild” AML population allocation in Nevada.

Animals scheduled for shipment from PVC are withdrawn from local adoption lists weeks or months in advance. Some are transferred to multiple adoption events across the country (in-person or online) and may fail repeatedly to attract qualified adopters.

Ultimately, BLM sells many through its Sale Authority program—without adoption qualifications or oversight. Lengthy transport, repeated events, and physical stress mean some never survive the process. For those that do, being sold under Sale Authority leaves them defenseless against slaughter pipelines.

Wandering deeper into the on-site maze at PVC, we attempted to monitor the recently captured 2026 Outside Antelope HMA Emergency Wild Horse Gather (Feb. 22–25). It seemed timed to beat the March 1st deadline by a matter of days (just before they began a bait trap in the complex, also only announced days before it began). Yet within the facility, there was no confirmed data on animal locations, injuries, deaths, births, stress-induced abortions, or the condition of sick horses. Finding the Antelope wild horses took four visits, each following a different path — some leading to answers, others to dead ends.

We documented and reported to the facility a mare nursing two foals and a cough spreading among newly captured horses. We continue to monitor these and additional welfare concerns.

As of March 13, there were five documented newborn foals; as of March 6, there were three — all born within just nine days of the roundup’s conclusion. This proves what WHE warned all along: BLM ran heavily pregnant mares. Its generic “foaling season” designation is inaccurate and legally insufficient; it must be site-specific and grounded in science under a legitimate Herd Management Area Plan. (NOTE: Our field team is documenting the first foaling peak of the year on ranges in this area. Our team finds the first peak occurs on these ranges in March. More here.)

Currently, all mares — including those with unprocessed foals — have been freeze-branded, tagged, and vaccinated less than two weeks after capture. So much for acclimation and recovery time. The mares looked exhausted and defeated. The fresh brands and tags mark not just ownership but the heartbreak of captivity. Some will soon appear on Sale Authority lists alongside stallions, geldings, and weaned foals. It is a myth that Sale Authority applies to only horses over 10-years old. BLM claims the “discretion” to change that whenever they want. We have seen 6 month old colts go “Sale,” particularly if the person taking the horse is a ranching buddy.

This opacity and lack of data aren’t merely frustrating — they endanger the very animals BLM and USFS are mandated to protect. WHE has repeatedly called for comprehensive transparency, including public access to all holding facilities and real-time data on animal conditions. In return, BLM highlights existing “tools,” like piecemeal FOIA responses that rarely provide substantive answers.

Important note: Our FOIA litigation uncovered proof that BLM knew the process to actually formalize welfare standards and ignored it. 

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At PVC and beyond, this maze embodies both known and hidden failures. It’s time to demand more than crumbs. Congress must fund dedicated oversight, enact binding welfare rules, and enforce them consistently. Public facilities like PVC should prioritize adoption and humane care — not just serve as processing centers. BLM and USFS must clear this hazy maze where wild horses and burros have been reduced to pawns in a system that favors concealment over compassion.

True stewardship and justice require sunlight — let’s shine the light.

Our teams are working on additional reports from range through courtroom. We will update you as fast as we can!

If you are looking to engage the Appropriations process to help us get formalization of the actual welfare standards back into discussion  click HERE to learn how to engage. 

We thank you for being an active advocate and standing up for Freedom, Mercy and Justice. 

Every mile we travel to cover roundups or assess a herd, every court case we bring, every win, every action we take is only possible because of your support.