The second trailer in the video appears to be foals.

We were at the same trap as Day 9. A trap with no meaningful access to observe anything, not even the drive to the wings. At this operation there has been no meaningful access to assess handling of wild horses at all, zero.

1518 Wild Horses (620 Stallions, 608 Mares, and 290 Foals) wild horses have been captured from the South Shoshone HMA and there has been no access to assess handling.

On day 10, 74 (27 Stallions, 33 Mares, and 14 Foals) more wild horses were captured. We saw them only at the holding corrals long after all sorting was completed.

The caught the “ghost” band. A stallion that we have been calling “Dunbar,” a sort of chocolate palomino we saw the first time the day after watching a rerun of Dances With Wolves, was caught along with the old grey mare (she is at least 18 years old and likely older). We cannot tell if the entire band was captured.

Another foal has died. 

BLM is listing the death as a preexisting condition even when they list they have no idea what caused her death. 

This comes the day after we published a warning on foals and heat. It is worth noting that more than half the reported deaths from this operation are foals. There were issues with reporting numbers. There is a real lack of information being relayed to the public. We will need to wait for all of the Freedom of Information Act Requests and courtroom records before we have a clearer picture.

Due to the volume of documentation we have deviated from our normal landing page format and have provided updates in “smaller chunks.”

The first days you can see HERE. Documentation from days 4-6 HERE. Day 7 you can find HERE. Day 8 you can see HERE. Day 9 you can see HERE.

In our article yesterday we covered some of the basics on heat index and body score. 

People are rightly concerned about July roundups and foals. On many ranges, such as South Shoshone, foaling season extends into July. 

Despite the prohibition against helicopter drive trapping during foaling season. BLM does not have site-specific data on foaling season in any Herd Management Area (HMA). BLM does not even keep any statistics (accurate or inaccurate) on the foals they capture to try to determine a foaling season they cannot determine due to nearly nonexistent real herd monitoring for most HMAs.

The dangers of the roundup are clear to foals.

Newer babies hiding instead of running with the herd (hoping for the herd to come back), babies tiring and being left behind. This is common. One example: Foals were separated repeatedly during the day and our observer was tracking and notifying BLM (example: Adobe Town, Wyoming.

But the danger goes beyond being left behind. Damage to feet, legs. Dehydration during the drive and sorting, Injuries and dehydration during shipping (often longer than 4 hours when foals under 3 months can nurse 6-10 times per hour; older foals at least once an hour). The stress caused by a roundup can show damage (or result in death) days, months or even years later.

Captured day 1, South Shoshone

Only 700 of the wild horses captured at South Shoshone (the only HMA targeted in what BLM adamantly claims is a roundup of the newly thrown together, administrative constructive, Callaghan Complex) are going to a facility where we can get a glimpse at them. The rest are going into an off-limits to the public facility.

Keep in mind: Repeated FOIA investigations by our team continue to show that from trap and into holding, 12% (or 1 in 9) will die in the first 6 months in BLM care. After Blue Wing, the death rate of burros sent to Indian Lakes rose to 13.8% in the first 3 weeks. This is the same facility the majority of South Shoshone horses are being sent to. Annually, this facility repeatedly demonstrates the highest tier of reported deaths numerous years since it opened of all facilities. BLM simply increased their contract and more than doubled their holding capacity.

All foal deaths are not reported.

Yes, that is true. After years of litigation and FOIA investigations BLM issued a memo to report all foal deaths even if those individual foals were not yet entered into inventory. They were also supposed to record spontaneous abortions. This memo came out in 2014. (You can see more HERE)

When BLM was creating the draft welfare standards for their newly created Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP) there was supposed to be a record keeping component. There is one for trap (how horses and burros are to be documented before euthanasia that BLM does not follow), but BLM failed to include the subjects in the 2014 memo.

They told us that we would have opportunity to comment on the draft standards after they completed their initial review. We could add the comment to roll in the 2014 memo.

BLM never put the welfare standards out for public comment and has completely dropped the ball on formalizing any enforceable policy.

It is always worth noting BLM would not have created the CAWP (program) at all if there had been no relentless litigation.

BLM ignoring really important issues surrounding foals is one of the reasons we are pushing so hard for the formalization of welfare standards within the Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP) BLM only created after years of relentless litigation. Complying with their program is basically BLM telling themselves it is all “ok.” 

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In 4 days: Rounded up via helicopter drive and placed in crowded pens in the heat (2 foals captured that day died onsite). The next morning foals were sorted, separated and shipped over 4 hours to the facility north of Reno. Within 36 hours they were run through a chute and branded. The video above shows a lot of sore mares and foals.

The standard procedure is to let mares and foals settle before running them through for branding and vaccinating. At every other roundup BLM has always said it is too dangerous to sort and brand and they needed to wait until foals got older. Not at this roundup.

We expect these horses are going to ship out… fast. The Lahontan horses are coming in.

Only some of the foals were put back with their moms. Some were weaned apparently weaned at trap. Being separated for transport and the facility simply did not reunite them.

Weaned immediately as soon as he stepped off the truck, Owyhee Complex 2026

Weaning way too young is common.

We often find these babies trying to nurse off each other; both for nourishment and comfort. Helicopter drive, the holding corral sorting, separated, shipped for hours, weaned. We have written many articles about it. You can see one HERE.

There are many issues at facilities such as the lack of shade in blistering heat.

We are running out of time to write and will add more soon. Our team is checking in from active roundups and we will update you as soon as we can.

We need your support to keep our teams engaging lawmakers, our team fighting in the court, our team ready to run the roundup schedule.

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.