The Bible Springs Complex is approximately 223,000 acres and is comprised of 3 Herd Management Areas: Bible Springs, Four Mile and Tilly Creek; as well as the Blawn Wash herd area.
BLM plans to remove 800 wild horses from the complex. The allowed number of wild horses (or AML) in the Bible Springs Complex in Utah is 80–170 combined, with individual breakdowns of 30–60 for Bible Springs, 30-60, for Four Mile, 20–50 for Tilly Creek, and Blawn Wash HA is 0. All if these HMAS are below the basic genetic diversity standard as recommended by BLM’s own geneticist.
The target is to leave mid AML of around 120 wild horses on 223,000 acres. Forage is allocated 17,347 Animal Unit Months (AUMs) for domestic livestock and 960 to 2,040 annual AUMs. for wild horses on the public lands designated for wild horse use.
Wild horses will be shipped to the off-limits to the public facility Axtell.
Concerns with the lack of a formalized welfare standards run deep. Gaining an enforceable welfare policy that contains clear standards is vital. The concerns include concerns with foaling season, air quality and heat index standards. All of these critical issues are very relevant to this roundup.
You can learn more about the issue and take ACTION here.
This page will update frequently
Official cumulative numbers:
Captured: 448 (157 stallions, 196 mares, and 95 foals)
Shipped: 405 (132 stallions, 182 mares, and 91 foals) to Axtell, off-limits to public viewing
Deaths, 4: “One 15-year-old sorrel mare was found dead in temporary holding pen from unknown causes.” “One 2-month-old foal was found deceased in temporary holding pen from unknown causes.” Another death with no information at all online (our team member was told a stallion for a “weepy eye.”) Another death with zero identifying information.
*These death is being classified as acute (gather related). At Callaghan BLM was not classifying these deaths as “gather related.” BLM reviewed parameters and has reclassified these deaths.
As there is “no vet onsite” none of these deaths will be necropsied to determine actual gather stress related causes.
Day 14: 08-15-26
Only 21 (6 stallions, 12 mares, and 3 foals) were captured. The lower number of foals is concerning as wild horses were pushed out of the trees and foals have been a concern this entire operation.
There has been no veterinarians on-site at roundups this summer. There has been speclation as to “why?” The answer is that BLM downgraded the CAWP standards on June 29th, right before the summer “helicopter season” began. See more here.
If you watch to the end, you can see the young horses trying to figure out how to get back to their moms and siblings as they try to move the tarp. These horses have never seen corral panels or been in a trailer. All of this is stressful.
The horses are in good body condition.
If you note the red arrow in the image above that is where our observer was the day before when a “filmmaker” that was very friendly with BLM was also present. He left. She was moved. BLM says it is because they “identified a safety issue” because saddle horses rode past them to go rope a horse.
Day 13: 08-14-26
38 (20 stallions, 12 mares, and 6 foals) were captured. We have a new observer at trap. She documented an escape attempt and a hard pursuit. Later she documented a horse that appears to have been injured. BLM says the horse was injured in prior days. It is unclear if the leg is broken.
A death occurred but it is unexplained in the BLM official update. We will get more info tomorrow.
Day 12: 08-13-26: 22 (8 stallions, 11 mares, and 3 foals) were captured. Please note: Our scheduled observer had to leave due to a fire near her home to evacuate. Our backup observer had to leave due to family and another had a vehicle breakdown. We are working as quickly as we can to get someone back onsite. No other organization is observing this operation since August 11.
Day 11: 08-12-26
56 (12 stallions, 29 mares, and 15 foals) were captured. Rain today and expected tomorrow.
Day 10: 08-11-26
29 (7 stallions, 13 mares, and 9 foals) were captured.
A 10-year old back stud was put down for a “weepy eye.” Please remember, there is no vet onsite.
We are working on a long for report and will link it here.
We are having a team member shift as our volunteer had to head back to Nevada to evacuate from the Bug/Fred Mountain fire and then had to evacuate from where she evacuated from to escape the Stallion fire. Please hold her in your good thoughts.
Palomino Valley Center, where 700 of the Callaghan Complex wild horses were sent, is in the middle of both fires. We are waiting fr an announcement from BLM.
Day 9: 08-10-26
59 (25 stallions, 21 mares, and 13 foals) were captured. Long day.
The last run of the day was let go…
Day 8: no fly day as temporary holding corrals move north
Day 7, 08-08-26
25 (10 stallions, 12 mares, and 3 foals) were captured. We are editing the day and will update shortly.
No foals were left behind. The last group of the day, as temperatures rose toward the mid-90s, a foal was having trouble keeping up. BLM let the group break off and the operation ended.
Temporary holding is moving and tomorrow will be a no-fly, no-capture day.
We are working on an overview update. We will link it here once completed.
Day 6, 08-7-26
52 (17 stallions, 25 mares, and 10 foals) wild horses were captured.
After days of trying to gain the kind of care needed for new babies that are stressed, orphaned, and to try to stop babies that might be left behind, a baby died in holding. This line appeared on the BLM website: “One 2-month-old foal was found deceased in temporary holding pen from unknown causes.”
This comes after our observer noted that BLM mentioned a foal just about 3 months old was at “weanable age” and one that could not be more than 8 weeks old as “close to weanable” after it spent the night trying to eat hay and just water before being given a bit of formula (that they now say they have a holding).
Running a baby, leaving it without mom for even a few hours (let alone overnight) begins a deadly cycle. An 8-week old foal needs to nurse 2-3 times per hours.
No matter if it is that foal or another, feeding only hay to an orphan from birth to about 3 months old sets up a painful and potentially deadly situation.
ANYONE familiar with foals knows what happens to an orphan foal at about 8 weeks if you try to feed it just hay and water: A young foal’s gut is not ready to process large amounts of dry hay. The forage packs into the intestines and cause painful, deadly blockages.
A note to the experts at BLM:
You can also use the points in the action item and call your members of Congress.
- Capitol Switchboard: Call (202) 224-3121 to be connected directly to your senator or representative’s office.
- House Direct Line: Call (202) 225-3121 for U.S. House Representatives.
- Senate Direct Line: Call (202) 224-3121 for U.S. Senators
To learn more about how the progress to gain. an enforceable welfare policy stalled PLEASE CLICK HERE.
Day 5, 08-06-26
41 (15 stallions, 15 mares, and 11 foals) were captured. Those words fail to describe what happens.
This was the view today.
BLM is not supposed to allow driving of bands with young foals so that foals fall behind.
If you watch the clip below you can see that this pilot is not pacing runs to accommodate young foals, he is pushing.
The clip is hard to see due to heat and distance. But you can see the foal lag, the chopper push and the baby get lost in the trees.
The operation did not cease. Public affairs at observation would not radio trap. No one at trap apparently saw the foal head into the trees. BLM says that foal did come in and paired up with mom. (You can read more about babies being left behind as BLM simply ignores both their own internal directives and prior court orders HERE)
This is not a “one off” incident. This type of incident is documented more than it should be and probably happens more often than we document due to the distance BLM holds observers today. When camera lenses had a reach of about 300mm, we were closer than we are now that our lenses reach further. Where observers are placed most often has little to do with safety and more to do with how long a lens can reach.
If we look at Adobe Town (WY) last summer we can see where we were initially not believed that a foal dropped off, were told that they found the foal (even given a picture), we insisted that was not the foal and later, the foal happened to come back in view. What if that foal had not come back?
Day 4, 08-5-26
55 (16 stallions, 29 mares, and 10 foals) were captured in a very long day. BLM reported that a 15-year old mare captured the day before was found dead in the temporary corrals in the morning.
Below: This family band is pushed from the hills toward the trap. The stallion tries evasion, to draw the chopper off. His last attempt saw the chopper put pressure on this family and they are driven into the trap as he stops and watches. Then the pursuit turns back to him. Several times during the pursuit he was seen to look back toward the trap until both the stallion and the chopper disappeared.
We are still editing video and this page will update often.
Day 3, 08-04-26:
5 (1 Stallion, 3 Mares, and 1 Foal) were captured.
We are publishing a long form update we will link here. Long form article about the lack of any onsite veterinarians and an orphan at Bible Springs HERE
Day 2, 08-03-26:
26 (8 Stallions, 10 Mares, and 8 Foals) wild horses were captured at the second trap. Several foals were roped.
View of trap was provided. Condition of wild horses and handling could be viewed and independently assessed and seen by the public so that the public could create their own opinion.
Operations halted as temperatures climbed to around 95 degrees.
Throughout the day horses that broke from their group cam over the risge and several foals were roped, including the foal in the video below
We are still uploading video from the day.
This page will update frequently
Day 1, 08-02-26:
Above: The first run of the day saw 3 horses captured.
Below: This small family attempts to evade, but is captured.
Below: The last run of the day saw a small family, with a very tiny foal, eventually evade capture. The stallion did his job and kept trying to draw the predator (helicopter) away. The chase was finally called off as the stallion headed over the mountain.
Our team remains onsite.
You can meet our team members in the field this week by clicking HERE.
Through August 22nd a generous donor has pledged to match contributions up to $10,000. Every dollar donated will be matched. (The original challenge was until the 15th. The donor extended that challenge because of the hardships our team has faced the last week with fire.)
We need your support to keep our teams engaging lawmakers, our team fighting in the court, our team running 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. Sincere Gratitude.
Categories: Lead
You must be logged in to post a comment.