Adobe Town Wyoming 2025, trap just over the border in Colorado

The 2026 fiscal year is coming to a close. 

There is one more month left in fiscal 2026, fiscal year 2027 begins October 1. That means any money spent to continue roundup from October 1 through the end of “helicopter season,” will come from the language passed in the 2027 Appropriations bill. 

It is really important to maintain prohibits in the spending bill against “sales without restrictions” (direct to a kill buyer). We must ensure there are prohibitions against funding being used for surgical and other sterilizations (including experiments like burning and gluing the oviducts of mares).

It would be wonderful if we could get Congress to understand imply saying “Comply with CAWP” has actually caused problems because CAWP is a program, not a welfare policy, and get Congress to add a directive to formally complete enforceable welfare rules.

You can find more, take action and make a call, at the bottom of or newsletter HERE. The newsletter is also filled with information and reports you can use to help in your own outreach to Congress or media so you have what you need to address the core myths. of the BLM program like overpopulation (AML and the statistics report.)

Why is it extremely important to have those prohibitions in place for 2027? Because BLM leadership is rewriting regulations for wild horses and burros. They have already formally published notice. The public will probably see the first version over the winter holiday season when the public is less likely to comment. The final version will be out early 2027 and will include things like giving the green light to open sales, surgical and experimental spaying and gut language that allows public participation and litigation. What we saw with “livestock regulation gutting” is heading for wild horses. (Yes, it will all be something the public has to comment on and we can take into court, just like the livestock regulations. But if Congress prohibits spending on some of the egregious factors, those things will not move forward as they will e forbidden by law as we litigate the underlying frame.)

So please, take the action in the newsletter as we head into the most chaotic time of the year in Congress. In an election year your lawmakers need to hear from you. 

You can find completed roundup coverage for 2026 here. 

BLM has not updated the roundup schedule since May. This is really unusual. In a normal year BLM would have published at least two revised schedules by now to reflect things like the changes in capture targets (Saylor Creek, Sand Wash, Piceance, etc.). They would publish a version that removed Carter, Buckhorn and Coppersmith after the court order. They have not revised the schedule.

This is leaving many of you asking, “What now?”

The current schedule reads:

The only operation we know that is going to begin on schedule, as published in May, will be Fifteen Mile in Wyoming. But if you are trying to use the links on the BLM page to check the old NEPA documents to make sure the operation complies with law, the links to those documents have not worked for more than a week. In fact, the entire BLM website and the NEPA search portal have had more nonoperational days than functional ones all summer. 

We believe Jackson Mountains will begin as scheduled. What we do not know is if BLM will be implementing the irresponsible plan they just approved that includes experimental “burning and gluing of oviducts” and spaying. The May schedule shows no “fertility control.” We do not know if they have changed it to include the extreme “fertility control” they approved. We have filed an administrative appeal and are beginning additional litigation options.

Hot shot use was rampant during loading, Surprise 2021

We confirmed Carter, Buckhorn and Coppersmith are off the schedule and BLM will respect the order of the court.

We do not know if BLM is going to spend a lot of money to do the Bitner, Massacre Lakes and Nut Mountain (Surprise Complex) operations they planned. The 2019 gather plan was implemented with a roundup in 2021 when they reached AML (the number BLM says can be out there). But in 2023, they did another roundup under that same EA.

Now, in 2026, they are planning another roundup in the complex in contravention of a court precedent set in 2024 that clearly states when AML is reached a new environmental analysis must be done. There is no such thing as allowing “maintenance gathers” for the next 20 years. Reaching AML means you reached the analyzed goal and removed whatever “excess you determined.”

So lets look at the 2026 plan for the Surprise Complex HMAs on the schedule for a minute:

Please note BLM has not done a pre-gather census to confirm what is actually on the range and fails to address the fact that they have a 22% error rate DOWNWARD and repeatedly overcount horses. 

BLM is going to claim “But the horses had babies!”

Answer: You did fertility control in 2019 (PZP), 2023 (GonaCon) and the population barely grew (by modeling, not actual census). In 2023 you gathered more horses than low AML leaving only 5 in Wall in Canyon. THIS IS NOT A NECESSARY REMOVAL. 

Does this look like a good use of taxpayer money? 

Challis is on the schedule to start September 10. Challis is the second 2026 roundup where the state of Idaho is ignoring court precent and the third BLM wide.

In bold so BLM can read it: WHEN YOU REACH AML UNDER AN EA YOU NEED TO DO A NEW ONE. The court was clear. It is not like you do not know that.

At Saylor Creek BLM planned capture 150 wild horses in 2026 using an old environmental analysis where they had already reached AML. They placed it on the schedule in May. They published what is called a Decision of NEPA Adequacy (DNA) that ignored all comments pointing out the court order. However, they did do a pre-gather census and dropped their target number to 118 because the modeling estimate was wrong. PLEASE remember: BLM has a 22% error rate downward on modeling they never account for. In most places you do not see the error so clearly. BLM captured 103 and will be releasing an (as of this writing) and undisclosed number of mares treated with GonaCon (again).

Idaho BLM then began the exact process of clearing the paperwork they did at Saylor for Challis. Ignoring all comments (months ago) that they needed a new environmental assessment to comply with the law. Just weeks before the roundup was to begin they created the same “we are ignoring you” decision document.

Challis is the third roundup on the 2026 schedule where BLM has simply ignored the court ruling. We filed litigation. 

Ignoring public comment that shows that you are not in compliance with the law is not “ok.” The purpose of public comment is to point out exactly these issues so BLM could change. BLM had plenty of time to comply with legal analysis requirements and simply decided to ignore them… for the third time in 2026. 

Sand Wash (CO)

Sand Wash Basin (CO) has many advocates confused. BLM is switching from small bait trapping operations to a helicopter. This is one of those areas where BLM has a long standing agreement with on range partners. The one range partners do fertility control darting and fix and maintain water sources. In the past they have done small bait trapping and highly publicized (and lucrative) adoption events for these wild horses that have a huge photography following online.

In May, BLM put Sand Wash on the gather schedule to capture 300 and treat 20 mares with fertility control and return them with 35 studs. AML range: 163-362, Population Statistics report lists an estimated 505.

But why change the capture method they have used out there from onsite corrals that have been constricted for the purpose of capturing Sand Wash?

Unofficially BLM has changed the start date and numbers twice. The chatter is also that BLM wants to focus on “off HMA” horses.

The maps above are to orient you to where the Sand Wash HMA is located. The first map shows proximity to both Adobe Town (WY) about 50 miles north and Salt Wells (WY) about 95 miles at the shortest point. The second map shows the trap locations (red dots) for the 2025 Adobe Town roundup where, when we documented the operation wild horses were being pushed in from “off-HMA” from the south (Colorado) and one of the traps was even across state lines into Colorado.

At this time it is unclear if the “off-HMA” target for Sand Wash is in the “in-between.” 

That would be the only thing that could make sense to explain why BLM is not using the traps already constructed inside Sand Wash to do this removal and why they need a helicopter. We have documented roundups where helicopters will “haze” wild horses over a day or two toward a trap 40 miles away (at Owyhee).

We cannot answer your questions with any concrete answer because BLM has not answered any questions officially. They have not even officially announced a target number nor start date.

What we can tell you is that the state of Colorado will have fewer than 600 wild horses on all of their public lands after the 2026 roundup season ends. 

As the 2026 fiscal year draws to a close and we cannot tell you exactly what September will look like. 

But we can tell you fiscal 2027, that begins in just a few weeks, will bring a fight like we have not seen before. 

Take ACTION and get ready. 

The future of our wild ones depend on the fight we are willing to have today. 

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.