BLM is again rounding up wild horses in Utah’s Swasey Herd Management Area, with plans to remove approximately 140 horses. The roughly 120,000-acre HMA lies in Juab and Millard counties, west of Delta. BLM’s March 1, 2026, population report estimated 206 horses; its November roundup announcement puts the estimate at more than 247. The agency’s designated “Appropriate Management Level” allows just 60–100 wild horses on this range.

Swasey lies within approximately 30 miles of the Onaqui HMA, near the U.S. Army’s Dugway Proving Ground. These administrative boundaries do not tell the whole story of how horses use this landscape: during the 2024 Swasey operation, BLM captured horses outside the HMA, including bands documented in the Onaqui catalogue. That history makes the location and identity of horses targeted in this operation particularly important.

Just like during the last operation, captives will be transported to the off-limits to the public facility in Sutherland, Utah.

Official cumulative numbers:

Captured (official count): 64 (25 stallions, 28 mares, and 11 foals)

Shipped: 64 (25 stallions, 28 mares, and 11 foals)

Deaths:

Please be aware, BLM weakened the standards in their CAWP program on June 29th, right before helicopter roundup season began. A veterinarian is no longer required to be onsite.

Updates will appear with the most recent at the top.

Day 3, 11-05-26

It took 5 runs to capture only 36 wild horses from Swasey. Our observer arrived at that trap at approximately 7:10 a.m. with the first capture occuring at 9:27 a.m. The last run of the day was at 3:05.

The day was overcast, but no wind.

No observation allowed at temporary corrals.

Day 2, 11-04-26: Operations cancelled due to weather.

Day 1, 11-03-26: 28 (10 stallions, 14 mares, and 4 foals) wild horses were captured. BLM sent press release that operations had begun after operation had begun.

Team coverage of the last roundup at Swasey in 2025 can be found HERE. 

If you would like to take action to help protect wild horses and burros you can take the following 2 actions today:

The Department of Interior is in the process of rewriting regulation to guide BLM management of wild horses and burros on public lands. We are asking for a public, transparent, Oversight hearing from Congress before any changes to regulations are finalized. Learn more and take action HERE. 

A massive $30 million influx of funding is coming to BLM from the USDA (that oddly never has enough money to fund their own USFS wild horse program). There is not one single guardrail against how that funding is going to be used for “getting to AML and staying there.” Plans are already being finalized to sterilize wild horse herds, even where AML is below genetic viability. Learn more and take action HERE. 

Our team is working hard. 

We will update you as time allows.

We need your support to keep our teams engaging lawmakers, our team fighting in the court, our team running in the field covering the roundup schedule.