In the Spotlight
- Gather, Adoption, Holding, and Sales Statistics
The Bureau of Land Management protects, manages, and controls wild horses and burros under the authority of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 to ensure that healthy herds thrive on healthy rangelands. The BLM manages these living symbols of the Western spirit as part of its multiple-use mission under the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act .
One of the BLM’s key responsibilities under the 1971 law is to determine the "appropriate management level" (AML) of wild horses and burros on the public rangelands. These animals have virtually no natural predators and their herd size can double about every four years. As a result, 38,400 wild horses and burros roam BLM-managed lands in 10 Western states, a population that exceeds by nearly 12,000 the number that can exist in balance with other public rangeland resources and uses.
To help bring herd populations into balance with rangeland conditions, which are affected by drought and wildfire, the BLM gathers several thousand wild horses and burros from public rangelands each year and offers them for adoption or sale to individuals and groups willing and able to provide humane, long-term care.
For more information about the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program, please call (866) 4MUSTANGS (866-468-7826). You may also sign up to receive e-mail updates on exciting events in the program.
Marietta, Nevada, wild burro range.