Congress passed the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses & Burros Act in 1971 when populations of these animals were declining. Back then, no one could have foreseen the problems we currently face 55 years later, as unchecked populations overrun the carrying capacity of the land and out-compete native wildlife (including wild bighorns) for forage and water. The law requires the BLM to protect and manage populations of horses and burros for the health of the landscape and these animals themselves, but it forbids multiple-use agencies from destroying healthy animals. That leaves us – the taxpayers and owners of the public land where most of these critters live – with conflicting rules and a whole lot of mouths to feed.

The President’s FY24 budget requested nearly $155 million of taxpayer dollars to employ and resource 239 full-time employees for horse and burro management. Most of that taxpayer money will be spent feeding the more than 60,000 animals still in long-term holding facilities.

Current horse and burro policies are failing our public lands, our public wildlife, and the equids themselves. The time for change has come and passed.

Sheep Fever asked those close to the situation to help explain why the law is being carried out as written, how bad things have gotten, and what can and should be done.