In just two weeks, over 1,600 wild horses were rounded up and taken from their home in Wyoming’s Adobe Town Herd Management Area. Among them: 603 stallions, 719 mares, and 355 foals — babies barely old enough to survive on their own. The Bureau of Land Management ended the month-long operation early, but not before lives were lost. Seven horses died, including a 4-month-old foal who succumbed to stress and an 18-year-old mare who broke her neck during transport.

These aren’t just numbers. These were living, breathing animals — social, intelligent creatures who roam in family bands and have called these wild lands home for generations. Now, hundreds of them are grieving in holding pens, ripped from their herds and the only freedom they’ve ever known.

The BLM says the roundups are necessary to protect the land, but advocates question their methods, especially when many of the horses euthanized had conditions they’d already lived with for years in the wild. Infrared surveys may show “overpopulation,” but mass removals with helicopters, chaotic chases, and cramped trailers are not a humane or sustainable answer.

There are better ways to manage wild horse populations — including fertility control and habitat preservation — but the BLM continues to choose the most traumatic option. These aggressive roundups don’t just cost taxpayer money — they cost wild horses their lives, their families, and their freedom.

We are calling on the Bureau of Land Management to immediately pause all remaining 2025 wild horse roundups and commit to non-lethal population management. The public deserves transparency. The horses deserve better.

If you believe wild horses belong on our public lands, not behind fences or in holding facilities, add your name now. Let’s show federal agencies that the American people want protection — not destruction — for these iconic animals.