Federal Management of Wild Horses in the Western US and Its Implications

<figure> <img alt="About a dozen horses run as a helicopter — used to corral them — looms over them." src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/GettyImages-564003639.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> Helicopters are commonly used to herd wild horses into temporary corrals before they are loaded into trailers and hauled away.  | Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">More than 90,000 wild horses and burros inhabit public lands in the Western US, with the federal government rounding up thousands each year. These animals are typically held in large pens or pastures for extended periods until they are adopted or die, based on the rationale that their population levels exceed what the land can sustain.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Some captured horses are sold to Canadian slaughterhouses through a legal loophole, where they are processed for meat, primarily exported to European and Asian markets.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">While it is illegal to slaughter these animals for meat in the US, a recent investigation by the New York Times indicates that livestock buyers can purchase wild horses for as little as $25 each and sell them to slaughterhouses for up to $750 each through intermediaries.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">These sales have been ongoing for decades but have reportedly increased during President Donald Trump’s second term.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Wild horses, or mustangs, are considered an American icon and are generally viewed as “not food animals” by most people in the US. However, the beef industry has been advocating for more intensive roundups and even slaughter of these horses, which has received limited public attention.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The Western US is a significant cattle ranching area, and ranchers argue that horses negatively impact their business</strong></h2> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Wild horses in the Western US are descendants of animals introduced by European colonists in the 1500s. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regulates the population of wild horses and burros in specific management regions, removing animals when population levels exceed designated limits.</p> <img alt="" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/FQ3Ms-since-the-mid-1990s-the-federal-government-has-on-average-rounded-up-over-8-800-wild-horses-and-burros-each-year-nbsp-_accc22.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100" title="" /> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">In addition to wild horses, millions of privately owned cattle graze on public lands. Approximately 250 million acres of BLM and National Forest Service land, which constitutes 13 percent of the contiguous US, is available for ranchers to graze their cattle. This creates competition for resources between cattle and wild horses, as both populations can impact vegetation and water bodies.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Wild horse advocates argue that the BLM's criteria for determining appropriate horse population levels favor cattle ranchers, ensuring sufficient forage for livestock. Ranchers lease grazing rights from the BLM at a low rate of $1.69 per animal per month, which critics argue effectively subsidizes these ranchers by providing inexpensive land and food for their cattle.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the largest cattle industry group in the US, along with its public lands counterpart, the Public Lands Council, supports more aggressive management of wild horses and burros.</p> <figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><img alt="" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/GettyImages-867446332.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0.51546391752577,100,98.969072164948" title="" /> <img alt="" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/GettyImages-691256680.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,8.9860814792238,100,82.027837041552" title="" /></figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">These organizations advocate for legalizing horse slaughter in the US and increasing the budgets of the BLM and Forest Service to support their proposed aggressive wild horse removal schedules. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association did not respond to a request for comment.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Since the mid-1990s, the BLM has captured an average of around 8,800 wild horses and burros annually, typically using bait and traps or helicopters to herd them. Some horses die during the roundup process or later from injuries sustained during the capture.</p> <img alt="" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/S2iVK-government-sales-of-wild-horses-and-burros-have-dramatically-increased-over-the-last-decade-_d954ce.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100" title="" /> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">After capture, the animals are kept in pens or pastures until they are adopted, sold, or die from natural causes. Currently, there are about 58,000 wild horses and burros in captivity, costing taxpayers approximately $100 million annually for management.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The number of wild horses sold has increased; in 2013, only 65 were sold, while in 2024, the number reached 1,500, and last year it exceeded 3,700. It is unclear how many of these sold horses end up in slaughterhouses, as others are often used for activities such as trail riding and ranch work.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">A Bureau of Land Management spokesperson denied allegations of slaughter, stating that the BLM does not send wild horses or burros to slaughter and that no loophole exists allowing buyers to sell horses for slaughter.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>A potential solution: Implementing birth control for wild horses</strong></h2> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Some conservation nonprofits and former BLM employees claim that the BLM has been overly accommodating to cattle groups at the expense of wildlife. There have been instances of conflicts of interest within the Bureau, such as a Trump appointee who has discussed easing grazing limits while owning companies that graze cattle on public land managed by the BLM.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Wild horses and burros are not the only species affected by the cattle industry and federal government policies. Cattle groups have also sought to restrict bison grazing near Yellowstone National Park and have supported removing protections for gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act.</p> <img alt="" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/GettyImages-144084762.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100" title="" /> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">A potential method for reducing the number of horses rounded up and potentially sold to slaughter is to decrease the birth rate of wild horses and burros. Patricia Miller, executive director of the nonprofit American Wild Horse Conservation, suggested that the BLM prioritize birth control as a more humane alternative. Cattle groups also support increased birth control measures.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">In 2019, a coalition of cattle industry and animal welfare groups proposed a compromise plan called the “Path Forward,” aimed at increasing BLM funding for both aggressive wild horse roundups and the deployment of birth control. The following year, Congress increased the BLM’s wild horse and burro management budget by $21 million, which has continued to rise. The BLM has since increased its fertility control efforts, which are resource-intensive but have accelerated wild horse roundups. Miller indicated that the BLM could allocate up to $11 million for fertility control this year, although it is not mandated to do so; she is advocating for this requirement. In 2024, the BLM spent about $5 million on fertility control.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">“We use fertility control wherever it can work,” a BLM spokesperson stated via email.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Enhancing fertility control could significantly improve wild horse and burro management in the West, potentially reducing the number of animals held in captivity or sent to slaughter. However, it also raises broader questions about the management of public lands in the US.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>A version of this story originally appeared in the&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect"><em><strong>Future Perfect</strong></em></a><em>&nbsp;newsletter.&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.vox.com/pages/future-perfect-newsletter-signup"><em><strong>Sign up here!</strong></em></a></p>