The Bureau of Land Management plans to soon begin gathering wild horses from the Great Divide Basin, Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek, White Mountain and Little Colorado Herd Management Areas (HMAs) in southwestern Wyoming. Set to start on Oct. 7, the BLM says the gather is part of its approach “to managing and protecting healthy wild horses on healthy public rangelands in balance with available water, forage, and other authorized uses of the land.”

The BLM estimates the wild horse population across the five HMAs to be approximately 5,105 animal, which is more than double the combined appropriate management level of 1,550-2,145 horses. The agency says the gather will address the overpopulation on the HMAs, prevent deterioration of the rangeland due to the overpopulation, remove horses from private lands and areas not designated for their long-term use and comply with a 2013 Consent Decree between the Rock Springs Grazing Association and the BLM.  

The BLM plans to gather approximately 4,300 horses, removing about 3,500 of them and returning 800. Any mare returned to an HMA will be treated with temporary fertility control.

“By managing wild horses at appropriate levels, the BLM can better maintain herd and rangeland health and reduce trespass onto private land and highways,’ the agency said in a news release. Additional information and daily gather reports will be available at www.blm.gov/wyoming/2021-rock-springs-gather. 

While the gather is underway, public lands will remain open unless closures are deemed necessary due to safety concerns. Because of low-flying aircraft, all drone use will be prohibited within 20 miles of the immediate gather area. Occasional road closures may also be necessary to permit movement of wild horses during gather operations. 

Opportunities are available for the public to observe gather operations, provided that doing so does not jeopardize the safety of the animals, staff, observers, or disrupt gather operations. The BLM will escort the public to observation sites on public lands. Participants must provide their own transportation, water and food. The BLM recommends a four-wheel drive, high clearance vehicle. Those interested in observing the gather must notify Brad Purdy at bpurdy@blm.gov or 307-775-6328. 

Wild horses that are removed will be checked by a veterinarian and made available for adoption to qualified applicants. To learn more about the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program and adopting a Wyoming wild horse, visit www.blm.gov/whb or contact the national information center at 866-486-7826 or wildhorse@blm.gov.