The ASPCA’s Commitment to Wild Horses
Wild horses and burros are iconic symbols of the American West, and they need our help.
In 1971, Congress passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, which grants these animals special legal protections. While these protections remain essential, gaps in the law and ongoing management challenges continue to put wild horses and burros at risk of confinement, mistreatment and even slaughter.
A 2026 investigation by The New York Times exposed how hundreds — possibly thousands — of wild horses and burros are being funneled into the slaughter pipeline.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, is responsible for managing wild horses. Wild horses live on land owned by the federal government across several western states (see map). However, this land is not set aside for horses alone: federal law requires that it serve multiple uses, including as habitat for other wildlife, livestock grazing, public recreation and energy development.
Because of these competing needs, wild horse herds are not allowed to grow unchecked. The BLM is tasked with monitoring the number of wild horses and keeping the population at levels it deems appropriate (both for the animals and for the land), and it is illegal to control their numbers by killing them outright.
Unfortunately, when it comes to managing the size of our wild herds, the BLM relies heavily on rounding up horses and removing them from the range instead of more proactively using proven fertility control treatments. The horses it removes are relocated to fenced-in holding areas to live out their days, or to be adopted or sold. It is these horses who are at risk of falling into the wrong hands and winding up being sold for slaughter.
A stronger commitment to fertility control would keep more horses on the range, reduce overcrowding in government holding facilities and address rising costs and welfare concerns.
The Management of Wild Horses and a Plan to Safeguard Their Future
In 2019, a broad coalition of national animal welfare, wild horse advocacy, conservation, farm and ranching organizations united and agreed on a nonlethal, humane and sustainable management approach — an unusually strong consensus among historically divisive stakeholders.
The ASPCA envisions a future in which free-roaming herds are managed humanely and live primarily on the range. Achieving that vision requires four coordinated components:
1. Increase use of fertility control
Apply safe, humane fertility-control treatments at a large enough scale to stabilize wild horse and burro populations on the range. Fertility control is administered to female horses (mares) as an injection that can be delivered by hand or remotely by dart gun, preventing them from becoming pregnant. By slowing population growth, these methods help reduce pressure on rangeland resources while allowing horses and burros to remain in the wild.
2. Use strategic gathers
Use strategic gathers to humanely capture and relocate some wild horses and burros when populations outgrow the resources available on the range. By focusing removals on densely populated areas that cannot sustain current herd sizes, this targeted approach helps protect animals from food and water shortages, improves overall herd health and creates opportunities to implement fertility control to slow future population growth.
3. Transition horses to free-roaming pastures
Move wild horses and burros from holding facilities to large, humane and lower-cost pasture settings. Doing so provides these animals with a free-roaming environment.
4. Increase adoptions
Promote the adoption of wild horses and burros into good homes to improve their lives, reduce long-term holding costs and redirect resources toward sustainable care of wild populations. Rescues and shelters across the country, including the ASPCA through our Right Horse program, are already helping drive successful adoptions by marketing adoptable horses, connecting them with prospective owners, providing training and support and making adoption more accessible.
An assessment conducted with population ecologists and economists found that this strategy is both practical and achievable. By investing in targeted removals, fertility control, expanded adoptions and lower-cost pasture options, the BLM can reach sustainable population levels within 10 years while reducing long-term costs and improving outcomes for wild horses and the rangelands they depend on.
Lasting success also requires changes to federal policy. Congress must ban the slaughter of American horses to keep wild horses out of the slaughter pipeline. Urge your members of Congress to pass the SAFE Act and ensure lifelong protection for every horse, domestic or wild.
You are also invited to join the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade to receive breaking news and urgent alerts when horses need your help.
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