Federal Appeals Court Reins in BLM Wild Horse Wyoming Eradication Plan

Federal Appeals Court Reins in BLM Wild Horse Wyoming Eradication Plan  

(DENVER, CO., July 15th, 2025) –  After 14 years of litigation, American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC), the Animal Welfare Institute, Western Watersheds Project, and their allies have secured a major legal victory that delivers a major setback to the largest attempted eradication of wild horses in U.S. history.

In a significant ruling issued today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit found serious legal failings in the Bureau of Land Management’s plan to eliminate wild horses from more than 2 million acres of public lands in Wyoming—home to the iconic Adobe Town, Salt Wells Creek, and Great Divide Basin herds. The court held that BLM acted arbitrarily and capriciously in adopting its plan, violating federal law by failing to consider a core requirement of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act: managing wild horses and burros as part of a thriving natural ecological balance on public lands.

“This is a significant win for America’s wild horses and a meaningful check on BLM overreach.  The court has made clear that the BLM cannot sidestep the law to appease special interests and eliminate wild horses from their rightful habitat,” said Suzanne Roy, Executive Director of  American Wild Horse Conservation. “Wild horses are meant to roam free, not be rounded up and erased from the landscape. We remain committed to fighting for the future of Wyoming’s iconic wild horse herds.”  

Joanna Grossman, Ph.D., Equine Program Director for the Animal Welfare Institute stated: “This ruling sends a clear message: the Bureau of Land Management cannot simply erase wild horses from the landscape because they pose an inconvenience to the agency. These animals are federally protected and must be managed humanely, not eliminated. The court’s decision upholds a key tenet of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, setting a strong precedent for the protection of wild herds across the West.” 

“Public lands are suffering not from wild horses, but from the industrial livestock lobby’s corrosive influence. The BLM removes protected mustangs only to make room for cattle and sheep—subsidized at rock‑bottom fees—while ignoring the real ecological damage wrought by these domestic herds,” said Erik Molvar, Executive Director of the Western Watersheds Project. “This ruling demands accountability and exposes who’s truly driving degradation on the range.” 

The case challenged a BLM Resource Management Plan amendment that would have eradicated wild horses from two Herd Management Areas (HMAs) by changing their status to Herd Areas (HAs) with population targets of zero, and slashed the population in a third HMA by over half. In planning documents, the BLM repeatedly acknowledged that areas under consideration for its management plan contained adequate forage, water, space, and other resources to sustain wild horse herds and maintain a Thriving Natural Ecological Balance. The court found the agency acted arbitrarily and capriciously by failing to assess whether its decision was consistent with ecological balance—a central mandate of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act.

The ruling states that the BLM cannot “use the RMP process to skirt its Wild Horse Act obligations.” 

But it also leaves room for the BLM to attempt to revise and potentially reinstate its plan, underscoring the need for continued oversight and advocacy.

The lawsuit was brought by American Wild Horse Conservation, the Animal Welfare Institute, Western Watersheds Project, wildlife photographers Carol Walker and Kimerlee Curyl and sociologist and author Chad Hanson. They are represented by the public interest law firm Eubanks & Associates, PLLC. Two other wild horse protection organizations each filed separate lawsuits in the case. 

A history of litigation for the Checkerboard horses can be found here. 

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About American Wild Horse Conservation

American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is the nation's leading nonprofit wild horse conservation organization, with more than 700,000 supporters and followers nationwide. AWHC is dedicated to preserving the American wild horse and burros in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage. In addition to advocating for the protection and preservation of America's wild herds, AWHC implements the largest wild horse fertility control program in the world through a partnership with the State of Nevada for wild horses that live in the Virginia Range near Reno.

The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.

Western Watersheds Project advocates for the restoration and protection of public lands and wildlife habitat, primarily through our work to improve the management of private livestock grazing. We’re online at westernwatersheds.org.