Demand accountability for abuse of downed wild horse

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Captured wild horses in temporary holding pens during a Bureau of Land Management roundup. RTF file photo.

Call for Accountability After Wild Horse Abused on Video

Warning: Includes a disturbing description of violent behavior toward a horse. Scroll down to send a letter to Congress and the Bureau of Land Management.

Join Return to Freedom in demanding that the Bureau of Land Management take swift action after an advocate captured video in July 2024 of a wrangler kicking an exhausted and downed wild horse during a helicopter roundup in Nevada.

The blatant abuse shown by the wrangler in the video is a major violation of the BLM’s Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP). The humane handling protocol specifically prohibits “hitting, kicking, striking, or beating any (wild horse or burro) in an abusive manner.”

The BLM is allowed to capture and remove wild horses and burros from the range under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, as amended. However, the explicit purpose of the act is to protect America’s remaining wild horses “from capture, branding, harassment, or death.” Violations of the law carry a penalty of up to $2,000 and up to a year in prison.

In the advocate’s video, a wild horse, visibly exhausted after being chased by a helicopter in smoky conditions, is roped by a pair of the contractor’s wranglers on horseback. The wild horse slumps to the ground.

The video then shows one wrangler dismounting, pulling the horse by the tail and kicking the wild horse in its hindquarters. Back on his own horse, he pulls at the lasso around the downed horse’s neck, in an apparent attempt to pull it to its feet. The lasso, positioned at the horse’s throatlatch, causes the horse distress.

When the horse cannot be pulled to its feet, the wrangler dismounts again and kicks the wild horse in the head before swatting at its face with his cowboy hat until the horse rises unsteadily to its feet.

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TAKE ACTION!

All members of House and Senate, BLM director

Subject: Demand accountability for abuse of downed wild horse!

Message:

I strongly urge you to call for the Bureau of Land Management to take immediate action after a video shot in July 2024 captured a wrangler kicking a downed wild horse during a helicopter roundup in Nevada.

• The BLM should terminate contractor CD Warner Livestock LLC and prohibit this contractor from further involvement with wild equines;

• continue the ongoing investigation into the incident, and impose significant consequences for the contractor; and

• implement meaningful changes to improve how wild horses and burros are handled.

The video shows CD Warner Livestock LLC wranglers roping a wild horse that is visibly exhausted after being chased by a helicopter in smoky conditions. After the wild horse slumps to the ground, one wrangler dismounts, kicks the wild horse in its hindquarters and pulls its tail. Back on his own horse, he pulls at the lasso around the downed horse’s neck. When the horse cannot be pulled to its feet, the wrangler dismounts again, kicking the wild horse in the head before swatting at its face with his cowboy hat until the horse rises unsteadily to its feet.

This blatant abuse is a major violation of the BLM’s Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP). The humane handling protocol specifically prohibits “hitting, kicking, striking, or beating any (wild horse or burro) in an abusive manner.” Congress has stated repeatedly — as recently as last week — that the BLM and its contractors must abide by the CAWP.

The BLM is allowed to capture and remove wild horses and burros from the range under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, as amended. However, the explicit purpose of the act is to protect America’s remaining wild horses “from capture, branding, harassment, or death.” Violations of the law carry a penalty of up to $2,000 and up to a year in prison. So while the agency is allowed to capture wild horses under specific circumstances, the law does not allow for harassment, much less such cruel behavior.

Public lands belong to the American people and the BLM’s wild horse program is paid for by our tax dollars. The agency must adopt a culture that prioritizes the spirit of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, which was passed to protect America's remaining wild horses and burros.

Call for Accountability After Wild Horse Abused on Video

Thank you for supporting America's wild horses and burros!