State leaders call on BLM to ‘immediately halt’ wild horse helicopter gathers in Colorado

Gov. Jared Polis and U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse are calling on the Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management to "immediately halt" helicopter gathers of wild horses in Colorado, citing the "inhumane and unnecessary" nature of the agency's gather methods following operations this year in the state's northwest corner, states a Thursday news release.

In a letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum and BLM Acting Colorado State Director Tom Heinlein, Polis and Neguse acknowledged the BLM's rationale behind wild horse gathers but requested an "immediate freeze" nonetheless, referring to the "extreme panic, exhaustion" and "frequent and severe injuries to the animals" that helicopter gathers are "known to cause."

"Coloradans themselves have voiced deep concern over the safety and well-being of these horses, whose risks only multiply during roundups of this scale and continue long after the gathering ends," wrote the officials.

State leaders requested a postponement of scheduled gathers so that the BLM can have a more comprehensive stakeholder and community engagement process, noting the importance of partnering with local and state entities to "craft a solution for the long-term well-being" of the horses.

The letter was co-signed by U.S. Reps. Brittany Pettersen, Dianna DeGette and Jason Crow.

In 1971, Congress passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, declaring the animals as "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West" that "enrich the lives of the American people." The act states that wild horses and burros are "fast disappearing from the American scene."

The law requires the federal government to protect wild horses as part of public lands, but the government says protecting both the horses and those lands requires removing many of the horses.

Since 1971, the BLM has removed nearly 4,400 animals from public rangelands in Colorado, states the agency's website. The BLM considers the appropriate combined capacity for all herd management areas in the state to be 812 animals.

In five-plus decades since the act was passed, the BLM has conducted gather operations - funded through federal taxpayer dollars - on wild horse and burro populations in roughly 175 herd management areas across 10 Western states. The ultimate aim of the program, according to BLM officials, is to prevent wild horse populations from exceeding the capacity of the land.

Wild horse gathers, particularly those utilizing the helicopter drive-trap method (as opposed to bait traps), have long been a matter of debate between the federal government, ranchers, horse advocates and the public.

The topic remains controversial for a number of reasons: the manner in which the horses are gathered, the impacts of wild horse grazing versus livestock grazing on public lands, the cost of gather operations to American taxpayers, and what happens to the horses after they're taken from the range.

The most recent gather in the state - which newspaper staff observed in person in early August - took place in Northwest Colorado's Piceance Basin. Operations commenced Aug. 1 and were completed on Aug. 31, with the BLM having gathered 894 wild horses, including 355 stallions, 368 mares and 171 foals in total, according to the agency's website.

Fourteen horses - 10 stallions, three mares and one foal - will be returned back to the herd management area, with 10 darted for fertility control. Nine horses died.

The next gather, which will also use the helicopter drive-trap method, is scheduled to begin in Moffat County's Sand Wash Basin on Thursday, Sept. 10 and end on Sept. 30. The BLM intends to gather 300 horses, return 55 to the range and treat 20 of those 55 with fertility control.

Neguse previously called for wild horse gathers to be delayed and reevaluated in June 2022 - the same year that Polis called for them to be stopped altogether. That same year, Neguse introduced legislation that would end federal funding for roundups.

The Thursday news release also refers to an investigative report from The New York Times published Aug. 20, which states that in 2025, sales of wild horses more than doubled, and that traders are using a legal loophole to increase profits when selling them for slaughter.

"Our wild horses provide significant benefit to the region and state of Colorado and should be treated with care," states the letter to the BLM from Colorado leaders. "We also request any evidence your agencies may have that supports the need for continued use of helicopter roundups as a more effective means for horse control against other more humane methods."