Wild Horse and Burro Resource Management

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages and protects wild horses and burros on 25.6 million acres of public lands across ten western states as part of its mission to administer public lands for multiple uses. The Wild Horse and Burro Program's goal is to manage healthy wild horses and burros on healthy public rangelands. The BLM created the Wild Horse and Burro Program to implement the Wild-Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act, passed by Congress in 1971. Broadly, the law declares wild horses and burros to be “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West” and stipulates that the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service have the responsibility to manage and protect herds in their respective jurisdictions within areas where wild horses and burros were found roaming in 1971. The Wild Horse and Burro Program consists of two main branches: (1) On-Range management of wild horses and burros, and (2) Off-Range management and care of wild horses and burros. The goal of the On-Range program is to manage for healthy wild horse and burro populations and to maintain a thriving natural ecological balance with other resources and land uses. The Off-Range management goal is to ensure the health and welfare of wild horses and burros that were removed from public lands under BLM care, to place animals into private care through adoptions, sales, and transfers, to conduct compliance inspections of adopted animals and to build partnerships and relationships with external organizations. Communications, outreach, and education are priorities of both branches. This program continues to advance the Department of Interior's priorities to restore balance on public lands and waters.