AWHC
A bill that could stop a global animal crisis
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
Across the world, millions of donkeys are being killed each year to fuel a booming trade in ejiao — a gelatin made from donkey hides that is used in cosmetics and traditional medicine.
Demand for this product has exploded in recent years, driving a global trade that has devastated donkey populations and caused immense suffering. Donkeys are often stolen, transported long distances without food or water, and killed under inhumane conditions before their hides are processed.
The United States currently plays a role in this market as one of the largest importers of products containing ejiao. But Congress has a chance to change that.
The bipartisan Ejiao Act (H.R. 5544) would prohibit the transport, sale, and purchase in the United States of ejiao products and donkey hides used to produce them.
| TAKE ACTION |
Donkeys are vital partners for communities around the world — transporting food, water, and children to school.
They deserve protection from a global trade that treats them as disposable. Please take a moment to urge your lawmakers to support the Ejiao Act today.
Thank you for your support,
American Wild Horse Conservation
Two futures for America’s wild horses
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
Right now, America’s wild horses are facing two very different futures:
Future #1: The status quo.
Helicopter roundups continue to chase horses from our public lands, breaking apart families and sending animals into government holding facilities. Taxpayers spend $144 million every year on this cycle — and once captured, a single horse can cost up to $50,000 to house over their lifetime.
Or…
Future #2: A humane, science-based solution.
Fertility control using the reversible vaccine PZP prevents pregnancies while allowing horses to remain wild and free on the range with their families.
PZP is widely tested, scientifically-backed, and already proving effective. At American Wild Horse Conservation, we manage the largest wild horse fertility control program in the country, demonstrating that this approach can work at scale.
And it’s far more cost-effective:
- Lifetime government holding: up to $50,000 per horse
- Humane fertility control: about $3,500 for lifetime protection
Congress has already allocated $11 million for humane fertility control in the FY26 appropriations bill.
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Because the future of America’s wild horses depends on the choice we make today.
Thank you for standing with us.
— AWHC Team
Protecting Wild Horses for Generations to Come
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
We’re officially a month into the Year of the Horse, and at American Wild Horse Conservation, it’s already a powerful reminder of why this work matters so much.
America’s wild horses and burros embody freedom, resilience, and the spirit of the West. Yet protecting them requires constant vigilance, defending their right to live free on public lands, advocating for humane policies, and safeguarding the landscapes they call home.
The Year of the Horse is a time to celebrate these incredible animals. It’s also a time to ask an important question: How will we ensure wild horses remain protected for generations to come?
One meaningful way supporters choose to make a lasting impact is through a legacy gift.
By including American Wild Horse Conservation in your will or estate plans, you help ensure that the fight to protect wild horses continues long into the future. These gifts cost nothing today but provide powerful support for advocacy, habitat protection, and humane conservation efforts for years to come.
| CREATE MY FREE WILL AND LEGACY |
We’ve made it easier to take this step. Through our free partner FreeWill, you can create or update your will online in about 20 minutes.
You can also use this beneficiaries tool to review and update beneficiary designations on accounts like retirement plans and life insurance policies, another simple way many supporters choose to create a legacy for the causes they care about.
As we celebrate the Year of the Horse, we invite you to consider your role in protecting these iconic animals.
With gratitude,
American Wild Horse Conservation
Wild horses deserve better than “Emergency” excuses
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
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Your Horse, In Watercolor
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
You asked—we listened. By popular demand, we’re extending our special Year of the Horse partnership with Apolis through March 15!
This limited-time collection features hand-painted, customizable bags created for horse lovers—each one crafted by artists and made to carry meaning, not just your everyday essentials. With every bag purchased, $100 is donated to American Wild Horse Conservation to support the protection of wild horses and burros on public lands.
| PERSONALIZE YOUR BAG → |
Wild horses continue to face removals from their homes and confinement in government holding facilities. Your purchase helps power our on-the-ground observers, legal advocacy, and public accountability work to protect wild horses where they belong—on the range.
If you’ve been waiting to customize your bag, this is your moment. The extension runs through March 15, and these hand-painted designs are only available for a limited time!
With gratitude,
American Wild Horse Conservation
This isn’t “balance.” It’s mass removal.
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
I wish I were writing to you with better news.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has just approved plans for a massive roundup in Nevada’s Callaghan Complex — one of the last great strongholds for wild horses in the West.
If carried out, this operation would remove nearly 5,000 wild horses from more than a million acres of public lands — pushing thousands of animals into government holding facilities and leaving only a fraction of the herds behind.
Families will be broken apart. Entire bands will disappear from landscapes they’ve lived on for generations. But this is not a fight we can take on alone. To stop this plan, we need a united community behind us — and we urgently need to fuel our Legal Fund with whatever you’re able to give today.
The BLM claims this plan is about “balance.” But when you look closely, the story changes:
This decision is built on outdated population targets that were set decades ago — before climate change, before modern ecological science, and without meaningful updates to reflect current conditions on the range. Their own monitoring fails to distinguish between the impacts of livestock grazing and wild horses on fragile habitat, yet wild horses are once again being singled out for removal while commercial livestock grazing continues.
Even more troubling: the BLM is proposing to remove thousands of horses before meaningfully deploying humane fertility control at scale — despite clear evidence that fertility control works when implemented seriously. This is not a last resort. It is a default to mass removal — a costly pipeline to overcrowded holding facilities where these innocent animals will live out their lives in captivity or be sent to slaughter.
I refuse to accept that as “management.” And I know you won’t either, Meredith.
American Wild Horse Conservation is preparing to challenge this decision and escalate pressure on the agency — in the courts, in Washington, and in the public eye. But we can only move as fast and as forcefully as our supporters make possible.
Your support powers our legal work, on-the-ground advocacy, and the fight to replace mass removals with humane, science-based solutions that actually keep wild horses wild. A gift to our Legal Fund today will help power the next phase of this fight as we work to halt this devastating plan.
| FUEL OUR LEGAL FUND |
This is the moment we either draw the line for wild horses — or allow their disappearance from these lands to become permanent. If we stand together now, we can still change what happens next.
With determination,
Patricia Miller
Board Chair
American Wild Horse Conservation
The Fire Horse year is here — and wild horses still inspire.
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
The Year of the Fire Horse has begun — a period of strength, resilience, and forward motion. For those of us who care about wild horses and burros, it’s a powerful way to welcome the year ahead.
As we shared earlier this week, wild horses are at a decade-defining inflection point. But this moment isn’t only about policy or numbers — it’s about why wild horses matter to people, to culture, and to our shared sense of freedom.
Across the American West and around the world, wild horses symbolize endurance, family, and the untamed spirit of the natural world. For many, seeing wild horses for the first time is unforgettable — a reminder that something truly wild still exists.
To mark the beginning of the Year of the Fire Horse, we’re lifting up the voices of supporters and volunteers who stand with wild horses every day:
These stories remind us that this movement is personal — and that visibility creates momentum for change.
Thank you for being part of a community that keeps wild horses in the public consciousness — not as a memory of the past, but as a living presence we are responsible for protecting today.
With gratitude,
American Wild Horse Conservation
The Year of the Fire Horse: A turning point for wild horses
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
As the Year of the Fire Horse begins today, I’ve been reflecting on what that symbol represents: strength, endurance, and the courage to keep moving forward — even when the terrain is difficult.
That feels especially fitting for this moment in American Wild Horse Conservation’s journey.
2025 was not just a year of activity, it was a year of measurable progress.
Together, we expanded humane fertility control, documented roundups across the West, strengthened legal accountability, and helped bring the reality facing wild horses and burros into the national conversation. Because of supporters like you, millions more people now understand what’s at stake.
And yet, the bigger picture is sobering.
Nearly a decade ago, approximately 20,000 wild horses were trapped in long-term government holding. Today, that number has more than tripled — with over 62,000 horses confined, now outnumbering those still living free on our public lands.
This is how change moves with wild horses, Meredith: in cycles and over decades. There are moments of progress, followed by periods of pressure.
What we are living through now is not just another cycle — it is an inflection point. The choices made in the next few years will shape the future of wild horses for a generation.
Today, I’m sharing our 2025 Impact Report with you. But I want to be clear: this is not a look back. It is a launch point for what we are building in 2026.
Download the full report to see your impact:
| DOWNLOAD THE 2025 ANNUAL REPORT |
As we enter the Year of the Fire Horse, wild horses are experiencing something rare: a cultural renaissance. Across media, art, advocacy, and public dialogue, these animals are reemerging as what they truly are — the lifeblood of the American West and a living symbol of freedom.
This renewed visibility matters. It creates an opening to move wild horses back into the mainstream of our national conscience — not as an afterthought, but as a priority.
We are aligning our 2026 organizational priorities with this moment.
AWHC is evolving — strengthening our field presence, sharpening our legal strategy, expanding public engagement, and demanding higher standards of accountability from federal agencies. The foundation you helped lay in 2025 is what allows us to step into this year with clarity, resolve, and momentum.
The stakes remain high. Roundups continue. Horses are still being removed from their families and pushed into a holding system never designed to operate at this scale. Protections passed by Congress are still being tested in practice.
But moments like this — when public awareness, cultural energy, and institutional pressure converge — are rare. The Year of the Fire Horse invites forward motion. With your partnership, we are prepared to meet this decade-defining moment with the urgency wild horses deserve.
Thank you for standing with us — not just for what we’ve achieved, but for what we are building next.
With gratitude and resolve,
Patricia Miller
Board Chair
American Wild Horse Conservation
P.S. Our limited-time Apolis brand partnership turns what you carry everyday into real protection for wild horses—$100 from each bag supports AWHC. Customize your bag here.
2026 is the Year of the Horse. Protect something wild.
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
This week, we welcome the Year of the Horse—a symbol of strength and freedom—with a special partnership designed to protect what’s wild. We’re teaming up with Apolis to support wild horses through an exciting, limited-edition promotion:
For one week only, Apolis is offering select personalized bags created in celebration of the Year of the Horse.With each bag purchased, $100 will be donated to AWHC to help protect America’s wild horses and burros on public lands.
Across the West, wild horses continue to face removals from their homes on public lands and confinement in holding facilities. Your support fuels our frontline work—deploying observers, challenging harmful policies, and fighting for humane, science-based management that keeps horses on the land where they belong.
When you personalize an Apolis bag through this promotion, you’re not just choosing something beautiful and functional. You’re choosing to stand for freedom on the range, family bands left intact, and a future where wild horses remain wild.
This collaboration brings together two values-driven organizations committed to protecting what’s precious. Apolis builds thoughtfully made products that create a positive impact around the world—and now, your everyday bag can directly support the protection of wild horses here at home.
Join us in bringing the values of the Fire Horse with us—by turning symbolism into protection for our cherished wild horses.
With gratitude,
American Wild Horse Conservation
| PERSONALIZE YOUR BAG → |
Valentine’s Day is for wild love
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Today is a celebration of love — but love in the wild doesn’t look like roses and chocolates. It looks like standing watch while your partner rests. It looks like staying close through storms, rivals, and years of survival.
Meet Blue and Lady of Nevada’s Fish Springs Range.
Blue and Lady are the king and queen of Nevada’s Fish Springs Range. Blue is everything you’d imagine a wild stallion to be: fiercely protective of his family, a resilient fighter, and a leader shaped by desert wind and sun. Lady is a stunning mare who has raised generations of wild horses — her intuition and quiet strength helping keep her family wild and free.
Photo credit: JT Humphrey
They’ve stood by each other for years, rarely straying far apart. When Blue rests, Lady keeps watch. When people spot Lady, they know the mighty Blue is nearby.
Through brutal winters and the steady passage of time, their bond has endured. This is wild love.
Blue and Lady are lucky — their family bond has endured rival stallions, brutal winters, and the steady passage of time. So many others aren’t given that chance.
But this Valentine’s Day, you have the power to help keep wild horse families together:
When you become a monthly supporter, you help create steady, year-round protection for wild horses and burros — the kind of support that allows us to respond to emergencies, document roundups, fight removals, and keep families in the wild where they belong.
As a thank-you, anyone who starts a monthly gift will receive a free Valentine’s Day–themed wild horse phone background — a small reminder of the love you’re helping protect, every time you unlock your phone.
| DONATE NOW |
Thank you for standing with wild families.
With gratitude,
American Wild Horse Conservation
P.S. Valentine’s Day may only come once a year, but wild horse families need protection every day. Monthly support helps make that possible. Please consider making a recurring monthly donation to AWHC today!
FWD: Protecting horses like Wally
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
Wally’s story is not an isolated one. It’s a warning.
There are so many other horses like Wally facing the same threats. That’s why AWHC exists—to prevent what happened to him from happening to any other wild horse or burro through in-the-wild conservation and meaningful policy change that only happens because supporters like you step up when it matters most.
As we approach the end of the year and prepare for what lies ahead in 2026, your support ensures AWHC can continue our fight to protect wild horses — whether on the range, in holding, or hidden in plain sight online.
| MAKE A 2X MATCHED GIFT TODAY! |
Thank you for being part of the reason Wally is safe tonight.
— American Wild Horse Conservation
Wally wasn’t found on the open range — he was found on Facebook
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
This is how Wally was found.
Not out on the open range. Not with his family band. But in photos posted to Facebook Marketplace — listed for sale like an object, not a living, breathing being:
Earlier this year, our rescue partners at Wild Heart Restart Ranch came across Wally’s listing while monitoring online sales. The photos showed a horse quietly waiting — vulnerable, unprotected, and one step away from disappearing into a system where horses are bought, flipped, and too often funneled toward slaughter.
Meredith, this should never happen — yet bad actors have exploited wild horses for years. That’s why AWHC responds wherever harm occurs by uncovering abuse through investigation, taking legal action to hold perpetrators accountable, and supporting rescue partners when we can to make a lifesaving difference.
In Wally’s case, your support made it possible for us to give a grant to Wild Heart Restart Ranch to:
- Fund Wally’s purchase, removing him from immediate risk,
- Cover his veterinary care,
- And pay for his September board so that he could recover safely with our trusted partners.
Because of you, Wally is no longer a listing on Facebook. He’s a mustang with a future.
Your support allows us to respond when horses need help, dig deep when exploitation must be exposed, and take decisive legal action to protect wild horses from those who profit off their suffering.
| MAKE A 2X MATCHED GIFT TODAY! |
With gratitude,
The AWHC Team
Remembering one of our biggest wins for wild horses — because you refused to look away >>
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
Often, the most important victories don’t happen all at once. They happen slowly — through years of documentation, investigation and persistence, made possible by supporters like you who refused to look away.
This year, that work led to a breakthrough when American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) shut down a federal program that was sending wild horses and burros to slaughter.
After years of investigation and a four-year legal battle fueled by our Legal Fund, a federal judge ruled that implementation of the government’s Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) was unlawful — and ordered it shut down entirely. This decision ended a scheme that was defrauding taxpayers and funneling thousands of wild horses into the slaughter pipeline.
| PROTECT MORE LIVES — GIVE NOW! |
This victory didn’t happen overnight, but it did start with 20 horses who I will never forget.
In 2020, we identified 20 wild horses at the Cleburne Livestock Auction in Texas. Their adopters had received ownership just over a month earlier — right after collecting $1,000 in government incentive payments through the AIP. Now, these horses faced slaughter.
I was horrified. I was outraged. And I vowed to not give up until this program was shut down.
Ever since then, our team has followed the money, followed the horses, and Meredith, what we uncovered was devastating.
A program meant to help wild horses find homes was instead incentivizing their sale to kill buyers. Adopters pocketed government payments — then flipped horses at slaughter auctions just days later. Our investigation identified more than 2,000 wild horses and burros at risk, drew national attention, exposed the scheme through a front page New York Times exposé, and prompted Congressional outrage. Then, we took the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to court.
Because supporters like you refused to look away, this dangerous loophole is now closed. This victory proves that sustained advocacy and legal action work.
But, Meredith, freedom can’t wait — and neither can reform.
Shutting down the Adoption Incentive Program was a critical step, but it’s not the finish line. Now we’re conducting an investigation into the BLM’s Sale Authority Program and its link to the slaughter pipeline. The fight for stronger safeguards continues — and as we head into 2026, the stakes have never been higher.
| PROTECT MORE LIVES — GIVE NOW! |
Because when we fight together, we win.
With gratitude,
Amelia Perrin
Sr. Communications Manager & Lead AIP Investigator
American Wild Horse Conservation
YEAR-END GOAL: $100,000 by December 31 to face what’s coming in 2026
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
If you’ve ever stood on America’s public lands, you know the feeling — the stillness, the open horizon, the knowing that some places still remain truly wild.
There is nothing like seeing a wild horse living free. But freedom is becoming harder to find.
Today, around 55,000 wild horses still roam our public lands. Meanwhile, 62,000 more have been torn from their families and confined in government holding after helicopter roundups. Families have been separated. Bands are broken. The rhythms of the wild are interrupted — sometimes forever.
This is why we fight.
Because of supporters like you, AWHC has proven that a different future is possible — one rooted in science, accountability, and humane solutions that keep wild horses where they belong, wild and free. Together, we’ve shown that protecting wild horses doesn’t mean choosing between compassion and practicality.
But the threats have not disappeared. Helicopters still fly. Pressure to remove horses from the land remains relentless. And in 2026, this pressure will only intensify.
As AWHC approaches our 10th year, we are entering a defining chapter — one that will shape the future of wild horses far beyond any single administration or budget cycle. We are building something designed to endure:
- Land protected forever;
- Science that cannot be ignored;
- And a movement too powerful to silence.
| DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT — DONATE NOW! |
Thank you for your support,
Patricia Miller
Board Chair
American Wild Horse Conservation
Deadline TOMORROW: Help restore critical wild horse habitat
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
We’re down to the final hours to unlock our $25,000 Land Fund match, and we still have a long way to go. The deadline is tomorrow at midnight, and the wildlife that calls Fish Springs home can’t afford for us to fall short.
| DOUBLE MY DONATION |
When the Conner Fire tore through Nevada at the beginning of summer, it scorched critical habitat of our Fish Springs Land Preserve — including key habitat for the wild horses who depend on this land for forage, water, and safety.
This community has already stepped up in incredible ways. But to have the resources necessary for the restoration work this land requires, we need to unlock the full match — and we’re not there yet.
| DOUBLE MY DONATION |
Your support will directly fund critical restoration efforts like reseeding burned areas, repairing damaged habitat, and rebuilding natural water sources across the preserve.
We’re almost there — but we can’t finish this without you.
Thank you for powering this important work.
— The AWHC Team
Neptune’s home range needs our support.
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
Earlier this year, we introduced you to a newborn colt named Neptune, born during foaling season on AWHC’s Fish Springs Land Preserve. He took his first wobbly steps on the cold, March earth of the range — full of that unmistakable, too-long-for-his-body foal energy.
As AWHC’s Nevada State Director, I’ve watched many foals take those first steps across Nevada’s desert landscape. But today, I’m reaching out because the land Neptune and his family band depend on needs our help.
| DOUBLE MY DONATION |
When the Conner Fire swept across the 17,700 acres of Fish Springs at the beginning of summer, it burned up critical wildlife habitat — including the meadows and open spaces where Neptune spent his first days exploring the world alongside his herd.
Thankfully, Neptune is still with his family — healthy, wild, and growing fast. But the lands he calls home need rebuilding.
Your support will fund efforts like reseeding, restoring habitat, and helping to rebuild the fragile areas that young horses like Neptune rely on for forage, shelter, and safety.
That’s why this restoration effort matters so much — and it’s why a generous donor has offered to match every gift made to our Land Fund, up to $25,000, through Monday at midnight. Will you make a 2X-matched donation today to help restore Neptune’s home on the Fish Springs range?
| DOUBLE MY DONATION |
Thank you for caring about Neptune, his herd, and this land as much as we do.
With gratitude,
Tracy Wilson
Nevada State Director
American Wild Horse Conservation
Your gift goes 2X as far until Monday at midnight
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
We’re starting to make progress towards unlocking our $25,000 Land Fund Match — but we’re still $19,889 away from reaching our goal. The Monday night deadline is approaching fast, and we cannot afford to lose momentum now — the Fish Springs landscape can’t wait.
Over 1,000 acres of our Fish Springs Land Preserve — a critical habitat for wildlife — were scorched by the Conner Fire this past summer. Meadows where wild horses grazed, native grasses flourished, and wildlife gathered for water now sit exposed. If we don’t act soon, the damage could deepen, making restoration even harder in the spring.
| DOUBLE MY DONATION |
Your support today will fund critical projects on the Fish Springs range like reseeding efforts, habitat restoration, and rebuilding damaged ecosystems that the Fish Springs wild horses and other wildlife rely on for their survival.
| DOUBLE MY DONATION |
Thank you for your support. We couldn’t do this without you.
— American Wild Horse Conservation
$25,000 GOAL: A summer wildfire changed everything for Fish Springs
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
At the beginning of this summer, deep in Nevada’s Fish Springs range everything looked just as magnificent as ever — grasses swaying in the wind, fields of sagebrush buzzing with insects, and the Fish Springs wild horses grazing softly in the sunlight.
But just a few weeks later, everything changed. I’m about to tell you why — but first, I need you to know this: A generous donor has agreed to match up to $25,000 in gifts made to our Land Fund between now and Sunday at midnight.
| DOUBLE MY DONATION |
A spark ignited south of Gardnerville, and fueled by relentless 45-mph winds, the Conner Fire swept across the Nevada landscape with terrifying speed. What had been a quiet valley became a wall of flame and smoke. Ash drifted through the air like snowfall. The sky glowed red. By the time the fire was contained, 17,700 acres had burned.
Part of this fire’s devastating path included nearly 1,400 acres of AWHC’s Fish Springs Land Preserve — nearly half of the land we had secured to protect habitat for the wild horses and wildlife who call this place home.
While the cherished Fish Spring horses thankfully escaped, the scars of the wildfire are undeniable.
Winter is approaching, and without intervention, the land will struggle to recover on its own. But we have an opportunity — and a responsibility — to help the land heal.
| DOUBLE MY DONATION |
This land has cared for generations of wild horses. Now, it needs us.
Thank you for standing with AWHC in this important work.
With gratitude,
Patricia Miller
Board Chair
American Wild Horse Conservation
[Action Needed] Roundup funding has been restored
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
Mono Lake’s wild horses are in imminent danger.
With the federal government now reopened, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) now has the funding to move forward with helicopter roundups — and they could begin at any moment, Meredith. Join us in urging USFS to abandon these plans now. →
The Mono Lake horses are deeply tied to the cultural and spiritual heritage of the local Indigenous communities. Yet despite broad opposition, USFS is still preparing to use helicopters to chase, trap, and remove these innocent animals.
| ACT NOW |
Our team has been working in collaboration with the local communities to call for a humane, science-based, and culturally grounded alternative that includes:
- A two-year pause on any helicopter roundups in the Mono Lake region
- A Tribal Management Council to guide decision-making
- A Tribe-run training and adoption facility that creates jobs and cultural connections
- Use of humane, on-range fertility control, not removals
- A transparent review of herd-size targets with community voices involved
This is what humane, responsible, wild horse management should look like. With removal funding restored, we need strong public pressure to ensure the Forest Service changes course.
| ACT NOW |
Your action today can help ensure that these iconic horses remain free.
Thank you for speaking up at this critical moment.
— American Wild Horse Conservation