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We are less than THREE days away from the start of roundup season (!!)

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) summer roundup season begins this weekend. From July 1 to October 31, government helicopters will descend on America’s wild herds in six different states. This roundup season, the BLM plans to round up more than 7,000 wild horses and burros, permanently removing 80% of the captured animals.

Our cherished wild herds need your support now more than ever. Please rush a contribution today and help us defend America’s wild horses and burros this roundup season!

HELP US FIGHT BACK

The first herd in the BLM’s crosshairs is the Reveille Herd Management Area (HMA) in Nevada, where dozens of wild horses are scheduled to be removed beginning as early as this Saturday. And that’s just the start. The largest roundups planned this summer are set to take place on Nevada’s Antelope Complex where over 3,000 wild horses are slated to be removed. Thousands more of these innocent animals will also be subjected to inhumane helicopter roundups in Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, California, and Oregon.

AWHC is fighting hard to put an end to the cruel practice of helicopter roundups and prove there is a better way to manage America’s wild herds. But in the meantime, it’s vital that we hold the BLM accountable for the abuses wild horses and burros suffer during these operations. That’s why we’re preparing to send trained observers to as many of the planned helicopter roundups as possible to document the inhumane treatment of our wild herds – and we need your help to make it happen. 

In order to fuel the critical work that lies ahead over these next few months – including funding our roundup observation program – we’ve set a goal to raise $50,000 by the start of the summer roundup season on July 1. Will you make a contribution to help us reach our goal so we can fight for the thousands of wild horses and burros in danger of BLM helicopter roundups this summer?

HELP US REACH OUR GOAL

These helicopter roundups are a threat to the safety and wellbeing of all wild horses and burros. They are traumatizing, they rip families apart, and they often result in grave injuries or even deaths. 

Your support will help us ensure that the often harsh reality of federal wild horse roundups is in full view of the American public, including members of Congress who have the power to make change.

With less than three days to go until the first roundup is scheduled to begin, hitting our $50k goal will be critical to helping us stand up for wild horses and burros this summer. Please make a contribution today and help us reach our goal!

DONATE TODAY

Thank you,

American Wild Horse Campaign

SURVEY REMINDER: Last chance to supply donor feedback →

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

 Our Donor Feedback Survey closes tomorrow at midnight. Will you take a few moments before then to provide us with any feedback you may have and let us know how we are doing?

TAKE THE SURVEY

First, we want to extend our deepest gratitude for your ongoing support for our work here at the American Wild Horse Campaign. It is because of you that we are able to continue our policy, awareness and conservation programs.

As one of our most dedicated donors, we’re hoping to get to know you better through your answers to a few questions about our programs and how we, as the leading wild horse conservation organization, are doing.

This will help us understand how you came to AWHC, why you stay involved, and help us make sure that we’re sending updates that help you support our work and America’s wild horses in the best way possible.

To provide us with your feedback, please fill out our survey at the button below:

TAKE THE SURVEY

Thank you for your feedback,

American Wild Horse Campaign

Will you let us know how we’re doing?

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

There is still time to provide us with any feedback you may have.

Will you take a few moments to fill out our Donor Feedback Survey and let us know how we are doing?

First, we want to extend our deepest gratitude for your ongoing support for our work here at the American Wild Horse Campaign. It is because of you that we are able to continue our policy, awareness and conservation programs.

As one of our most dedicated donors, we’re hoping to get to know you better through your answers to a few questions about our programs and how we, as the leading wild horse conservation organization, are doing.

This will help us understand how you came to AWHC, why you stay involved, and help us make sure that we’re sending updates that help you support our work and America’s wild horses in the best way possible.

To provide us with your feedback, please fill out our survey at the button below:

TAKE THE SURVEY

Thank you for your feedback,

American Wild Horse Campaign

Donor Feedback Request for Meredith Hodges

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

First, we want to extend our deepest gratitude for your ongoing support for our work here at the American Wild Horse Campaign. It is because of you that we are able to continue our policy, awareness and conservation programs.

As one of our most dedicated donors, we’re hoping to get to know you better through your answers to a few questions about our programs and how we, as the leading wild horse conservation organization, are doing.

This will help us understand how you came to AWHC, why you stay involved, and help us make sure that we’re sending updates that help you support our work and America’s wild horses in the best way possible.

To provide us with your feedback, please fill out our survey at the button below:

TAKE THE SURVEY

Thank you for your feedback,

American Wild Horse Campaign

🚨 Helicopter roundups are less than a month away!! 🚨

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

In less than a month, government helicopters will descend on America’s beloved wild herds as roundup season begins in full force.

Families will be broken apart, thousands of innocent animals will lose their freedom forever, and many will be seriously injured or worse, killed as a result of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) brutal helicopter roundup operations. 

HELP US FIGHT BACK

AWHC has been fighting tirelessly to bring an end to this inhumane practice – but until these tragedies stop for good, we must keep them in the public’s view. That’s why we send observers to document as many of these roundups as possible. We must show the world what is happening to our wild horses.

Your support enables us to send our observation teams to the most remote corners of the West, where the BLM conducts many of these brutal operations, to ensure no animal welfare violation goes unrecorded. With just a few weeks left until the beginning of roundup season, will you make a contribution today to help us hold the BLM accountable?

DONATE NOW

Earlier this year, the BLM announced that it’s planning to round up more than 7,000 wild horses and burros from our public lands beginning on July 1st – permanently removing 5,857 – even though over 61,000 wild horses and burros are warehoused in BLM holding facilities.

The largest of these roundups is set to take place on Nevada’s Antelope Complex, where over 3,000 wild horses are going to be removed from their homes. And that’s just the start. Thousands more will be subjected to these deadly helicopter roundups in Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, California, and Oregon as well.

If there’s one thing we know, it’s that when people see the atrocities our wild horses and burros face, they are outraged. That’s why we need to ensure we have enough funds to send our observers into the field. Without them, the BLM’s actions will continue to be shrouded in secrecy.

We don’t just document these animal welfare violations, we compile our observers’ photos and videos to use in legal action when we can. Not only that, but we create a record of cruelty and provide it to change makers in Congress.

Please help us sustain our roundup observation program and help us hold the BLM accountable with a donation today.

DONATE NOW

Thank you,

American Wild Horse Campaign

The BLM’s wild horse and burro holding system is on the brink >>

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

Right now, over 60,000 wild horses and burros are being held in captivity by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) – and the agency plans to round up THOUSANDS more in the coming months. Rush a donation now and help us fight back to keep these innocent animals in the wild where they belong!

THIS is the reality for over 60,000 formerly free-roaming wild horses and burros:

Tens of thousands of innocent animals crammed into corrals with no shade or room to run, vulnerable to deadly disease outbreaks and in danger of being funneled into the slaughter pipeline via the BLM’s disastrous Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) – all at a hefty cost of over $80 million to American taxpayers every year.

We know it doesn’t have to be like this. Through our fertility control program on Nevada’s Virginia Range, we’ve been proving for over four years that there IS a better way to manage our nation’s wild horses and burros, one that keeps them out of these overcrowded facilities and in the wild where they’re meant to be.

But roundup season is approaching fast – and the BLM already announced that it plans to remove thousands more wild horses and burros from their homes this summer. Whether it’s in the field, in courts, or on the Hill, we’re gearing up to fight back for our wild herds. Will you make a contribution today to bolster our efforts to help keep wild horses and burros free this summer?

DONATE NOW →

Thank you,

AWHC Team

Thank you for standing with us

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

As you know, AWHC has been advocating for SB90, a bill in the Nevada state legislature that would designate the wild mustang as the official state horse. Despite passing in the state Senate by a bipartisan vote of 18-3, SB90 unfortunately did not receive a vote in the Assembly before the deadline and therefore will not proceed in the legislative process this session. 

Going into this, we knew getting SB90 passed would be a challenging process. There is a small but well-funded special interest coalition advocating against wild horses in Nevada, and the legislative process itself is not easy to move any bill through. In fact, 40 other bills were not brought to a vote in time either.

But in the face of vocal trophy hunters, wildlife trappers, and ranchers — you spoke up, took action, and exemplified the spirit of the wild mustangs we fight so hard to protect — wildly determined, unwilling to back down, and fiercely protective. 

Your advocacy efforts and support for our cause helped open the door for a broader conversation in Nevada about the need for collaborative solutions to humanely and sustainably protect wild horses and burros. 

We believe the bill should have become law to rightfully name the wild mustang as Nevada’s official state horse. So moving forward, we will focus efforts on growing our grassroots and political base in this crucial wild horse state — and you’ll undoubtedly play a significant role in that effort. 

We will continue to work to advance legislation that reflects the will of the 86% of Nevadans who view wild mustangs as a symbol of the state and want to see them protected. And we’ll continue our work to advocate for improved management that is humane, sustainable, and fiscally responsible. Our wild mustangs and burros are worth fighting for.

Thank you for being in this fight with us.

— AWHC Team Nevada

On billboards, on TV screens, and across the country →

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

Support for the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) and our mission to protect and preserve America’s cherished wild horses and burros has grown tremendously over the past several years — largely because more and more Americans are learning about the mismanagement these innocent wild animals face every day.

As the nation’s leading organization in the fight to keep wild horses and burros wild, we’ve taken great strides over the last decade to inform the American public about how their tax dollars are being used to unnecessarily round up and confine for life these once-wild animals.

If we’ve learned one thing as an organization, it’s that once people learn about the plight of wild horses and burros, they are upset, frustrated, and ready to take action to protect them. That’s why I joined AWHC’s team last year, aiming to help elevate this issue to new levels. Last summer, we did just that when we launched There’s A Better Way — an awareness campaign spanning the West to inform Americans about the tragedies facing wild horses and burros right in their backyards.To power more awareness efforts like this campaign, will you make a donation to fuel AWHC’s work today?

We deployed billboards, digital ads, a TV commercial, took over local newspapers, and even had a mobile billboard that drove around Capitol Hill and the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. aimed at pressuring lawmakers to enact further wild horse protections. This year, we’ve expanded our efforts to different states — in Nevada and North Dakota, we’re fighting to preserve herds integral to each state’s history.

This critical work has helped us grow our supporter base to 230,000+, send over 520,000 messages to the federal government demanding wild horse protections, and receive over 1,100 mentions in the media promoting our work and this cause.

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) wild horse and burro holding system is nearing its breaking point with more than 60,000 horses in captivity. Time is of the essence as we work to spread the word about more humane alternatives to protect our wild horses in the wild, where they belong. Will you help continue powering AWHC’s awareness work as we fight to keep wild horses and burros wild, Meredith?

DONATE NOW →

Thank you,


Scott Wilson
Director of Strategy
American Wild Horse Campaign

ICYMI: We just sued the BLM to stop the eradication of WY wild horses

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We’ve got a lot to share with you in this week’s edition of eNews, including an opportunity to speak out against the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) inhumane use of helicopters during wild horse and burro roundups, an update on our fight to defend the iconic wild horses of the Wyoming Checkerboard, and more!

Read on to learn more! >>

Speak Out Against the Use of Helicopters for Wild Horse and Burro Removals

Photo by Brian Clopp for AWHC

On May 24, 2023, the BLM will hold a legally-mandated virtual meeting on the use of helicopters and other motorized vehicles in wild horse and burro management. These meetings provide an important opportunity for public input into the BLM’s roundup and removal Wild Horse and Burro Program.

Please take one moment to voice your opposition to the use of helicopters to manage the West’s wild horse and burro herds by submitting the letter at the link below!

TAKE ACTION

AWHC and Coalition Takes BLM to Court Over Wyoming Wild Horse Plan

Photo of Salt Well horses by Kimerlee Curyl

On Wednesday, the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC), Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Western Watersheds Project, author and Casper College instructor Dr. Chad Hanson, and wildlife photographers Kimerlee Curyl and Carol Walker filed suit against the U.S. Department of the Interior over a federal plan that would result in the largest-ever eradication of federally protected wild horses and the elimination of 43% of designated wild horse habitat in the Red Desert area of Wyoming. 

The lawsuit is the culmination of a decade-long battle to defend the wild horses of the Wyoming Checkerboard against demands by the Rock Springs Grazing Association (RSGA) to remove these animals from more than 2 million acres of land in the southwestern part of the state. Click the link below to read more.

READ MORE

Colorado Lawmakers Create Model for Future Wild Horse Management

Photo by Somer McCain for AWHC

Recently, the Colorado General Assembly passed SB23-275, also known as the Colorado Wild Horse Project, and sent it to Governor Polis’ desk for signature. This bill, supported by AWHC and other wild horse protection and environmental groups, invests in a humane and cost-effective alternative to the inhumane roundups that have reduced Colorado wild horse herds over the past several years. 

SB23-275 is a significant step forward in the long term conservation of Colorado’s wild horses, dedicating $1.5 million in state resources to support the work of existing – but traditionally underfunded – local wild horse volunteer groups focused on sustaining wild horse populations through robust fertility control and habitat stewardship programs. Click the link below to read more.

READ MORE

Save the Burros! Shop to Show Your Support

Photo by Leslie Wasserman

In honor of Burro Awareness Month, we have created two designs to help raise awareness about our long-eared friends! By supporting these apparel items, you will continue to support the work of the American Wild Horse Campaign and our efforts to keep wild burros wild.

SHOP THE STORE

Thanks for reading. And thank you for continuing to stand up for our cherished wild horses and burros!

— AWHC Team

We just sued the BLM to save WY wild horses!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

On Monday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved a land use plan amendment to eliminate 2.1 million acres of wild horse habitat in Wyoming and slash the allowed population of wild horses in the state by one-third.

Two days later, AWHC and our coalition of conservation and animal welfare groups, academics, and wildlife photographers filed suit in federal court to stop the plan. The stakes are very high: two iconic wild horse populations in the Salt Wells Creek and Great Divide Basin Herd Management Areas (HMA) would be completely eradicated, and a third population in the Adobe Town HMA would be slashed in half. 

FUEL OUR LEGAL FUND

If allowed to stand, this plan will take away 43% of wild horse habitat in Wyoming and deprive thousands of wild horses of their legal right to roam free on our public lands. These magnificent animals will be cruelly rounded up and confined in holding pens, some for life. Far too many will be sold into the slaughter pipeline.

This is the end of a more than decade-long battle over the future of these wild horses in an area of the Red Desert known as the Wyoming Checkerboard. It’s an area of alternating public and private land parcels one square mile in size. The Rock Springs Grazing Association (RSGA) controls the private land in the Checkerboard, and its members graze cattle and sheep on the public lands there. In 2011, the RSGA sued the BLM to force the elimination of wild horses from this area.

Now, 13 years later, the BLM is giving the RSGA what it wants. And the agency is asking American taxpayers to pay for it! Millions of our tax dollars will be spent to clear the public lands of wild horses for commercial livestock grazing, an activity taxpayers also subsidize. 

Not on our watch. As our lawsuit clearly lays out, this government-funded land grab by private grazing interests violates three federal laws. Among them: the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act, which mandates protection of wild horses, while livestock grazing on public lands is a discretionary activity. 

This legal fight will not be easy or quick, but it is crucial to the future of Wyoming’s wild horses! Will you help us sustain this critical effort today by donating?

FUEL OUR LEGAL FUND

For more than a decade, AWHC has been litigating against the RSGA and the BLM to hold off what would be the largest-ever eradication of federally-protected wild horses and their habitat. In this time, we:

  • Stopped the BLM from surgically sterilizing mares in this area.
  • Won lawsuits stopping the BLM from treating the public lands as private.
  • Defeated rancher claims that the BLM must round up horses immediately when their populations exceed management level.
  • Blocked the BLM from rounding up more horses than legally allowed by omitting foals from removal totals.

Now the legal battle has reached its final stage, and we’re leveraging everything we’ve got.

Simply put: We are in this to win. Will you please donate towards our efforts today?

FUEL OUR LEGAL FUND

This is not a battle about management. There’s a better way to manage wild horses with fertility control instead of roundups. Wild horses can be managed on Checkerboard lands through landswaps that create continguos blocks of public land for habitat.

This fight is about challenging the government’s elevation of private special interests above the public interest and the law.

Most of all, it’s about preserving the magnificent wild horses of Wyoming’s Red Desert as an irreplaceable natural treasure and iconic part of the West.

Together, we can win this fight. As always, thank you for standing with us.

Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild horse Campaign

Wild horses win in Colorado!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We have exciting news!

This week, the Colorado General Assembly passed SB23-275, also known as the Colorado Wild Horse Project, and sent it to Governor Polis’ desk for his signature.

This bill, supported by AWHC and other wild horse protection and environmental groups, invests in a humane and cost-effective alternative to the cruel roundups that have reduced Colorado’s wild horse herds over the past several years.

SB23-275 is a significant step forward in the long term conservation of Colorado’s wild horses, dedicating $1.5 million in state resources to support the work of existing – but traditionally underfunded – local wild horse volunteer groups focused on sustaining wild horse populations through robust fertility control and habitat stewardship programs.

The bill creates a broad stakeholder working group to make recommendations for responsible placement options for wild horses who have been removed from the range, and is a model for positive and collaborative state involvement to improve the humane management of these federally-protected animals across the West.

The Wild Horse Project is an outgrowth of public opposition to the last two years of government helicopter roundups in Colorado, which removed 1,800 wild horses from their habitats and led to the preventable deaths of 149 of these state icons in overcrowded holding pens.

Colorado’s political leaders – representing broad constituencies that include wild horse advocates, environmentalists, and ranching interests – came together in response. We are thankful to Governor Polis, First Gentleman Marlon Reis, House Majority Leader Monica Duran, House Minority Leader Mike Lynch, Senator Joann Ginal, and Senator Perry Will, for working on a bipartisan basis toward a better way to care for and protect Colorado’s majestic wild horse herds.

We believe that Majority Leader Monica Duran said it best when she testified for the bill:

“… In Colorado, we love our horses. They are central to our state’s history and culture…after the two helicopter roundups that occurred in our state, there was an outcry. And this bill is an answer to that outcry.”

Please help us spread the word about this important step forward for our cause! Here are two ways you can help us get the news out:

  1. Spread the news on Facebook!
SHARE THIS WIN ON FACEBOOK
  1. Spread the news on Twitter!
SHARE THIS WIN ON TWITTER

Thank you to all the citizens and organizations who took action to support this game changing legislation – this win would not have been possible without your support. Our collective herd of advocates is strong, and when we all band together, we succeed!

Thank you for standing with our wild herds in the fight for their future.

– American Wild Horse Campaign

URGENT: BLM plans to roundup Montana’s last wild herd!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

The wild horses who call Montana’s Pryor Mountain homedesperately need our help.

The Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range is home to a herd of about 200 mustangs, and they’re the only herd of federally protected wild horses left in all of Montana. Now, the BLM is asking the public for input on a proposal that would reduce the size of this herd by more than half, destroy beloved family bands, and would threaten the genetic health of the entire herd.

The BLM is currently accepting public comments on this proposal – so we need everyone to speak out against this inhumane and ill-advised plan ASAP. Please use your voice on behalf of the Pryor Mountain wild horses and tell the BLM you oppose this dangerous proposal!

ACT NOW →

The BLM is proposing a series of roundups that would reduce this strong herd of 200 down to just 90 horses, well below the genetic viability standard of 150 animals needed to maintain diversity. The consequences would be dire. In addition to breaking up the herd’s important familial structure, the horses’ unique Spanish colonial genetics would be lost forever.

SPEAK UP →

If this proposed action gets implemented, it would be a disaster for the Pryor Mountain wild horses. Not only is this herd already managed by a fertility control program, but it’s located on one of only four designated wild horse and burro ranges in the country — land that is managed principally for wild horses and burros. 

We know that when we band together and raise our voices as one, we can make an impact for our wild herds. Please help us stand up for Montana’s last herd of wild horses by submitting comments to the BLM opposing this disastrous plan!

ACT NOW →

Thank you so much for your support,

AWHC Team

SPEAK UP: Tell the DOI and BLM to address animal welfare violations!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We’ve got a lot to share with you in this week’s edition of eNews, including an opportunity for you to speak up on behalf of captured wild horses and burros suffering in holding facilities, an article discussing a fascinating new study into the history of horses in North America, and an invitation to a fun-filled day at Montgomery Creek Ranch!

Read on to learn more! >>

Tell the DOI and BLM: Address Violations in Wild Horse and Burro Holding Facilities

Under a directive from Congress, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been conducting various animal welfare assessments at holding facilities across the West. These internal reviews show widespread violations including understaffing, lack of timely vaccination of captured horses brought into confinement, inaccurate and inadequate recordkeeping, inadequate access to hay and/or water for all horses, horses in poor body condition, and issues related to construction and maintenance. With more than 62,000 wild horses and burros currently incarcerated in these facilities we urge you to write to the Secretary of the Interior and the Director of the BLM and demand change today!

TAKE ACTION

Indigenous groups in the American West lived alongside horses by the early 1600s, study finds

Photo: Buyenlarge/Getty Images

A new study published last week in the journal Science, finds that horses of European descent had been integrated into indigenous cultures across western North America long before the arrival of Europeans in that region. The study found that the horses were present in the American West and Southwest several decades before the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 – when allied Indigenous groups pushed Spanish colonizers out of New Mexico. Read more on the fascinating results below!

LEARN MORE

You’re Invited to a Day at Montgomery Creek Ranch!

On Saturday, April 15, AWHC Board President Ellie Phipps Price, her husband Chris and their team will open the gates of their private sanctuary and adoption center, Montgomery Creek Ranch for a fun-filled day!

  • Tour the 2,000-acre sanctuary in off-road vehicles to experience the beauty of 200 wild horses roaming free and hear their stories;
  • Meet and greet with the friendly crew of wild burros from Arizona;
  • Watch a training session with one of MCR’s young mustangs;
  • Enjoy a delicious lunch… and more!

LEARN MORE

Thanks for reading. And thank you for continuing to stand up for our cherished wild horses and burros!

— AWHC Team

[Progress Update] All 8 burros safely made it to Mustang Camp! 💓

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We’ve got two updates for you today — The first one is on our progress fueling up our Rescue Fund, and the second’s on how our eight sweet rescued burros are doing in their new home! 😊

Rescue Fund Rebuild
Yesterday, we set out to raise $20,000 by midnight tonight to fuel our Rescue Fund, because as you may have guessed, funding this burro rescue along with the mustangs you heard about yesterday has significantly depleted it. 

Since kick-off, we’ve raised $8,461 — a solid start! But if we’re going to make it to $20,000 in the next 12 hours, we’re going to need more folks to pitch in and keep this momentum going. If you can, will you donate now to bolster our Rescue Fund so that we can save more wild horses and burros from slaughter?

POWER OUR RESCUE FUND →

Burro Rescue Update
Just a few weeks ago, we shared with you one of our recent burro rescues — a group of eight we saved in the nick of time from the slaughter pipeline. Well, we are happy to report that they have safely arrived at Mustang Camp in New Mexico, where the staff has been giving them top-notch care and helping them acclimate to their new home.

The group of burros stand happily drinking and eating from their trough

Photo Credit: Mustang Camp

The burros all have been given names – Marco, Nelly, Amelia, Giovanni, Ferdinand, Drake, and Vasco – and are getting to know their new caretakers through daily “Burro Happy Hours,” which involve staff offering all of them “shots” (of alfalfa and pellets) from behind the “bar” (a water trough) 😂. Click here to watch a clip of this burgeoning burro pub scene!

We both know just how important it is that we’re able to spring into action and help to rescue these animals at these critical moments. So, with almost 12 hours left until we have to reach our $20,000 goal, will you make a donation to help us refuel our Rescue Fund ASAP?

POWER OUR RESCUE FUND →

Thank you for your support!

AWHC Team

eNews: Fascinating new research sheds light on the origins of our beloved burros!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We’ve got a lot to share with you in this week’s edition of eNews, including an opportunity for you to speak up on behalf of our cherished wild herds, an article discussing groundbreaking new research into the origins of our beloved burros, and AWHC’s exciting new partnership!

Read on to learn more! >>

Tell Congress: Protect Wild Horses and Burros with the FY24 Spending Bill!

Photo: Tandin Champan

From defunding the Adoption Incentive Program’s cash incentives to implementing humane in-the-wild fertility control vaccines, there are several ways Congress can enact reforms to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program in Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) — and save taxpayers money while doing it. But to enact these policies that protect our cherished wild herds, we need you to speak up. Call on your members of Congress now and request wild horse protections in the FY24 spending bill!

TAKE ACTION

New York Times: At Long Last, a Donkey Family Tree

Photo: Tandin Chapman

“I guess that we simply forgot the importance of this animal, probably being blown away by the impact of its close cousin, the horse.” A scientist and director of the Center for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse in France hopes his new study will jump-start research on the donkey and restore some of its dignity. Be sure to check out this fascinating read below!

LEARN MORE

AWHC and Stablewest Partner to Champion the Horse

The American Wild Horse Campaign is excited to partner with the Santa Fe-based brand Stablewest, in celebration of their concept Champion the horse™. Champion the horse™ recognizes the relationship between human and horse, and the incredible impact horses have made on our progress as people. Its limited-release capsule promotes the spirit of the wild horse and the freedom intrinsic to the landscape and heritage of the American West. As part of this partnership, 10 percent of each item sold goes towards our work to Keep Wild Horses Wild.

LEARN MORE

Thanks for reading. And thank you for continuing to stand up for our cherished wild horses and burros!

— AWHC Team

Joyous News: Blondie and his herd are coming home!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

I’ve got some exciting news about a famed band of wild horses that will hopefully bring all mustang lovers relief and happiness!

My name is Alicia Goetz. I am a member of the Board of Directors of the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) and founder of Freedom Reigns, a nearly 4,000-acre sanctuary located in San Juan Bautista, California.

Freedom Reigns is home to more than 500 horses, most of them mustangs, rescued from the slaughter pipeline or cruelty situations. You may recall a few like Amelia, a young pregnant mustang recently saved from a kill pen in the knick of time, or the beloved mother-daughter duo Diamond and DeeDee captured from the Onaqui Herd Management Area (HMA) in Utah. 

Well, I’m thrilled to announce that Freedom Reigns will soon be welcoming Blondie — a foundational stallion from the Fish Springs range in Nevada — and all 17 members of his family after they were captured by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at a bait trap operation last month.

a herd of light brown horses run across a field with mountains in the background

Photo of Blondie and his herd by Troy Wright Photography

When Blondie’s family was trapped and loaded onto trailers, three known generations of beloved wild horses were ripped from the Nevada landscape at once, leaving behind a fractured legacy and a huge hole in the hearts of all that loved them. We are all too aware of the horrific fate that can befall wild horses and burros once they are removed from their home on the range. What would become of them when they enter the BLM’s system? The possibilities were heartbreaking to think about.

Two brown horses stare through a tall metal fence.

Photo of Blondie’s herd in captivity by Pine Nut Wild Horse Advocates

The Pine Nut Wild Horse Advocates, the local group that stewards the Fish Springs herd, worked tirelessly to find placement for the horses, but came up empty and asked AWHC for ideas. So, when AWHC came to me with the news that there were no other options for keeping this family together, I knew I had to act — and quickly. 

Blondie and his family will soon join 15 other Fish Springs wild horses who were removed from their habitat and found safe haven at our sanctuary – including Shadow, a blue roan, who might be one of the smallest mustangs at our sanctuary but has garnered the largest herd! 

While I feel so fortunate to be able to provide a place for these deserving animals, I know that they are just 18 of more than 62,000 wild horses and burros currently confined in government corrals, at risk of injury, becoming victims of disease outbreaks, or worse, ending up in the slaughter pipeline. Advocating for those wild horses and burros – and addressing the systemic issues driving the removal of wild horses from their homes on the range – are the reasons why I joined the AWHC Board of Directors.

Together, we are proving there’s a better way to treat and manage wild horses and burros and I wholeheartedly believe in the work AWHC is doing. I am encouraged by the progress we are making toward better protection and preservation of our beloved wild horses and burros.

Thank you for supporting our work. 

Alicia Goetz
Freedom Reigns Equine Sanctuary, Founder
American Wild Horse Campaign, Director

PS – If you would like to follow the arrival of Blondie and his herd and learn more about the horses at Freedom Reigns, please visit our website and follow us on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.

Speak UP! Tell Congress to protect wild horses in the 2024 spending budget

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We know that when American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) supporters band together and raise their voices, change happens: After all of our hard work last year during the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) Appropriations process, Congress passed legislation once again that included important language to divert $11 million in Bureau of Land Management (BLM) funding away from helicopter roundups and instead towards humane management tactics like fertility control vaccines.

But now, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Appropriations process has officially begun and U.S. members of Congress in both the House and Senate are submitting their priorities for the year ahead. We urgently need your help to ensure they include funding requests for humane, in-the-wild management strategies on behalf of our beloved wild horses and burros. Call on your members of Congress now and request wild horse protections in the FY24 spending bill!

Photo by Tandin Chapman

TAKE ACTION NOW →

With the removal of more than 20,000 wild horses and burros from the wild last year, these innocent animals need your voice more than ever! But we can’t do this alone: We need as many people as possible to echo our message and urge Congress to enact a pro-horse and burro agenda for 2024. Will you be a voice for our country’s wild horses and burros, and call on your members of Congress to support wild horse protections in the FY24 spending bill?

CONTACT MY REPRESENTATIVE →

From defunding the Adoption Incentive Program’s cash incentive to implementing humane in-the-wild fertility control vaccines, there are several ways Congress can enact reforms to the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program in FY24  — and save taxpayer money while doing it. But to enact these policies that protect our cherished wild herds, we need you to speak up. Call on your members of Congress now and request wild horse protections in the FY24 spending bill!

TAKE ACTION NOW →

We’ve got an exciting update on our latest burro rescue!

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

We’ve got amazing news about our most recent rescue. 

As you may recall, we recently helped rescue seven Bureau of Land Management (BLM) burros just days before they were supposed to be shipped to slaughter. As soon as we found out these poor animals were in grave danger, we quickly paid their bail and worked with our partners at Auction Horses Rescue (AHR) to rescue them from a horrible fate.

When our partners found them, they still had BLM tags around their necks.

FUEL OUR RESCUE FUND

But our friends at AHR just got in touch with us to share an exciting update: we actually rescued eight burros, not seven! They alerted us that one more BLM burro was dropped off at the lot – and no burro is getting left behind on our watch. Soon, he will be loaded up on the trailer with the other seven, and they will all be heading to Mustang Camp to be trained and adopted out to their new homes!

This rescue would not have been possible without your support. Thanks to you, we’ve been able to prevent countless wild horses and burros from being shipped off to their brutal deaths in foreign slaughterhouses. But right now, it’s more important than ever that we keep our Rescue Fund fueled. Oftentimes, our team has to leap into action at a moments notice to save the lives of mustangs and burros, but we can’t do that unless we have the resources to do so. Can you make a donation to power our Rescue Fund today?

DONATE NOW →

In addition to funding the rescue of animals in danger of being shipped to slaughter, your support also enables us to help our partners sustain their rescue programs. With the increased cost of hay, the effects of the ongoing drought, and the general increase in the costs of running a horse rescue, AWHC has stepped up to provide them with grants for hay, fencing, farm maintenance, and other necessities.

These grants help empower local rescues to build up their facilities and increase their ability to provide sanctuary to more animals in need – but we can’t keep these grants going without your support. So please, help us continue supporting the rescue of hundreds of wild horses and burros by donating to our Rescue Fund today!

FUEL OUR RESCUE FUND

Thank you,

AWHC Team

SPEAK UP: Give Nevada’s wild mustangs the recognition they deserve >>

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The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:

On Tuesday afternoon, the Nevada Senate Committee on Natural Resources heard SB90, a bill to recognize the wild mustang as the official state horse. Like the original wild horse and burro movement in the 1960s, the effort was supported by Nevada’s schoolchildren with over 100 kids showing up to attend the hearing! The students eloquently expressed their support for the wild mustangs who call Nevada home and we are so grateful for their passion.

Unfortunately, the opposition also came out in full force. Nevada ranchers who graze their privately-owned cattle and sheep on public lands used their testimony time to blame horses for range degradation. Each rancher who spoke made the hearing about wild horse management and not about the naming of the state horse. The hearing ended with no vote, as committee members discuss next steps.

We need people from all over the country to speak up about the mustang’s historic importance and the tourism resource they are for the state. Smithsonian Magazine even named Nevada the number one place in North America to see wild horses! As a potential visitor to Nevada, your voice matters, but it will only be heard if you act now!

Call each of the five committee members and ask them to support SB90.

All you need to say is: “Hi, my name is [NAME] and as a tourist who visits Nevada for its wild mustangs, I am calling to ask that Senator [NAME] support SB90 to recognize the wild mustang as Nevada’s state horse. Thank you.

  • State Senator Julie Pazina: (775) 684-1462
  • State Senator Melanie Scheible: (775) 684-1421
  • State Senator Edgar Flores: (775) 684-1431
  • State Senator Pete Goicoechea: (775) 684-1447
  • State Senator Ira Hansen: (775) 684-1480

Thank you so much for your help. Over the next couple of weeks we will have further actions for you to take. We hope we can count on you!

– AWHC Team

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