wild horses

The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:

URGENT: 3,000 wild horses’ lives are on the line.
Donate today to help fund our legal battle to fight back

Yesterday, we had to return to federal court to sue the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) — again.

The agency had scheduled October 13 roundups in Wyoming’s Checkerboard to eradicate 3,000 wild horses and 2 million acres of habitat, despite a Tenth Circuit ruling declaring this plan violated federal law.

But hours after our lawsuit was filed, the Department of Justice confirmed that the BLM was canceling the October roundups — delaying them until at least summer 2026. This is a reprieve, not a victory. For thirteen years, we’ve battled the BLM and the Rock Springs Grazing Association, which seeks to wipe out the Great Divide Basin, Salt Wells Creek, and Adobe Town herds forever.

Litigation is the last line of defense, but it’s expensive, often costing more than $100,000 per case, and we’ve filed six in Wyoming alone.

Right now, your support is urgently needed to fund two critical lawsuits:

• A new case to block the BLM from acting before the courts issue a final ruling. Donate now >>
• The remanded case to permanently strike down the agency’s eradication plan. Donate now >>

Your support has fueled major wins this year — like ending the Adoption Incentive Program and this summer’s Tenth Circuit victory. But today, we’re stretched thin. Every dollar you give powers our legal team, strengthens our advocacy, and protects wild horses on the range.

Time is critical. Help fuel our fight — in court, in Congress, and on the range.

For their freedom,

Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Conservation

The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:

We’ll be honest: Saving America’s wild horses isn’t easy. 

It’s a long fight that demands grit, persistence, and a community that refuses to give up. It takes rallying national support, pressuring lawmakers on Capitol Hill, pursuing justice through the courts, exposing the cruelty happening on public lands, and proving there’s a better way to humanely manage wild horse populations. And yes — it takes funding. 

But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. 

It’s why we’re reaching out to you to help us fuel our efforts to continue protecting horses in the West.

The money we raise ensures we can show up in courtrooms, on Capitol Hill, on our public lands, and in the media to help keep wild horses wild. 

Here are a few examples of the impact your donation can create.

Every donation counts toward our fight for the safe, humane management of wild horses and against the cruelty of helicopter roundups, overcrowded holding pens, and the suffering that too many wild horses and burros endure.

Thank you for being with us in this fight, 

AWHC

The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:

wild horses embody the wild heart of the American West.

Their pounding hooves echo a timeless promise: That some things must remain wild, free, and unbroken.

But today, that promise is in jeopardy. With shrinking habitats, brutal helicopter roundups, and more horses held captive than roaming free, wild horses need your support now more than ever.

Your support today can change this trajectory. Fuel the fight for compassionate, on-range solutions that protect wild horses and preserve their freedom >>

Our on-the-ground observers report a heartbreaking reality: During helicopter roundups, foals collapse and die — some losing their hooves from the long chase across rugged terrain. Families are torn apart, mares miscarry, and stallions break legs trying to flee. Many captured horses face overburdened holding facilities, and far too many disappear into the slaughter pipeline.

Will you answer the call to protect wild horses — and the wild lands they call home?

Thank you for standing with us to keep the West wild — for them, and for all of us.

Sincerely,

AWHC

The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:

Right now, America’s wild horses face unprecedented threats, but you have the power to make a difference in two critical ways:

1. Speak up against the largest wild horse roundup in history.

The Bureau of Land Management wants to remove nearly 5,000 horses and burros from Nevada’s Callaghan Complex — slashing populations to just a few hundred and funneling them into overburdened holding facilities. Public comments are open until September 3rd. Add your name to tell the BLM to reject this devastating plan and instead expand humane conservation efforts.

2. Defend transparency at the Devils Garden roundup.

The U.S. Forest Service is restricting public observation of the upcoming Devils Garden roundup, allowing only six people on limited days and blocking access to key sites. These operations are already cruel — now they want to hide them from the public. Demand full and fair access today.

Together, we can expose cruelty, demand humane solutions, and ensure a future for wild horses on the range where they belong.

Thank you for taking action.

— Team AWHC

The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:

As an award-winning wildlife photographer and photo tour guide, wild places — where the wind moves through the sagebrush and the land still carries the sound of hooves — are where I feel most at home and most connected to our earth.

But that sense of peace disappeared the moment I arrived on the ground as a Field Journalist to observe Wyoming’s Adobe Town wild horse roundup for American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC).

Our AWHC observation team brings to light the cruel reality our wild herds face during these brutal operations. So I’m asking you to give today to expose what these helicopter roundups do to wild horses.

What I saw was brutal. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) helicopters rose early, slicing through the desert sky, driving hundreds of wild horses across dust-choked plains. There were mothers separated from their foals. Stallions panicked and powerless, calling for their families. Young colts struggling to keep up.

I witnessed a stallion escape the pen and gain his freedom, only to come back to the trap in search of his family. He was recaptured and sacrificed that chance of freedom for instinctive love.

You don’t forget scenes like that. I certainly haven’t.

This isn’t “management.” This is trauma — sanctioned, taxpayer-funded cruelty playing out in the shadows. And it’s all across the West.

That’s why observers like me show up. We watch, document, and bear witness. Because without us and the AWHC team, the government faces no accountability.

Will you help make sure we’re there the next time the helicopters rise? Your gift powers this work — and gives wild horses a fighting chance.

Thank you for your care,

Brian Clopp
Observer, American Wild Horse Conservation

The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:

With so much unfolding around the world and in our day-to-day lives, it’s especially important to take a step back and celebrate our collective wins.

Thanks to the advocacy of our community, both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have advanced language to protect wild horses from slaughter. And in another major step forward, the House legislation allocated $11 million of the Bureau of Land Management’s budget to fertility control.

We didn’t get here by chance. We launched a powerful grassroots campaign to make sure people saw what was truly at stake — the cruelty of mass slaughter and the betrayal of one of America’s most iconic animals. 

Watch the video that inspired people to take action to help shift the conversation in Washington and across the country.

The fight to protect wild horses is long — and far — from over. If we’re going to keep slaughter off the table and ensure humane, science-backed solutions like fertility control are fully funded and implemented, we need you with us every step of the way.

The legislation still needs to pass the full House, clear the Senate, and make it through final negotiations. And we will be there every step of the way, advocating for these animals, their lives, and their dignity.

We’re pushing hard alongside our allies in Congress to turn promises into real protection. Wild horses need more than words — they need action.

These moments don’t just mark progress — they give us the strength and momentum we need to keep going, and prove just how powerful this community is when we speak out with one voice.

Thank you for standing with us.

Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Conservation

The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:

I wanted to make sure you saw the email below — because wins like this don’t come around often in the fight to protect wild horses.

Together, we’ve made real progress: Legal victories, funding secured in Congress, and tens of thousands of petition signatures — all powerful steps against ongoing threats to America’s iconic mustangs.

This year, your legislators have critical opportunities to stand up for America’s horses. Urge them to support safe, humane, and cost-effective solutions that protect wild horses and end cruelty.

Now more than ever, your voice matters. Please take a minute to tell your member of Congress to cosponsor the Wild Horse Protection Act of 2025 >>

Amelia Perrin
American Wild Horse Conservation

The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:

The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:

Set your legacy now and protect the future of wild horses you love and cherish. Click here to learn more about how you can start your estate planning today.

By including American Wild Horse Conservation in your will, you’re making a lasting promise: to protect our nation’s iconic mustangs and burros from cruelty, roundups, and extinction. Your legacy will help ensure these symbols of freedom remain wild and free — for your children, your grandchildren, and for all those who come after.

Feel free to reach out to us with any questions atcontact@americanwildhorse.org or by responding directly to this email.

Thank you for being a part of the future of wild horse conservation.

With gratitude,

Suzanne Roy
Executive Director
American Wild Horse Conservation

The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:

For six years, our determined team has been rewriting what’s possible for wild horse management. Now, the data is in — and the results speak for themselves:

Spanning 300,000 acres and tracking over 3,400 individually identified horses, this is now the largest humane wild horse management program in the world. But the reality is, the Virginia Range wild horses are losing their habitat every day to rapid development encroaching on their wild lands.

So with the support of more than 90 landowners, 40+ trained volunteers, and a growing network of partners, our fertility control program is keeping them wild while being internationally recognized as a model for what’s possible — most recently in the peer-reviewed journal Vaccines.

See what leadership looks like in wild horse management: Read the full report now.

These results are more than encouraging — they are a blueprint. Humane, large-scale wild horse management is not only achievable, it’s already happening. It offers a clear path forward — effective, compassionate, and backed by science.

This kind of impact is only possible because of supporters like you. Your commitment makes humane, science-backed solutions a reality. Together, we’ll build on this proven success and protect even more wild horses.

Onward,

American Wild Horse Conservation

The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation: