For decades, animal welfare organizations have targeted the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wild horse and burro project. In 2011 the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) assigned a task force to look into the care of horses and burros during capture and housing and to propose guidelines. At the 2012 AAEP Convention, held Dec. 1-5 in Anaheim, Calif., Boyd Spratling, DVM, Co-Chair of the National BLM Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, described the program, the perpetual challenges it faces in light of environmental and financial constraints, and how the BLM has been addressing welfare concerns related to roundups, holding facilities, and long-term housing in addition to humane conditions on the range.

Spratling remarked that 230,000 horses have been adopted into private ownership since the program’s inception. Legislators enacted the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act to protect, manage, and control these animals to maintain herd populations at levels consistent with the land’s capacity to support them. "It is critical to maintain an ecological balance," he said. "When this isn’t being accomplished, the objective is to remove the excess numbers from the rangelands.

"The BLM personnel have expert experience," Spratling continued, explaining that they are aware of the need for safe facilities and handling techniques, along with healthy ranges to support healthy horses. One controversial issue they face is the need for a proper end-of-life policy, and he explained that much of the public resists the idea of euthanasia. Due to these societal pressures, unadoptable horses are held in long-term holding facilities.

Currently, 37,500 wild horses reside on rangelands, which exceeds the national Appropriate Management Level (AML) for Herd Management Areas (HMA) of 26,600 animals. Spratling explained that natural reproduction increases herd sizes by 20-25% each year and there are limited strategies for removing excess animals