American Wild Horse Conservation

08/22/2026

Roundup updates from Piceance/East Douglas and the Bible Springs Complex this week are heartbreaking. 💔

At Piceance/East Douglas, helicopter operations continued as wild horses were captured and removed from their home range, with observers reporting limited visibility and horses and foals arriving visibly tired.

At the Bible Springs Complex, an 8-year-old bay stallion was euthanized after being deemed blind in one eye.

Behind every roundup update are individual lives, families, and horses losing their freedom.

Follow ongoing roundup updates: https://www.americanwildhorse.org/news-and-stories/wild-horse-and-b***o-roundup-reports

08/21/2026

A win for the Salt River wild horses 🤎

Planned removals of the herd are officially on hold for 2026 and 2027, giving researchers time to study the herd’s genetics before decisions are made about its future.

That means the horses are protected from the removals that were previously moving forward while science takes center stage.

For months, AWHC supporters showed up. You signed petitions, responded to Action Alerts, shared the campaign, and spoke out for the Salt River herd.

AWHC also called on Governor Katie Hobbs’ administration to maintain protections for these horses and pursue humane, science-based management.

The Salt River herd is also proof that there’s another way.

For years, the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group has managed these horses in the wild through fertility control, monitoring, habitat stewardship, and community collaboration, rather than helicopter roundups and large-scale removals.

This is a moment to celebrate, but we’re not done yet. The genetic study and the decisions that follow will shape the future of this iconic herd.
Today, we’re celebrating what happens when people speak up, stay engaged, and refuse to look away. 🐴

Repost:

08/21/2026

Salt River wild horses just won an important victory. 🐴

Governor Katie Hobbs has paused planned removals of the Salt River herd in 2026 and 2027, creating time for a genetic study to help inform future management decisions.

This matters because decisions about the herd’s future should be guided by science and its genetic needs, not arbitrary population targets.

This victory follows months of sustained advocacy. AWHC supporters took action, signed petitions, shared the campaign, and raised their voices. AWHC also urged Governor Hobbs’ administration to uphold protections for these horses and prioritize humane, science-based management.

And the Salt River herd has already shown that a different approach can work.
For years, the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group has relied on science-based fertility control, daily monitoring, habitat stewardship, and community partnership to manage the herd humanely in the wild, without helicopter roundups or large-scale removals.

This pause is an important win, but the work isn’t over. The genetic study and future management decisions will be critical to ensuring a healthy, genetically viable herd can remain on the landscape they call home.

Today, we celebrate the power of advocacy and everyone who refused to look away. Your voice made a difference. 🤎

08/20/2026

For months, AWHC has been working behind the scenes to help uncover what was happening to federally protected wild horses after they left government custody.

Alongside New York Times investigative reporter David Philipps, our team collected data, reviewed FOIA records, traced horses through sales and auctions, and worked with rescuers, advocates, and volunteers who were documenting where these animals ended up.
Today, that work is part of a major New York Times investigation exposing a federal pipeline that put America’s wild horses and b***os at risk.

This is why we investigate. This is why we follow the paper trail. And this is why AWHC will continue pushing for accountability long after a headline runs.
The investigation makes one thing clear: this is not about a few bad actors. It is a systemic failure that demands systemic change.

AWHC is calling for stronger oversight, meaningful traceability and enforcement, reform of the Sale Authority Program, and an end to a federal system that prioritizes removing wild horses from the range over keeping them wild.

Read the full New York Times investigation:

A legal loophole allows the government to sell mustangs on the cheap, stripping them of protections and clearing their path to destruction.

08/20/2026

For months, AWHC has been working behind the scenes to help uncover what was happening to federally protected wild horses after they left government custody.

Alongside New York Times investigative reporter David Philipps, our team collected data, reviewed FOIA records, traced horses through sales and auctions, and worked with rescuers, advocates, and volunteers who were documenting where these animals ended up.
Today, that work is part of a major New York Times investigation exposing a federal pipeline that put America’s wild horses and b***os at risk.

This is why we investigate. This is why we follow the paper trail. And this is why AWHC will continue pushing for accountability long after a headline runs.
The investigation makes one thing clear: this is not about a few bad actors. It is a systemic failure that demands systemic change.

AWHC is calling for stronger oversight, meaningful traceability and enforcement, reform of the Sale Authority Program, and an end to a federal system that prioritizes removing wild horses from the range over keeping them wild.

Read the full New York Times investigation: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/20/us/trump-wild-horses-legal-loophole-slaughter.html

08/17/2026

National Nonprofit Day is a moment to celebrate what we’ve accomplished together and the people who have helped make this work possible. 🐴

For years, AWHC and our incredible community of supporters, advocates, volunteers, partners, and conservationists have been working to protect wild horses and b***os and keep them wild and free on the range.

Today, that work continues. From documenting roundups and pushing for accountability to advocating for humane fertility control and long-term solutions, every step forward has been made possible by people who care deeply about these animals and their future.

We’re grateful for everyone who has stood alongside us, shared their voices, opened their hearts, and helped move this mission forward.

Here’s to the work we’ve done, the progress we’ve made, and everything we’ll continue building together.

Happy National Nonprofit Day, and thank you for being part of the AWHC community. 🤎

08/16/2026

This year’s roundup season is among the largest wild horse and b***o removal efforts in recent U.S. history, continuing a pattern of large-scale removals that has occurred in recent years.

And behind every number is a family, a herd, and a life that could be changed forever.
Wild horses and b***os know their bands. They know their mothers, their foals, their companions, and the landscapes where they were born. They raise their young, protect one another, and move together across the open range.

When helicopters drive horses into traps, that freedom can disappear in an instant.
Families can be separated. Foals can lose their mothers. Herds that have lived together for generations can be scattered. A life spent roaming the range can become a life in captivity, adoption, or an uncertain future.
And thousands more could face that reality this year.
But removal does not have to be the answer.

American Wild Horse Conservation is fighting for meaningful change to the way wild horses and b***os are managed, pushing for policies that prioritize keeping these animals on the range, science-based population management, fertility control, habitat conservation, and humane, sustainable solutions that reduce reliance on capture and removal.

We know changing the system will take time. But we are committed to fighting for that change, so that capture, separation, and confinement are no longer the default.

Your support helps fuel that work. It helps us advocate for better policies, advance on-range solutions, protect wild horse and b***o habitat, and build a future where these animals can remain with their families and herds, living free on the lands they call home.
Their freedom is worth protecting.

Their families are worth fighting for. And their future depends on changing the system.
🐴❤️

Stand with wild horses and b***os this roundup season and always. Support American Wild Horse Conservation: americanwildhorse.org/donate/donate-now

08/16/2026

Hundreds of wild horses are currently confined at the Palomino Valley Wild Horse and B***o Center in Nevada, including horses recently captured during the Callaghan and Lahontan roundups. 💔

Many of you have been asking if they are safe as the Bug Fire and Stallion Fire burn nearby. We understand why. These horses have already endured the trauma of being chased, captured, separated from their families, and taken from the freedom they knew on the range. Now, they are being held in corrals as wildfires have burned in the surrounding area.

Two members of the AWHC team are also part of the regional Technical Large Animal Rescue Team. Earlier this week, they were assisting with domestic livestock evacuations from the fires and drove past the center while responding to a call. The center sits between the two fires, and federal resources have been on scene.

Thankfully, the fires are now turning a corner, and the worst of the immediate exposure appears to be behind us. The horses appear to have remained safe.

But we remain concerned about the smoky conditions they experienced, especially for young foals and horses already weakened and stressed from roundup, capture, transport, and confinement. Poor air quality can place additional strain on animals who have already endured so much.

We will continue monitoring the situation and sharing updates as they become available. Please keep these horses, along with all the animals, families, and responders impacted by these fires, in your thoughts. 🐴❤️

Video Credit: Deana Kirk | AWHC Conservation Operations Coordinator

08/15/2026

Wild horses are more than icons of the American West, they’re living symbols of freedom, resilience, and the landscapes they call home. 🤎

We’re so proud to celebrate AWHC Board Member and Designer Jenni Kayne’s contribution to CFDA’s United Flags of Fashion, where she reimagined the Nevada state flag with a wild mustang at its heart.

Deeply inspired by her connection to Nevada’s natural beauty, including summers spent at Lake Tahoe, Jenni’s design captures the sense of ease, warmth, and simplicity that defines West Coast living. Drawing from the region’s shifting light, mountain landscapes, and changing seasons, her flag celebrates the quiet beauty and enduring spirit of the place.

At the heart of her design, the wild mustang serves as a powerful symbol of Nevada’s untamed spirit and the enduring connection between these horses and the public lands they call home.

United Flags of Fashion runs through September 4 in New York City. Visit Rockefeller Center to see Jenni Kayne’s Nevada flag and experience the rest of this incredible collection celebrating the landscapes, cultures, and stories that make each state unique.

If you’re in New York, don’t miss this striking tribute to Nevada at Rockefeller Center, on display through September 4th. ✨

08/14/2026

Animals who were born to roam across open landscapes are instead confined behind fences, separated from the freedom they once knew.

More than 60,000 wild horses and b***os are in government holding. And the cycle continues... Round up. Remove. Hold. Repeat.

Families and bands are disrupted. Horses and b***os are taken from their homes. Taxpayer dollars are spent keeping them in confinement. Then, more animals are removed from the range.

This is not a solution. It is a system in crisis.

And captivity should never be the future for America’s wild horses and b***os.

We know there are better ways forward, humane fertility control, responsible on-range management, transparency, and accountability.

At AWHC, we’re fighting to keep wild horses and b***os wild.

Support and help fund the fight for wild horses and b***os: americanwildhorse.org/donate/donate-now 🐴🤎