America’s Wild Horses Are Under Attack

Tens of thousands of wild horses could soon face the grim prospect of being sent to slaughter if the Trump Administration’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget is passed by Congress. The budget calls for a 25% cut to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program and eliminates safeguards that have, until now, helped prevent these federally protected animals from being sold into the slaughter pipeline.

If the budget is approved, there will be insufficient funding to care for the 64,000 wild horses currently confined in government holding facilities across the West. These horses have already endured the terror of brutal BLM helicopter roundups—chased to exhaustion, ripped from their home ranges, and forced into barren captivity. Now, the government wants to abandon them entirely.

Horse slaughter is illegal within the U.S., but it is still legal to export horses for slaughter in other countries. Therefore, without adequate protections, these horses could be transported on grueling, days-long journeys to Mexico or Canada to be slaughtered for human consumption.

Despite the potential funding crisis, the BLM refuses to halt its relentless roundups. They recently announced plans to remove all wild horses from Wyoming’s “checkerboard” region beginning July 15. This means an additional 3,000 wild horses, who are currently roaming an area the size of Delaware, will be stripped of their freedom. If the administration’s budget passes, these horses may end up funneled into a slaughter system the BLM cannot control.

Thankfully, there is growing resistance in Congress. This spring, the first-ever Congressional Wild Horse Caucus launched, led by a bipartisan group of representatives including Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). The caucus is “dedicated to promoting humane policies to care for and manage these animals” and supports sustainable solutions like PZP fertility control and habitat preservation instead of inhumane and costly roundups.

While this Congressional effort is a major step forward, America’s wild horses will remain at risk until these roundups are stopped for good—and until Congress passes the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, which would permanently ban the export of horses from the U.S. for slaughter abroad.

You can help protect America’s wild horses by supporting the SAFE Act and opposing the BLM’s cruel roundups. Every signature strengthens this fight. Together, we can help end the roundups and ensure these iconic animals are never again at risk of being sent to slaughter.