Contact:
- Theresa Barbour, Oregon Wild Horse Organization, tjbarbour.owho@gmail.com
- Gayle Hunt, Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition,, gdhunt4@gmail.com
- Adam Bronstein, Western Watersheds Project, adam@westernwatersheds.org
Bureau of Land Management Misrepresents Wild Horse Roundup after Conservation Groups Win Order Blocking the Action
BURNS, Ore.—A federal judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on September 8, 2026, halting a wild horse roundup in the Riddle Horse Management Area (HMA) of eastern Oregon. The round-up, which was supposed to start September 9th, was blocked because the court found that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was likely misrepresenting range conditions and animal welfare concerns.
“Instead of ensuring that the public has accurate information about the ecological conditions of the Riddle HMA, the BLM launched a bizarre smear campaign claiming that conservation groups’ victory meant horses were doomed to starvation on the range,” said Theresa Barbour, of Oregon Wild Horse Organization. “The judge considered the evidence and rejected that argument, and it seems cynically designed to distract the public from the BLM’s unlawful actions.”
The HMA was partially burned by the Bald Mountain Fire in late July. BLM planned to remove all 418 horses from the range under an emergency declaration, despite failing to make the legally required determination that they were “excess” and needed to be removed. BLM planned to only return a maximum of 33 horses, two years later, and only after conducting fertility control Meanwhile, the agency authorizes thousands of livestock Animal Unit Months (AUMs) in the same area, yet BLM’s public narrative places the blame for land health issues entirely on wild horses. Half or more of the HMA remains unburned.
During the hearing, the judge asked the Department of Justice if the cattle had been removed from the HMA and his response indicated that cows were still present, further calling into question the validity of the emergency. The judge also questioned BLM’s confusing return plan, recognized that the supposedly temporary removal could become permanent, and expressed concern that the agency’s eleventh-hour “emergency” declaration suggested gamesmanship. BLM had already hired roundup contractors, but the court rejected the agency’s helicopter contract of $436,500 as a justification for manufacturing urgency.
“The Bureau of Land Management neglected to consider a thriving natural ecological balance when it made its unsupported decision to reduce wild horse numbers in the HMAs,” said Adam Bronstein, of Western Watersheds Project. “Cattle out number horses by significant margins and their impacts are far greater in scope and scale. These are Horse Management Areas, not Cow Management Areas, and they should be managed accordingly.”
There are reports of at least two watering sites available outside of the fire footprint. Less than half of the HMA burned in total, including unburned areas inside the perimeter, presumably, leaving ample forage for the herd, particularly if livestock are removed for the remainder of the grazing season.
“Our organizations are concerned with the safety and welfare of the Riddle horses,” said Gayle Hunt, of Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition. “Helicopter roundups are traumatic events that lead to injury and death. To the best of our knowledge and based on recent reports, conditions on the HMA appear to accommodate the herd. If we learn otherwise from credible sources, we will advocate for appropriate actions to ensure the health and safety of these horses.”
“The judge has rescued the wild horses from being unnecessarily harassed, taken out of their natural habitats, and penned up in feedlots,” said Theresa Barbour.
Greenfire Law filed suit on behalf of Oregon Wild Horse Organization, Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition, and Western Watersheds Project back in October of 2024 to block its controversial plan to gather and drastically reduce horse herds on the Kiger and Riddle HMAs before understanding the Appropriate Management Level and considering whether privately-owned livestock operations are to blame for degraded conditions. The lawsuit alleges that the Bureau’s plan ignores the agency’s mandates to consider the environmental impacts of its actions and provide for a balanced use of public lands. A Preliminary Injunction hearing is scheduled for October 7.
Oregon Wild Horse Organization is a national nonprofit organization that protects our native wild horses and their habitats to prevent them from becoming only a historical memory.
The Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition is a nonprofit organization which exists to preserve wild horses in America; integrating the multiple aspects of advocacy to uncover the past and ensure the future of the native wild Horse.
Western Watersheds Project is a nonprofit environmental conservation group dedicated to protecting and restoring native wildlife and watersheds throughout the American West.
