Adoptions

Federal protection and a lack of natural predators have resulted in significant increases in wild horse and burro herd populations. The Bureau of Land Management monitors rangeland conditions and wild horse and burro herds to determine the number of animals, including livestock and wildlife, that the land can support. Each year, the BLM gathers thousands of excess wild horses and burros from areas where vegetation and water could become scarce if too many animals use the area.

These excess animals are offered for adoption to qualified people through the BLM’s Adopt-a-Horse-or-Burro program. After caring for an animal for one year, the adopter is eligible to receive title, or ownership, from the Federal government. While the BLM faces a constant challenge in adopting out enough animals, the adoption program is a popular one. In fact, the BLM has placed more than 235,000 wild horses and burros into private care since the adoption program began in 1971.

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 gave the BLM, an agency of the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service the authority to protect, manage, and control wild horses and burros on public lands to ensure that healthy herds thrive on healthy rangelands.

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