Wild Horses and Burros

Idaho's public lands are home to over 775 wild horses that occupy six herd management areas (HMAs). Four herd management areas are located in the Boise District, one in the Twin Falls District, and one in the Challis Field Office. BLM studies each HMA to determine how many wild horses the area can support while providing for other land uses and resource values. The overall capacity of the HMA to support wild horses is called its Appropriate Management Level (AML).

Idaho's wild horses are descendants of domestic horses that escaped to or were turned out on the public lands prior to passage of the Horse and Burro Act in 1971. During the Great Depression in the 1930's, many farmers and ranchers released their animals onto public lands because they couldn't afford to feed them.

Wild horses have few natural predators and herd populations can double every five to six years. BLM periodically gathers and removes excess wild horses to maintain each herd at its AML. Excess animals are made available to the public through the National Adopt-A-Horse and Burro Program. Idaho BLM regularly holds horse adoptions across the state to find good homes for animals gathered from Idaho's rangelands. BLM also conducts satellite adoptions each year in Idaho to help place wild horses gathered from herd areas in other western states.