Legislation — Wild Horses / Steppelands Foundation

Wild horse law is made in three places simultaneously: federal appropriations bills (where annual riders maintain or remove key protections), standalone legislation (rarely passed, often reintroduced), and federal courts (increasingly the decisive arena). This page tracks all three.

Federal — Active / Current

Bills in the 119th Congress

Active — In Committee

Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act of 2025

Sponsors: Rep. Titus (D-NV), Rep. Cohen (D-TN), Rep. Ciscomani (R-AZ)

Would phase out helicopter roundups over two years and require cameras on all helicopters used in gathers. Also calls for a GAO report on the impacts of helicopter gathers versus alternative management methods. Has drawn over 100,000 petition signatures but faces a crowded legislative calendar.

Track this bill ↗

Active — In Committee

Save America's Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act

H.R. 1661 / S.775 — 220 cosponsors as of 2026

Would ban the export of American horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter. Has 220 cosponsors — enough to trigger a discharge petition — but has not advanced to a floor vote. Critics note the bill as written does not cover slaughter for animal (pet/zoo food) consumption, only human consumption.

congress.gov ↗

FY2026 Appropriations — Pending

FY2026 Interior Appropriations — Slaughter Ban Rider

House and Senate subcommittees — Markup ongoing

The annual appropriations rider prohibiting the killing or unlimited sale of wild horses has been maintained by both House and Senate committees against the Trump administration's FY2026 budget request, which proposed removing it. The rider is not law until the full appropriations bill passes. A continuing resolution through January 2026 maintained the ban.

AWI coverage ↗

Proposed — Not Yet Introduced

Congressional Wild Horse Caucus — FY26 Fertility Control Directive

Led by Rep. Titus — 83 bipartisan signatories

A bipartisan letter from 83 members of Congress called for at least 10% of the BLM's wild horse budget to be directed toward fertility control in at least five additional herd management areas. Not a standalone bill — a directive within the appropriations process. The largest bipartisan congressional action on this issue to date.

More context ↗

Federal — Foundational

The Laws That Govern Everything

Enacted 1971 — In Force

Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act

Public Law 92-195 — Dec. 18, 1971

The foundational statute. Declared wild horses and burros "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West" and placed them under federal protection. Passed unanimously by both chambers — the most popular environmental legislation of its era. Also created the BLM's management mandate and the requirement to maintain "thriving natural ecological balance."

Full text & history ↗

Enacted 1978 — In Force

Public Rangelands Improvement Act

Public Law 95-514 — Oct. 25, 1978

Amended the 1971 Act to allow sale of unadoptable horses, give BLM authority to set appropriate management levels (AMLs), and direct gathers when herds exceed AML. The 1978 amendments created the legal framework for the current gather-and-hold system — and in doing so, the structural conditions for the holding crisis.

congress.gov ↗

Budget Proposal — Rejected by Congress

Trump FY2026 Budget — Removal of Slaughter Prohibition

White House Budget Request — FY2026

The administration's FY2026 budget proposed cutting the BLM wild horse program by 25% (from $143M to $106M) and removing the longstanding prohibition against killing or selling wild horses without limitation. The proposal also would have allowed transfer of horses to foreign governments — including Canada and Mexico where slaughter facilities operate. Congress rejected both elements in committee markups.

Full analysis ↗

Failed — Not Enacted

Burns Amendment (2004 Omnibus)

Attached to FY2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act by Sen. Burns (R-MT)

Amended the 1971 Act to allow unlimited sale of horses over 10 years old or offered for adoption three times without success — effectively enabling sale for slaughter. Repealed in 2009 after documentation of horses entering slaughter pipeline. The episode remains the primary historical precedent advocates cite against any weakening of the appropriations rider.

Historical record ↗

Federal Courts

Key Litigation

AWHC v. BLM — Wyoming Checkerboard

10th Circuit — 2025

American Wild Horse Conservation and Animal Welfare Institute appealed a U.S. District Court ruling that had upheld BLM's plan to permanently remove all horses from the Salt Wells Creek, Great Divide Basin, and Adobe Town HMAs in Wyoming's checkerboard region. The 10th Circuit issued a ruling blocking the roundups — a potentially temporary victory as litigation continues.

Advocate Win

Rock Springs Grazing Association v. BLM

D. Wyo. — 2024

The cattle and sheep-centric Rock Springs Grazing Association, which revoked consent for horses on its checkerboard land in 2010, sued to compel BLM to remove horses from private land. The U.S. District Court ruled in the federal government's favor — but the ruling supported removal, not preservation. Both ranching and advocacy groups have used litigation over the same checkerboard HMAs for more than a decade.

Govt. Upheld

AWHC v. BLM — Adoption Incentive Program

Federal — March 2025

Legal challenges to the BLM's Adoption Incentive Program — which paid adopters $1,000 per horse but allowed immediate title transfer, enabling horses to enter slaughter pipelines — resulted in the program being shut down by court order in March 2025. BLM's Sale Authority program has since become the primary placement mechanism, raising similar concerns.

Program Ended

White Mountain HMA — Post-Gather Litigation

Ongoing — 2024–2025

Following BLM's gather of horses from the White Mountain HMA northwest of Rock Springs in 2024, AWHC sought to compel the agency to return horses after the herd was reduced below its AML lower limit. The case involves interpretation of BLM's obligation to maintain herds within — not merely below — the established AML range.

Pending