BLM Adoption Information

Federal protection and a lack of natural predators have resulted in thriving wild horse and burro populations that grow substantially each year. The BLM monitors the public rangelands to determine the number of animals, including livestock and wildlife, that the land can support. Each year the BLM gathers wild horses and burros from overpopulated Herd Management Areas where vegetation and water could become scarce from overuse.

These excess animals are offered for adoption to qualified individuals through the BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption program. After properly caring for an animal for one year, the adopter is eligible to receive title, or ownership, from the Federal government. While the challenge of adopting animals is greater than ever, the program remains popular. The BLM has placed more than 225,000 wild horses and burros into private ownership since 1971.
 

Healthy Horses on Healthy Ranges

The BLM’s goal is to ensure and maintain healthy wild horse populations on healthy public lands. To do this, the BLM works to achieve what is known as the Appropriate Management Level (AML) – the point at which wild horse and burro herd populations are consistent with the land’s capacity to support them. In the context of its multiple-use mission, AML is the level at which wild horses and burros can thrive in balance with other public land uses and resources, including vegetation and wildlife.