Nevada rangeland taxed by wild horses, land managers plan to round up thousands of the animals

WINNEMUCCA, Nev. — US land managers plan to round up more than 2,800 wild horses in four Nevada counties early next week in an effort to ease pressure on the drought-stricken area.

The Bureau of Land Management released details of the operation Friday, saying the current wild horse population in parts of Pershing, Humboldt, Churchill and Lander counties is more than six times what it should be.

Officials said there isn't enough water and feed to support that number.

“Herd overpopulation and severe drought have cumulative impacts on public lands, including the health of wild horses, that must be mitigated,” said Chris Mitchell, manager of the agency's Humboldt River Field Office.

Mitchell said the goal is to restore ecological balance across millions of acres of public lands in northern Nevada. The area also includes habitat for the greater sage-grouse, as well as bighorn sheep, mule deer and pronghorn antelope.

The horses picked up as part of the operation are checked by a veterinarian and prepared for the agency's adoption and sale program.

Earlier this year, horse advocates failed to stop another roundup after a federal judge found that the Bureau of Land Management appeared to be following the law and doing everything it could to round up the wild horses as humanely as possible.

The Bureau of Land Management reported in November that it has removed nearly 70,000 wild horses and burros since 2018 and treated nearly 5,600 with fertility control as part of its plan to reduce problems caused by overcrowding, overgrazing and severe drought.