Helicopter-driven roundups of wild horses on US public lands cause severe stress, injury, and family group disruption, with holding facilities providing conditions far below the social and spatial needs of free-ranging horses.
Wild horses are social animals with complex family band structures that are entirely disrupted by roundups. The helicopter chase causes extreme fear responses, and some horses die from cardiac events during pursuit. Holding facilities replace miles of daily movement with small corrals, causing muscle atrophy, hoof problems, and social stress. Humane alternatives like fertility control exist and have demonstrated effectiveness but are not applied at the scale needed to replace roundups.