Wild horses and burros on public lands in the western US are subject to contested management practices that raise significant welfare questions about roundups, holding facilities, and long-term care.
Helicopter roundups stress horses through prolonged chasing at speed, causing injuries and deaths including heart attacks in older animals. Family band separations that occur during and after roundups affect social animals evolved for stable multigenerational group living. Long-term holding in dry lot facilities denies horses the movement, social complexity, and foraging behavior that define their welfare needs. The no-sale protection meant to prevent slaughter conflicts with limited adoption capacity, creating an impasse that perpetuates inadequate holding conditions.