Wild horse roundup set to begin Sept. 18 in California before moving to northwest Nevada

Greg Haas
·2 min read

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to begin a wild horse roundup next week in northwest Nevada, about a month after finishing a roundup that produced a lawsuit.

Wild horse advocates sued — and lost — in an effort to stop the Antelope Complex roundup in July and August, which took 1,971 horses off the range and resulted in the deaths of 29 horses. Most of the horses that died were killed because they had little chance of surviving in the wild with pre-existing conditions like broken bones or blindness, according to the BLM. Four of the deaths were from injuries incurred during the roundup, which used a helicopter.

Video of a helicopter near an injured horse got attention online and was part of evidence submitted in the lawsuit.

This roundup, the Surprise/Calico Complex gather, has a goal of gathering 1,200 horses and taking 780 horses off the range. It’s scheduled to begin Sept. 18. As many as 217 mares will be treated with a fertility control drug, GonaCon Equine, before they are released back into the wild.

The BLM conducts the roundups to cut the population of wild horses, which has grown to levels that the ranges cannot sustain. Advocates challenge that, saying the BLM acts to protect grazing fees it earns from cattle ranchers who have herds on the land.

A BLM news release describes the goal as “balancing herd size with other land users and available resources.” It cites sage grouse, pronghorn antelope and mule deer that rely on the rangeland.

The Surprise Complex is in northeast California and will be done before the roundup shifts to the Calico Complex near Gerlach, Nevada, the BLM said.

Horses removed from the Calico Complex will be taken to the Palomino Valley Center near Reno where they will be prepared for adoption or sale.

For information on viewing the roundup at the Surprise Complex, call 530-252-5332. For the Calico Complex, observers must call 775-623-1567 to receive instructions on each day’s meeting location and time.

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