We, the undersigned, are constituents and supporters deeply concerned about the treatment of America’s wild horses and burros under the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program.

More than a decade ago, BLM introduced its “Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program” (CAWP) and related guidance as a first step toward real, enforceable welfare standards. Since then, the agency has repeatedly pointed to CAWP as proof that it is managing wild horses and burros “humanely.” Yet internal records and on‑the‑ground reporting show that BLM never completed the promised reviews, never opened these standards to meaningful public comment, and quietly abandoned key assessment and documentation tools that were supposed to protect the animals and inform policy.

As a result, serious harms—including preventable injuries, foal deaths, and stress‑related spontaneous abortions—are happening in the shadows. Miscarried foals and pre‑term births during late‑season helicopter roundups are not counted as “deaths.” Foals who die before they are branded or catalogued often never appear in any public statistics. Deaths that occur after captured horses are shipped to holding facilities are routinely separated from “gather” totals, making it nearly impossible for the public or Congress to see the true toll of these operations.

We respectfully ask you to take the following targeted steps through the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill and related oversight:

1. Direct BLM to complete a formal rulemaking on welfare standards.
   Require the agency to publish its wild horse and burro welfare standards—including gather, transport, holding, and adoption/sale provisions—for public review and comment on a clear timeline, and to finalize enforceable regulations based on current veterinary science and field data.

2. Restore and strengthen documentation and assessment requirements.
   Require BLM to reinstate and modernize its welfare assessment tools and documentation protocols, including mandatory tracking of:

   • Foal deaths and mare–foal separations during and after roundups

   • Spontaneous abortions and pre‑term births associated with capture and holding

   • Age‑ and cause‑specific mortality in short‑ and long‑term holding facilities
     These data should be compiled and published annually in a transparent, publicly accessible format.

3. Protect foals and pregnant mares with clear, enforceable safeguards.
   Direct BLM to incorporate specific protections into its welfare regulations, including:

   • Prohibitions or strict limits on helicopter roundups during foaling season

   • Limits on run distances and speeds, and reunite requirements for separated mare–foal pairs

   • Facility standards that address flooring, shelter, feed transitions, and veterinary oversight tailored to foals and late‑term pregnant mares

4. Provide a focused appropriation to complete this work.
   Include a modest, clearly designated line item (less than one million dollars) in the Interior appropriations bill to fund the completion of CAWP rulemaking, the restoration of assessment tools, and the development of transparent reporting systems.

These are practical, targeted reforms that do not require rewriting the Wild Free‑Roaming Horses and Burros Act. They simply ask BLM to finish what it started: to turn long‑promised welfare “guidelines” into enforceable, transparent protections worthy of the public trust—and to count every life affected by federal actions.

As your constituents and as Americans who care deeply about the fair and humane treatment of wild horses and burros, we urge you to champion this effort in the upcoming appropriations cycle and in your oversight of BLM.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and for your service.

Sincerely,