The BLM announced last week that eleven allotments in the Book Cliffs area had been relinquished and are now available for grazing.

They’re not in the vacant allotment finder.

The Utah rangeland management page has maps and application forms.

An open house will be held on April 29 at the Vernal Field Office for interested parties.

The allotment master report gives management status, acreage and AUMs, but not active AUMs.

The active AUMs can be estimated from data in this spreadsheet.

Most of the acreage is in the Improve category, suggesting that your stewards of the public lands were not taking their responsibilities seriously.

The allotments offer an estimated 18,075 active AUMs on 286,284 public acres, with a capacity of 1,506 wild horses.

The stocking rate would be 5.3 wild horses per thousand public acres, five times higher than the target rate across all HMAs.

Your faithful public servants employ a double standard for resource management, one for wild horses and another for livestock.

Here we are using the standard for livestock, which is usually higher, sometimes much higher.

The ranching community will likely keep the offering under wraps because they subscribe to a philosophy of no net loss of AUMs—especially to pests!

The advocates won’t pursue it because they’re pesticide salesmen, not conservationists.

That leaves organizations like American Prairie and The Wild Horse Refuge.

The location map shows the arrangement.

Green River and Birchell are on the west side of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation but the allotments on the east side might make a good wild horse preserve.

It’s not clear if one base property can secure grazing preference on multiple allotments.

The bureaucrats would likely throw as many roadblocks in your way as they can because they, like the advocates, want the ranchers to win.

Remember, if a proposed refuge doesn’t include public lands and doesn’t displace livestock therefrom, it’s not worthy of your support.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Officials in Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Pershing, White Pine and Lincoln counties have issued emergency declarations or resolutions citing impacts they attribute to wild horses according to a report by KOLO News.

An estimated 37,426 wild horses and 5,146 wild burros roam freely in the state, compared to an AML of 12,811.

The acreage occupied by those animals was not given.

Who’s complaining?  It’s not a, b or c as the advocates would have you believe.

a. Drillers

b. Miners

c. Loggers

d. Hunters

e. Ranchers

Let’s do what they don’t want us to do: Look at the data.

The management plans allow 11,987 wild horses and 824 wild burros, equivalent to 12,399 wild horses, on 14,032,947 public acres identified for their use, or 0.9 wild horses per thousand public acres.  (Refer to 2026 population dataset.)

Beyond that, rangeland health will suffer according to your faithful public servants.

The allotment information report at RAS shows 2,083,025 active AUMs, equivalent to 173,585 wild horses, on 40,160,475 public acres.  (Refer to this spreadsheet.)

The equivalent stocking rate is 4.3 wild horses per thousand public acres—almost five times higher than the rate associated with “healthy horses on healthy rangelands.”

The current population, equivalent to 37,426 + 5,146 ÷ 2 = 39,999 wild horses, has probably spread beyond the HMA boundaries.

If you assume they’re residing within the HA boundaries, the stocking rate would be 39,999 ÷ 19,778,204 × 1,000 = 2.0 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Twice the limit for wild horses but half the limit for livestock.

The impact on rangeland health cannot be determined because of the double standard.

The real concern, of course, is that they’re robbing forage from big game and livestock.

In keeping with established practice, the writer included comments from the Campaign Against America’s Wild Horses, even though its rep is no longer with the nonprofit.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

As of today, the Chincoteague foal count is eight, consisting of six fillies and two colts.

Five have a base color of red and three are black.

Normally you’d expect 50% males and 50% females, with three black-based horses for every red.

But this herd is not normal.  It’s been engineered for maximum production, defying the management philosophy of the rangeland eugenicists.

It’s too early to tell if this year’s foal crop has an unusual sex ratio or color distribution.

The cowboys have altered the sex ratio of the adults to produce more babies so they may have skewed the color pattern to produce more red ones.

After all, Misty was red and bidders at the auction may prefer ponies like her.

PREVIOUS: Foal-Free Friday, Pesticides and Dogs Edition.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

The incident concluded on April 15 with 300 horses captured, 295 shipped, none released and five dead.

There were no unaccounted-for animals.

300 – 295 – 0 – 5 = 0

All deaths were intentional.

The death rate was 1.7%.

The capture total included 152 stallions, 124 mares and 24 foals.

Youngsters represented 8.0% of the animals gathered, suggesting that the herd is growing at a much slower pace than your faithful public servants claim.

Of the adults, 55.1% were male and 44.9% were female, no indication of an abnormal sex ratio.

There were no plans to treat any of the mares with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range.

The operation liberated 3,600 AUMs per year.

RELATED: BLM Announces Pancake Bait Trap Roundup.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

On socialist media.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

There were 55,533 wild horses and 2,741 wild burros in off-range holding on March 26, compared to 60,283 wild horses and 3,750 wild burros on November 21.

Reasons for the change were not given in the report.

Adoptions, sales, deaths and transfers to other government agencies will cause the numbers to drop.

Roundups, whether nuisance, emergency or planned, make the numbers larger.

Mass sterilization, favored by the advocates, drives the on-range and off-range numbers down, to the delight of the bureaucrats and ranchers.

Another option would be to cancel the grazing permits and leave the animals in their lawful homes.

Livestock production would continue on base properties as it does during the off season.

RELATED: BLM Updates Facilities Report for FY26.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Around 70% of the HMA lies within the Wilson Creek allotment, maybe a bit more.

The management plan allows 210 wild horses on 659,188 public acres, or 0.3 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Beyond that, rangeland health will suffer according to your faithful public servants.

The allotment offers 47,682 active AUMs on 1,065,261 public acres, equivalent to 3.7 wild horses per thousand public acres, 12 times higher than the rate that assures rangeland health.

Maybe that’s why it’s in the Improve category, with 18% of the permitted use in the suspended column.

RELATED: Should Rangeland Degradation Correlate with Resource Loading?

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

A new project has been opened in ePlanning and a DNA worksheet has been copied to the documents folder for public review.

The comment period runs from April 15 to May 15.

A roundup is on the new schedule with a start date of July 10.

The HMA is subject to permitted grazing.

The worksheet says the current population is 129, compared to an AML of 50, but does not give the amount of forage assigned to livestock, so there is no easy way to determine if there are more horses than the land can support.

Mares returned to the range will be treated with GonaCon-Equine, a fertility control pesticide that the advocates previously shunned but are now starting to embrace.

They are spiraling out of control and don’t deserve a penny of your support.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

The ranching advocacy group and organizer of the Wild Spayed Filly Futurity ceased operations on 10-31-24 due to lack of funding.

The domain now supports a crypto betting site but you can read the news release on Wayback Machine.

The announcement by Western Justice says that it’s staffed by the same group of people Forrest Lucas assembled at Protect the Harvest.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

The incident started on April 2 as planned.

The capture total as of April 5 was 29, consisting of 22 jacks, six jennies and one foal.

No animals had been shipped or released and there were no deaths.

RELATED: BLM Announces Black Mountain Bait Trap Roundup.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Report by KVVU News.

The names of the organizers were not given.

Pay no attention to the advocates, they are enemies of America’s wild horses.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

The incident concluded on April 11 with 513 burros captured, 507 shipped, none released and four dead.

There were two unaccounted-for animals.

513 – 507 – 0 – 4 = 2

The death rate was 0.8%.

Three of the deaths were intentional, including an orphaned foal that refused handfeeding.

The capture total included 252 jacks, 233 jennies and 28 foals.

Youngsters represented 5.5% of the animals gathered.

Of the adults, 52.0% were male and 48.0% were female.

There were no plans to treat any of the jennies with fertility control pesticides and return them to the range.

The operation liberated 3,078 AUMs per year.

RELATED: BLM Announces Bullfrog Bait Trap Roundup.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Filmed on a three-day ride from Caliente to Pioche, an area bordered by the Silver King and Eagle HMAs and overlapped by BLM grazing allotments.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

The Forest Service said the incidents remain under investigation according to an article by the White Mountain Independent.

What if those who do the investigating were on friendly terms or sympathize with those who pull the trigger?

Would that explain the lack of arrests?

RELATED: More Wild Horses Found Dead in ASNF.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

A new project has been created in ePlanning but no documents have been uploaded.

Three HMAs are affected: Eagle, Choke Cherry and Mount Elinor, along with multiple grazing allotments.

Contrary to what the advocates would have you believe, land-use plans inform HMAPs, not the other way around.

They protect ranchers not wild horses.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

The online meeting runs from 12 to 2 PM Mountain time according to the news release.

Those wishing to testify must register in advance.

Written comments will also be accepted.

Historically, the advocates have opposed motorized removal of wild horses and burros but they are warming up to the idea, led by the Salt River Wild Horse Darting Group.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

The incident started on April 6.

The capture total as of April 7 was 19, including 14 jacks, four jennies and one foal.

No animals had been shipped or released and there were no deaths.

RELATED: BLM Announces Lake Pleasant Bait Trap Roundup.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

The management plan allows 362 wild horses on 151,435 public acres, or 2.4 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Beyond that, rangeland health will suffer according to your faithful public servants.

The Sand Wash and Sheepherder Spring allotments lie mostly within the HMA.

Sand Wash offers 7,568 active AUMs on 69,457 public acres according to the allotment master report, equivalent to 9.1 wild horses per thousand public acres.

Livestock should be kept below this limit, which is almost four times higher than that for the horses, to maintain rangeland health.

The allotment is in the Improve category but none of the AUMs have been moved into the suspended column to help the land recover.

There is no need for such action when you can blame the horses for the problems.

Sheepherder Spring offers 9,042 active AUMs on 74,147 public acres, equivalent to 10.2 wild horses per thousand public acres.

It’s in the Improve category but no AUMs have been suspended.

The current population in Sand Wash Basin is thought to be 505, or 3.3 wild horses per thousand public acres, over the limit for wild horses but under the limit for livestock.

That is the double standard for rangeland health.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Around 30 gathered at the state capitol according to a report by The Arizona Republic.

Apparently, they’re not concerned about the mass sterilization program and inevitable disappearance of the herd.

The article said a bill is working its way through the state legislature that might afford additional protections for the herd.

RELATED: Salt River Motorized Removal to Begin This Summer?

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.

Your faithful public servants released the report through one of their media cronies, hoping for favorable treatment, instead of posting it to their website.

As of this morning, the 2024 update tops the list.

At the end of 2025 there were 102 horses on Shackleford Banks, down from 119 at the end of 2024, according to the 2025 update.

The herd consisted of 61% females and 39% males.

The expected range of variation for either sex, assuming they’re equally likely to occur, is 35.1% to 64.9% according to the following relationship, where n = 102 and p-bar = .5.

Although there is some evidence of an abnormal sex ratio, it doesn’t provide a basis for action.

Seven foals were born in 2025.  One died and two were removed, leaving four to offset the 20 adults that died.

The net change is -16, which would put the year-end population at 103.

The size of the breeding population and the number of sterilized mares were not given.

The pesticide of choice is PZP although this is not stated in the report.

RELATED: Shackleford Herd Grew Slightly in 2024.

► Get the truth about wild horses and the wild horse advocates at westernhorsewatchers.com.