BLM Library

WILD HORSES AND BURROS

The BLM protects, manages, and controls wild horses and burros on public lands under the authority of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 to ensure that healthy herds thrive on healthy rangelands. The following subject guide provides information on the BLM's wild horse and burro program, and on wild horses and burros in general, and is intended as a starting point for researchers.

More information about the BLM’s wild horse and burro program can be found on the program's website. Questions about the program can be addressed to wildhorse@blm.gov or by calling (866) 4MUSTANGS [(866) 468-7826].

For questions about this guide or assistance accessing resources presented here, please contact blm_library@blm.gov. We also appreciate your feedback and suggestions for this subject guide.

BLM Librarians have compiled policy and legal resources related to wild horse and burros. For questions about this guide or assistance accessing resources the presented here, please contact blm_library@blm.gov.

BLM librarians have compiled a bibliography of publications relevant to wild horses and burros. Links are provided where available but access may be limited to BLM employees due to our subscription agreements. For assistance locating any of these publications, including those not available online, BLM employees should contact blm_library@blm.gov.

On this website, links to journals held by the BLM Library are organized alphabetically by title. Articles relevant to wild horses and burros are likely to be found in journals on our ecology, range, and wildlife lists.

Visit the Wild Horse and Burros publications page.

View digitized BLM publications on either of these sites:

  • BLM's collection on Internet Archive may be viewed in 17 different formats; view results for keywords "wild horses" and "wild burros."

FEDERAL RESOURCES

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management: Wild horse and burro program

This site provides history of wild horses and burros, recent news, information on adoption, gathering schedules, links to each participating state program, as well as myths and facts.

 

See also:

 

U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey: America's wild horses and burros; Research for management

An excellent site with links to USGS publications, citations for BLM publications, and general reading suggestions, as well as citations for alternative population estimation techniques and fertility control in mares. See also the wild horse resources page on this site, which includes both suggested links and a selected bibliography.

 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Wild horse and burro program

The Forest Service manages wild horses and burros on Forest Service lands, in conjunction with BLM. This site explains the Forest Service’s responsibilities, a list of Forest Service wild horse and burro territories, and FAQs.

 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

APHIS is responsible for administering the Animal Welfare Act and carrying out wildlife damage management activities, among other efforts, in support of the USDA's overall mission of protecting and promoting food, agriculture, and natural resources. Use links from the left side of the page or the search box for specific terms (browse search results for ["wild horse" AND burro] here).

 

EXTERNAL RESOURCES

Saint Louis Zoo: AZA Wildlife Contraception Center

This site shares information regarding wildlife contraception, including information about specific contraception products. In particular, see the Contraception Methods page and follow links for "Porcine Zona Pellucida Vaccine" and "Perissodactyls" (which includes equids). Although this site is from a zoo perspective, contraceptive research is directly applicable to management of wild populations.

 

The Science and Conservation Center at ZooMontana

An independent non-profit organization that is the only dedicated facility for the development of wildlife contraceptives and methods of application, the Science and Conservation Center (SCC) produces and distributes porcine zona pellucida (PZP). The site offers an FAQ page, general information about PZP, and a publications page. The SCC produces extensive research on immunocontraception, led by Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick. We have included many of his papers in our wild horse and burro bibliography.

 

PNC, Inc.: Wildlife fertility control

An excellent resource for information on porcine zona pellucida (PZP), a widely-used immunocontraceptive vaccine, this site is produced by PNC, Inc. (Pity Not Cruelty) a not for profit foundation. This site discusses the origins of PZP, answers FAQs, and provides other resources, including a bibliography. Of special note are the links along the left side of the PZP: Fact & Fancy page. Although the site appears not to have been updated recently, the information presented is still valid.

 

Greater Yellowstone Science Learning Center: Wild horses

The National Park Service has developed Research Learning Centers as public-private partnerships that encourage the sharing of scientific information about the parks, facilitate research efforts, and provide opportunities for the public to learn about the national parks. This site offers information about the unique Spanish population of horses that reside in the Pryor Mountains (Montana) as well as a list of selected references.

 

The Humane Society of the United States: Wild horses

Includes news and events as well as reports, fact sheets, and other resources.

 

National Mustang Association, Inc.

Focusing on wild horses in Utah, this site gives an overview of wild horse issues, where to view wild horse herds, and how to "adopt a horse for a year" to support wild horses kept at the National Mustang Ranch in Barclay, Nevada.

Video: The Story of America's Wild Horses and Burros

Produced by the Bureau of Land Management and released in May 2012, this video outlines the history of how the BLM came to manage federally protected wild horses and burros on millions of acres of public lands across the West. Current and former BLM employees, historians, horse advocates, and others tell their parts of this continuing story.

Click to watch the video on YouTube (running time 56:28).