After years of advocacy, wild horse supporters have reason to celebrate. It’s a big win for wild horses.
House Approval
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation directing $11 million specifically toward humane fertility control for America’s wild horses and burros and for the first time, the funding is mandatory, not optional. But the fight isn’t over. The Senate must now act to include the same provisions in its version of the bill.
What This Means for Wild Horses
The legislation marks a significant shift in how the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages wild horse populations on public lands. For decades, the agency has relied primarily on helicopter roundups, traumatic operations that chase horses for miles before funneling them into holding pens. These roundups have resulted in injuries, deaths and the permanent removal of tens of thousands of horses from their home ranges.
Currently, over 64,000 wild horses and burros sit in government holding facilities, costing taxpayers more than $100 million annually. The BLM spends roughly two-thirds of its Wild Horse and Burro Program budget on these holding operations, while dedicating less than 4% to fertility control.
The new House legislation changes that equation by:
- Requiring (not just allowing) the BLM to spend $11 million on humane fertility control
- Maintaining the ban on slaughter of wild horses and burros
- Rejecting proposed budget cuts that would have slashed the program by 25%
- Blocking transfers to foreign governments where slaughter is legal
- Urging the BLM to explore alternatives to helicopter roundups
How Fertility Control Works
The primary method is PZP (porcine zona pellucida), an immunocontraceptive vaccine that prevents pregnancy without affecting the horse’s behavior, social structure or overall health. It’s reversible, humane and has been proven effective in multiple wild horse populations.
The American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) has demonstrated that fertility control works at scale. Through their partnership with the State of Nevada, they’ve administered over 10,000 fertility control treatments in the Virginia Range alone over the past five years—more than double what the BLM has achieved across all its programs combined.
Peer-reviewed research published in the journal Vaccines confirms that fertility control programs are both feasible and effective for managing large wild horse populations across expansive habitats.
Why This Matters Now
The stakes couldn’t be higher. President Trump’s FY2026 budget proposal initially omitted longstanding protections against killing healthy wild horses or selling them without safeguards against slaughter. It also proposed cutting the Wild Horse and Burro Program budget by more than 25%. The House Appropriations Committee rejected these proposals and strengthened protections instead.
“This is a major win for the American public, which has overwhelmingly demanded more humane treatment for our iconic wild horses and burros,” said Suzanne Roy, Executive Director of American Wild Horse Conservation.
Representatives Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) led the bipartisan effort, with continued support from Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV), Steve Cohen (D-TN), and David Schweikert (R-AZ).
What’s Next
The legislation now needs Senate action. While the Senate Appropriations Committee has maintained the slaughter ban, it has not yet included the dedicated $11 million for fertility control.
Wild horse advocates are urging supporters to contact their senators and push for the House language to be included in the final appropriations bill.
“We’ve built strong bipartisan coalitions around protecting wild horses and investing in better management,” said Fernando Guerra, AWHC’s director of law and policy. “Now it’s time to translate that support into a budget that reflects both fiscal responsibility and humane values.”
The Bottom Line
For horse lovers who’ve watched helplessly as helicopter roundups scatter family bands and fill holding pens to capacity, this legislation offers real hope. Fertility control isn’t a perfect solution, nothing replaces the freedom of horses living wild on their native ranges. But it’s a proven, humane tool that can slow population growth, reduce roundups and keep more horses where they belong, on the range.
The House has spoken. Now it’s the Senate’s turn.
How You Can Help
Contact your senators and ask them to support $11 million in dedicated funding for wild horse fertility control in the FY2026 Interior appropriations bill. Visit americanwildhorse.org for more information and action alerts.