BLM Begins Wild Horse Gather in Utah

The Bureau of Land Management started removing about 140 wild horses from the Swasey Herd Management Area near Delta.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Wildlife

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The Bureau of Land Management began gather operations in the Swasey Herd Management Area near Delta, Utah, where roughly 247 wild horses live. The agency plans to remove approximately 140 horses to bring the herd down to a target size of 60 to 100 animals.

Why it matters

The agency says the herd is above range sustainability levels, and overpopulation increases competition among horses and forces them to travel greater distances, raising health risks. The operation has also drawn criticism from animal welfare advocates following a New York Times investigation into alleged mistreatment of wild horses.

The Bureau of Land Management plans to gather and remove approximately 140 of the roughly 247 wild horses in the Swasey Herd Management Area, reducing the herd to a target of 60 to 100 animals. The agency denies a New York Times report that it sold horses to contractors for as low as $25 each, and the report's allegations remain disputed.

The players

Bureau of Land Management

The federal agency responsible for managing public lands and wild horse and burro populations across the western United States, which is conducting the gather.

The New York Times

The national newspaper whose investigative report alleged that wild horses were sold to contractors at low prices and resold to slaughterhouses.

The details

The gather is taking place in the Swasey Herd Management Area near Delta, Utah, with certain public lands temporarily closed around the herd and drones prohibited during the operation. The agency says it will evaluate the health of all gathered horses before placing them for adoption, sale, or transfer to qualified individuals, and that contractors and staff are trained in humane handling techniques.

November 3, 2026: Gather operations began in the Swasey Herd Management Area.

Season Trajectory

The gather is an application of the population-management mandate set out in the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, which directs the Bureau of Land Management to keep herds within range sustainability levels. The allegations about horse sales place the operation within an ongoing national debate over how removed wild horses are ultimately handled.

Visitors and residents near Delta should expect temporary closures of certain public lands around the Swasey Herd Management Area while the gather is underway. Drones are prohibited during the operation, which may affect recreational photography in the area.

The takeaway

Population management of wild horses involves tradeoffs between herd health on the range and the welfare of animals removed from it. Readers interested in the issue can follow how the agency handles the horses after gathering, since the disposition of removed animals remains the central open question.