Holding Pens Equal Misery for Wild Horses

Sadly, this photo from an investigation done in 2006 could easily be from any other year since when it comes to the treatment of wild horses post roundup and held imprisoned in government holding corrals.

The cruelty of wild horse roundups continues during their confinement at short- and long-term holding facilities. These conditions have been documented for decades.

Nevada’s Winnemucca Holding Facility which keeps over 2,000 wild horses had recent reports from witnesses of deplorable conditions, including an obvious lack of shelter and windbreaks, resulting in the horses exposed to all weather conditions (many of which can be extreme).

The pens also were too small to accommodate the number of horses in each. This overcrowding led to horses competing for available resources, especially water.
Even more disturbing was an eyewitness report of what appeared to be a severely injured, dying or already deceased foal lying in the pen with the other horses.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) records obtained via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request showed that 23 horses were euthanized (or had died) at this facility over a 24-day period in 2023.

All deaths were attributed to suspected botulism poisoning.

A recent report has exposed that 9% of captured horses died at Nevada’s holding corral in Fallon.

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