Socorro’s BLM field office begins wild horse gather

The Bureau of Land Management Socorro Field Office is conducting a wild horse gather at the Bordo Atravesado Wild Horse Management Area.

The appropriate management level for the Bordo wild horse herd has been set at 40 to 50 horses. There are currently over 100 wild horses in the area, far exceeding a sustainable balance given the resources available. Gathering the excess horses will improve the health of the range as well as the long-term health of the horses themselves.

The BLM will employ a water trapping method to gather all wild horses in the area. Once gathered, approximately 40 to 60 horses will be removed to restore an appropriate management level, and the remaining horses will be returned to the range. The wild horses removed from the range will be taken to a BLM regional holding facility in Paul’s Valley, Okla., to be prepared for the BLM wild horse adoption program or long-term holding.

The water-trapping method enables the BLM to gather the horses safely while minimizing the stress on the animals. When the range is dry, horses approach an existing man-made source of water within a corral. Once inside the corral, a gate is closed behind them. The capture area will be checked multiple times per day to ensure that horses have adequate feed and water. No helicopters will be used in the gather.