Federal sales of protected wild horses have increased sharply under the Trump administration, fueling concerns among animal-welfare groups that some could ultimately enter slaughter channels after being sold through a government program. The issue came under renewed scrutiny after a New York Times investigation on Thursday examined the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Sale Authority program. Under the process described by the Times, horses can be designated unadoptable and offered for sale after receiving no takers during three one-week adoption listings.
Sold horses lose the statutory protections retained by adopted horses, although initial buyers must agree not to slaughter them or knowingly sell them to someone intending to do so. Critics argue that restriction can be circumvented when a horse is resold to an intermediary not bound by the agreement. The report found sales surged after Trump returned to office.
BLM sold about 3,700 horses in 2025, more than double the previous year’s total, according to bureau records cited by the Times. About 73,000 wild horses roam federal public lands in the West, while another 58,000 are housed in the BLM holding system at an annual cost of roughly $100 million, according to figures cited by the news outlet. The government estimated that avoiding years of care for the horses sold in 2025 would save about $56 million.
BLM says sales reduce overcrowding and taxpayer costs, while critics contend the government is relying too heavily on sales and not enough on fertility-control programs designed to slow population growth. When asked for comment, the White House referred Newsweek to the Department of the Interior, which did not immediately respond. Newsweek also reached out to BLM and the Department of Agriculture.
In a statement provided to the Times, BLM said it “remains dedicated to placing animals into good homes, protecting their welfare and upholding its statutory responsibilities on behalf of the American public.” Patricia Miller, executive director of American Wild Horse Conservation, told Newsweek her organization began closely tracking the Sale Authority program after seeing increased efforts to move horses out of long-term holding facilities. Miller said her group saw a connection between increased Sale Authority use, pressure to reduce the long-term holding population and plans for additional roundups. "We have been following the increase in Sale Authority usage over the last 12 months and saw the correlation between need to move horses out of long term holding with plan to round up 14,000 more," she said Thursday.
Miller said records her organization obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests helped reveal how extensively the program was being used. "We saw not only a large increase, but also the alarming part of large group sales going to buyers that were not vetted," she said. The scrutiny of the Sale Authority program comes after a separate federal court ruling in 2025 led BLM to pause its Adoption Incentive Program, which had offered adopters up to $1,000 to take horses and burros.
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