CHALLIS, Idaho — The Bureau of Land Management shared Wednesday that their latest wild horse gathering operation in central Idaho was recently completed.
The operation, which the BLM said aims to "improve rangeland health and ensure long-term well-being of the Challis wild horse herd," rounded up 226 of the animals.
The operations are necessary due to the rapid growth of herds on public lands, which the BLM said double in size every four to five years. These efforts prevent overgrazing, vegetation degradation, and poor horse health.
“Maintaining healthy wild horse populations on thriving rangelands is a core part of the Bureau of Land Management’s mission. This recent gather will support the restoration of ecological balance across the landscape and help ensure the horses remaining on the range have sufficient access to forage and water.” — Acting BLM Idaho State Director Tanya Thrift
According to the BLM, the horses were taken to the Challis Off-Range Wild Horse Corrals, where a public viewing will take place on Sept. 19 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
WATCH | More on herding efforts in Idaho and Oregon
Those interested in learning more about the wild horse gathering can visit the BLM's herd management page here. Potential adopters are encouraged to view the adoptions and sales page here.
This is not the first time Idaho News 6 has reported the BLM's horse gathering operations.
In 2019, we shared with you that 295 wild horses were captured to keep the population down to 185.
54 Challis wild horses were later adopted in 2020.
