Wild Horses In America Are Now Beginning To Die Of Starvation

The increase of wild horse populations are becoming a very real problem.

Published March 18 2019

Updated March 18 2019 at 08:01 PM

While most people think there are hardly any wild horses left in the American West, that couldn't be farther from reality. There are currently around 82,000 wild horses and burros on rangelands across the West and the rising numbers are becoming a problem.

According to the information shared by Insider, due to a decrease in yearly wild horse adoptions, the number of these animals in the West are now more than triple the amount that can be supported on the land. Because of this, horses are sadly beginning to starve.

The federal government has decided to step in to help eliminate the problem in the most humane way possible - offering potential adoptees an adoption incentive up to $1000 to take in one (or more) of these horses.

The information on the Bureau of Land Management's website, they care for around 50,000 unadopted and unsold animals each year and the financial burden is heavy. Their website states "the goal of the program is to reduce BLM’s recurring costs to care for unadopted and untrained wild horses and burros while helping to enable the BLM to confront a growing over-population of wild horses and burros on fragile public rangelands."

More than 4,600 wild horses and burros found good homes last year! To help find even more homes this year, we’re now offering up to $1,000 to adopt your own untrained wild horse or burro. Learn more: https://t.co/qoEY2xyl0i pic.twitter.com/ozWOfsjWbp
— BLM WHB Program (@BLMWHB) March 12, 2019

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↞Our friend Carol @wild_hoofbeats calls this family of wild horses the Big Band. Lots of unique markings and blazes, stripes, snips and stars on these magnificent faces! I’m actually enjoying the sound of the wind with this video from last October. Chad and I are really getting geared up for our summer with all the special horses who roam free in Wyoming’s Red Desert.↠ #wildhorses #wildhorsepc #wildmustangsforever #wyoming #wyomingphotographer #wyomingphotography #wyomingwildlife #visitwyoming #explorewyoming #thatswy #thatswyoming #thewest #prairie #prairielife #betheirvoice #emptythepens #keepwildhorseswild #adoptawildhorse @adoptawildhorse @wyoming_wildlife_advocates @wyomingwilderness @wyomingwilderness @wyofile @visitwyoming @wyomingwildlife #wildlife #becausehorses

A post shared by ↞ Lynn + Chad ↠ (@wildhorses.wildplaces) on Mar 17, 2019 at 8:46am PDT

Wild horses have been a part of American history for thousands of years, however, they have been interbred with captive and domestic horses brought over by settlers over the past 500 years. The wild horses found in the American West are now a conglomerate of species.

@nvwildhorsetourismembedded via

None of the horses or burros come trained and may require taming. One adoptee is allowed to adopt up to four horses a year. To find out more or to apply for the incentive you can click here.

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