Wild horse collapses during roundup, then federal worker kicks it in face, video shows
A wild horse collapsed during a government roundup in Nevada, and a federal worker kicked it in its face while it was restrained on the ground, video shows.
The video sparked outrage among animal rights groups and led a wild horse advocacy nonprofit to file a formal notice of abuse to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the American Wild Horse Conservation said in a July 30 news release.
The “disturbing” moment was filmed by a “trained on-the-ground observer” for the organization, and shows that it “clearly violates federal law” and the BLM’s “own Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program standards,” the organization said in the release.
It “called for an immediate investigation” into the incident, which it said “rises to a level of criminal conduct under the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 and is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 and/or one year in jail.”
“The agency’s mandatory directive to ensure the humane care and treatment of wild horses, as well as the terms of its criminal penalties require, at minimum, an investigation and accounting of the despicable actions taken on behalf of your agency,” Fernando Guerra, the organization’s director of law and policy, said in the letter to BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning and BLM Nevada State Director Jon Raby, according to the organization.
The BLM is investigating, according to an emailed statement.
“The BLM is currently reviewing the incident and will follow all laws and policies in place to determine a course of action to ensure that similar incidents will not occur in the future,” the statement said.
The agency did not release details about the workers in the video and whether they are full-time employees or contractors.
The wild horse in the July 26 video “is alive, uninjured, and being monitored,” the statement said.
The American Wild Horse Conservation released the video to the media, the organization said in an Aug. 2 Instagram post.
“This video shows a horrific scene from the ongoing Blue Wing wild horse and burro roundup: After enduring a helicopter pursuit in high temperatures and being roped, a horse collapses with exhaustion,” the group said in a July 30 Instagram post. “Unable to stand, the horse is repeatedly kicked by a Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-contracted wrangler from CD Warner,” a livestock company that specializes in wild horse and burro management services for federal agencies.
The video shows two federal workers on horseback wrangling a wild horse in the desert during the Blue Wing Complex Wild Horse and Burro Gather near Winnemucca, Nevada.
The wranglers start by sandwiching the wild horse between the horses they’re riding, but it wriggles out from between them, so they lasso the wild horse with a rope, the video shows.
The wild horse struggles and then stumbles to the ground. The other wrangler attempts to lasso the wild horse but misses, then dismounts and appears to try to coax the wild horse back to its feet by yanking on its tail, ears and head, the video shows.
The wild horse doesn’t budge. Later in the video, the wrangler is shown back in the saddle attempting to lasso the wild horse again. He succeeds and tries to pull the wild horse to its feet by its neck, but the horse collapses to the ground again.
The wrangler then dismounts next to the wild horse, the video shows. At first he’s obstructed by the horse he was riding, but he pushes that horse out of the way and lodges a kick to the wild horse’s muzzle, and then the horse jerks its head away from the force.
The wild horse struggles to its feet after the wrangler waves his cowboy hat in its face. The video ends shortly after.
“I’m so pleased that the public will finally hear and see the horrific treatment of the wild horses and burros by BLM and its private contractors,” a commenter said on Instagram. “It’s unfortunate that this poor horse had to endure such cruelty to bring light to the situation.”
The American Wild Horse Conservation monitors government wild horse and burro roundups, which are known for being notoriously violent and tough on wild horses. The group tracks incidences of mistreatment, abuse and death.
“As of (Aug. 1, 1,665 animals have been rounded up at Blue Wing and 42 have died as a result of the captures,” the organization said on Instagram.
“The ongoing Blue Wing Complex roundup has been conducted under punishing conditions, amidst two prolonged heat waves and poor air quality due to wildfires in the area,” the group said in the news release.
When the July 30 release was published, “an astounding 39 horses have so far perished during the roundup. The causes of death include:
Traumatic injuries such as broken necks and blunt-force trauma.
Three animals arriving at the holding corrals dead on the trailer after transport from the roundup site.
Non-life-threatening conditions like arthritis and clubbed feet for which the BLM routinely euthanizes animals.”
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 7:58 AM with the headline "Wild horse collapses during roundup, then federal worker kicks it in face, video shows."
