Loophole Allows Feds To Flush Wild Horses Down The ‘Slaughter Pipeline’: REPORT

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has quietly increased sales of federally protected wild horses, some of which end up in a complex pipeline that leads straight to a foreign slaughterhouse, according to a New York Times investigation published Aug. 20.

Under President Donald Trump’s administration, the number of wild horse sales doubled to 3,700 in 2025, The New York Times reported. However, a legal loophole alledly allows Americans to purchase an “unadoptable” horse, which can then be sold to a middleman, who can then sell it to foreign slaughter plants. (RELATED: Hunters Cry Fowl Over Trump Review They Fear Could Hammer Duck Populations Nationwide)

“The BLM is using sales in a way that was never intended by the law to send young, healthy wild horses into the slaughter pipeline,” Patricia Miller, the director of American Wild Horse Conservation, told The Times.

Over 70,000 protected wild horses wander public lands throughout Western states, including California, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. To manage the population, the BLM will siphon off approximately 9,500 horses every year and put them up for adoption.

However, half do not typically find a new home. The BLM funnels those remaining animals into a complex “holding system” made up of pastures and feedlots. The holding system contains 60,000 wild horses and costs $100 million a year to maintain, according to The New York Times.

Congress barred the BLM from killing healthy horses, so the agency resorts to a bureaucratic process to cull the holding system population and save taxpayer dollars.

First, the BLM lists the horse on its adoption site. Following three one-week listings, if the horse cannot find a home, it is deemed unadoptable and can be put to market. Since 2004, the BLM has been legally authorized to sell unadoptable horses, thanks to the passage of the federal Burns Amendment.

Next, a person can buy the horse but must sign a contract with the agency promising not to kill it or “knowingly” sell it to someone who would, The New York Times reported

Once that person sells the horse to a middleman, they are legally protected, according to the report. The middleman can then sell the horse to slaughter because he has not entered into the contract with the BLM. The New York Times’ investigation found evidence that some wild horses, sold by the BLM for pennies on the dollar, entered a slaughter pipeline to Canada.

The Trump administration estimates that the sale of 3,700 horses in 2025 saved taxpayers $56 million, according to The New York Times. The BLM touted the sales increase in a blog post in February.

“Every wild horse or burro placed into a good home represents a win for the animals, the American taxpayer and our public lands,” the post said. “We’re not only saving millions in taxpayer dollars, we’re also helping ensure our wild herds have the resources they need to thrive.”

The BLM and the White House did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.