It’s National Horse Protection Day, a day to be mindful of the plight of unwanted horses in America, domestic and wild.

We know wild horses are unwanted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) because they treat cattle and sheep ranchers and energy interests as clients and they all consider wild horses as pests. 

As a result, wild horses are ripped from their families and the range and kept in dismal holding pens. Today there are 49,339 wild horses rotting away in BLM holding prisons.

Friends of Animals rescued three wild horses from a life of imprisonment by the BLM in 2015 and they now live at our 78-acre primate sanctuary, Primarily Primates, in San Antonio, Texas, which is home to approximately 305 animals.

Moxie was just a three-month-old filly when she was orphaned during a BLM roundup of wild horses from the West Douglas Herd Management area in Colorado. Bindi, a mare, and Comanche were torn from tribal lands in Antelope Valley, Nevada—land that BLM pimped out to gold mining companies.

Today the trio is thriving, having formed their own band after a slow introduction. Our hearts soar when we see them grazing or playing together in the pasture at the sanctuary.

The presence and free spirited nature of Comanche, Bindi and Moxie at Primarily Primates is a constant source of inspiration for our work going forward, including legal actions against the BLM as well as public awareness campaigns.

To observe Horse Protection Day, please consider a donation to Bindi, Moxie or Comanche for their hoof care and food and supplies. Click here for information.