Court Protects 278 Riddle Mountain Wild Horses as BLM Plans Smaller Removal
Wild horses of Oregon's Riddle Mountain
A federal court has limited an emergency wild-horse roundup in southeastern Oregon, requiring the Bureau of Land Management to leave at least 278 horses in the Riddle Mountain Herd Management Area while the legal dispute continues. The agency has since announced a smaller operation to remove up to 140 horses, planned to begin October 20.
U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut issued the preliminary injunction October 15. It does not prohibit every removal: horses above the 278-horse threshold may still be gathered. Nor is it a final judgment on the legality of the agency’s management plan.
The case was brought by Oregon Wild Horse Organization, Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition and Western Watersheds Project. In an October 16 announcement, the groups welcomed the ruling as protection against the proposed removal of the entire herd and the genetic consequences of returning a much smaller population.
The judge identified serious questions about how BLM established its population target, whether its roundup decision preceded the required environmental review, and whether its analysis adequately addressed genetic diversity. The court credited testimony that reducing this particular herd below 278 animals would threaten its genetic viability through inbreeding and genetic bottlenecks.
BLM describes the situation differently in its October 19 announcement, emphasizing immediate threats to the horses after the Bald Mountain Fire and ongoing drought. The agency estimates that fire eliminated forage across roughly half the management area. It says the reduced operation will ease grazing pressure while leaving the court-required population on the landscape.
The agency also says cattle grazing has been paused in coordination with the grazing permittee. Removed horses are to receive veterinary evaluations, feed, water and care at off-range facilities; some may later become available for adoption.
The court expressly left the underlying merits unresolved and said it would consider new evidence. The distinction matters: the present order limits the scale of removal rather than permanently settling how the herd should be managed.
Why This Matters for Animals
This ruling provides a concrete safeguard for a free-roaming herd’s genetic future while allowing a more limited response to BLM’s stated post-fire concerns. Its immediate protective effect is specific: the emergency operation cannot reduce the Riddle Mountain population below 278 horses under the current injunction.
Source: U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon — October 15, 2026 preliminary-injunction order
