Is Trump really ‘selling’ wild horses to slaughterhouses? Report raises concerns with 'unvetted' buyers
Investigation finds 3,700 protected wild horses were sold cheaply in 2025 under a BLM loophole, raising concerns that many ended up in slaughterhouses.
A New York Times investigative report has raised concerns over the Trump administration's practice of selling federally protected wild horses to unvetted buyers at a fraction of their value. According to the report, the administration is exploiting a legal loophole to sell around 3,700 wild mustangs in 2025, more than double the number sold since Donald Trump became president.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) allows these horses to be sold to buyers for as little as $25, compared to the $750 they typically fetch at a livestock auction. The report highlights that many of these horses are likely ending up in slaughterhouses, posing a serious threat to their welfare. The BLM, which spends around $3,000 to capture and care for each wild horse, has been accused of failing to verify the buyers' identities before making the sales.
The report also notes that the BLM currently holds over 58,000 wild horses in protected public lands, at a cost of $100 million annually.
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