BLM’s Decision for the Pryor Mountain Wild Horses Released

Yearling filly, Yara (Pilar & Stillwater), watches her watchers in the Sykes area of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range.

The RMP Decision has been released regarding the management of the Pryor herd. The adopted amendment to the Billings Resource Management Plan (RMP) is a loss for the Pryor Mountain wild horses and a disregard for public input. Despite receiving over 13,500 public comments — many advocating for management strategies that preserve family structures and kinship — the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has chosen to prioritize a narrow genetic metric (observed heterozygosity) over the long-term stability and integrity of this small, isolated herd. (Access RMP Decision HERE.)

This decision grants BLM greater flexibility to remove horses without considering the unique bloodlines and deep social bonds that define the Pryor Mountain herd. By moving away from a lineage-based approach, BLM is effectively erasing family histories, disrupting natural herd dynamics, and setting the stage for increased manipulation of herd composition — including potentially skewing sex ratios and introducing horses from other herds.

Advocates raised critical concerns during the public comment process, including:

• The risk of losing the distinct identity of the Pryor Mountain wild horses.
• The failure to acknowledge the importance of historic bloodlines in maintaining genetic health and social stability within the herd.
• The reactive, rather than proactive, approach to genetic diversity.
• The absence of transparency in how genetic diversity will actually be monitored and maintained.

Rather than listening to these concerns, BLM moved forward with a plan that prioritizes bureaucratic convenience over ecological and historical responsibility. The Pryor Mountain herd is one of the most well-documented and beloved wild horse populations in the country, and its management should reflect preservation, not political expediency.

This was the first decision record to be released and was issued in response to the RMP Protest Period that was open last November 15 – December 16 and is not open to further discussion. BLM will not reconsider this flawed approach nor move to adopt management strategies that honor the natural structure and heritage of these wild horses.

Moving Forward

BLM Billings does not have another public comment period planned; however, each of the upcoming decisions will include an appeal. The instructions for filing appeals will be included with each decision. We will keep you posted as these next decisions — and their accompanying appeals — are released. It’s crucial that we push for a BLM management plan that truly prioritizes the well-being of the horses — not one that reduces them to mere line items on a spreadsheet.

Click here to access all the documents related to the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range HMAP, 10-Yr Gather Plan, and Proposed Plan Amendment.

The Cloud Foundation
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