Post Gather Updates: 2021 Onaqui Mountain Wild Horses

Update for Adoption Event

10/12/2021: Due to technical difficulties with our website and operating systems, the Online Corral event for the public to adopt wild horses from the Onaqui Herd Management Area previously scheduled on Oct. 12, has been delayed. We hope the delay can be resolved quickly. We will provide updates on the new online adoption date on our social media channels: @blmutah. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) concluded the Onaqui Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA) gather operations on Sunday, July 18, 2021. For more information and daily gather reports, visit the 2021 Onaqui Mountain Wild Horse Gather page.

Gather Details

Onaqui Mountain Wild Horses Released

On Aug. 9, 2021, the BLM safely concluded the release of 109 wild horses back to the Onaqui Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA). The BLM conducted genetic hair sampling to promote the genetic diversity of the herd and humanely released a total of 123 horses back to the HMA after concluding the wild horse gather in July 2021. On Aug. 8, the BLM released 14 mares and foals back to the HMA in advance so that the foals could be safely released in a smaller group. The BLM invited representatives of the American Wild Horse Campaign, the Wild Horses of America Foundation, and the Onaqui Catalogue to observe the release of the mares and foals to foster the ongoing communication between the BLM and these groups to promote the welfare of the Onaqui Mountain wild horses. 

Public Observation

Those interested in observing the release of the Onaqui horses on Monday, Aug. 9, should meet at the northeast end of the Walmart parking lot located at 99 West 1280 North in Tooele, Utah, where public observation will depart at 9:30 a.m. MDT.

The BLM establishes observation sites that allow the public to observe wild horse gather operations while ensuring the effective gather of excess wild horses and burros and ensuring the safety of all individuals involved in the gather activities, including BLM employees and contractors, members of the viewing public, and the wild horses and burros. It is critical that the public remain within the designated public observation site and not attempt to get closer to the horses without permission from the BLM, or the BLM may need to immediately halt operations and postpone the release if the operations or safety is compromised. 
 
After release operations have concluded, the public may leave the designated observation site and attempt to get a closer view of any released animals as they integrate themselves back into the HMA. BLM staff will notify the public when they may leave the public observation site to view the horses up close.
 

Latest News 

July 30, 2021

The BLM has concluded the selection, veterinary inspection and genetic hair sampling of the horses scheduled to be returned to the #Onaqui Mountain Herd Management Area (HMA). Thank you for your patience and understanding while these crucial long-term management steps have been completed. 

After acquiring and contracting the appropriate transportation needs to safely transport horses, the BLM plans to release horses back to the HMA on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021. We will announce the location and time where the public may meet us to observe the release on this page.

July 20, 2021

BLM gathered a total of 435 horses (186 stallions, 202 mares, 47 foals). BLM did not gather the horse known as “Old Man.” However, some well-known horses were gathered including “One Ear.” The BLM plans to return "One Ear" to the range with the other horses planned for release. All gathered horses seem to be healthy and have been sent to either the Delta or Sutherland, Utah off-range corral facilities to be inspected by a contract veterinarian, and sorted for adoption/sale or selected for return to the HMA. 

BLM gathered more horses than anticipated simply due to the large herd size captured the final day of trapping. A total of 91 horses were gathered in one group on the last day, thus BLM ended up gathering 30+ more horses than scheduled. Due to these larger numbers, the BLM is anticipating that over 100 horses will be returned to the range after sorting, and as is consistent with appropriate management levels. The exact number is not known until all the sorting, aging, and animal selection process is complete. The date of release for the horses will be publicly announced on BLM’s website and social media.