The Bureau of Land Management’s Salt Lake Field Office will tentatively begin a wild horse gather in the Cedar Mountain Herd Management Area on November 10, 2026. The operation is intended to reduce the current estimated population of 660 horses to align with the area's appropriate management level of 190 to 390 animals.
The BLM plans to gather and remove approximately 500 excess wild horses from the area. Contractors will conduct these operations under BLM supervision using helicopters to guide animals into temporary gather corrals. This method is intended to move horses across rugged landscapes while minimizing stress and risks. Following the gather, the BLM will perform a post-gather population inventory survey; if the population falls below the management level, horses will be selected and returned to the management area.
Public observation tours are scheduled to begin November 10, 2026, departing near Grantsville, Utah, in the early morning. Participation is limited to 10 people per day to ensure safety and reduce operational risk. Reservations are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and requests must be received by 5 p.m. Mountain Time on the day before the requested date. Observers are encouraged to bring their own transportation, food, and water, as no public restrooms will be available.
The 2026 gather will involve transporting 150 stallions to the Sutherland Off-Range Corral near Delta, Utah. The remaining 350 horses will be held at the Axtell Off-Range Corral. All gathered horses will undergo veterinary checks before being prepared for the BLM’s wild horse Adoption and Sale Program. Horses not placed in new homes will live in off-range pastures.
The Cedar Mountain Herd Management Area covers a total of 211,592 acres, including 197,275 acres of BLM lands. The area features diverse vegetation ranging from salt desert shrub and sagebrush to grass-juniper. The BLM notes that without management, herds can outgrow available forage and water, potentially leading to starvation and thirst. Past emergency gathers were completed in 2004 and 2018 due to a lack of water resources.
