VISIT THE WILD

Where the wild horses roam

Wild horses still roam free on tens of millions of acres of public lands in the American West. Under the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, the federal government designated certain areas as habitat for these iconic animals—known as Herd Management Areas, or HMAs. Today, there are roughly 270 of these areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management, totaling about 26.9 million acres. Another 4.7 million acres are overseen by the U.S. Forest Service, bringing the total to around 31.6 million acres currently managed for wild horses and burros. Nevada is home to the largest concentration of wild horses in the country. In fact, more than half of the nation’s wild horses live on public lands in Nevada, which contains 77 different HMAs. But you can still find wild horses across ten western states, from California and Oregon to Wyoming, Colorado, and Arizona.

Want to see where wild horses roam near you—or plan a road trip to visit them in the wild? Our friends at Western Watersheds Project have created a beautiful, interactive map that lets you explore herd areas across the West. Use it to learn, connect, and deepen your understanding of what’s at stake. These are living landscapes—vast, rugged, and alive with the spirit of the wild. Let’s protect them. Let’s speak up for the horses who call them home.