Animal Health, Vaccinations, Gelding, and Microchipping of Wild Horses and Burros

United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
https://www.blm.gov
 

February 27, 2023

In Reply Refer To:
4700 (HQ-260) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 03/06/2023
Instruction Memorandum No. 2023-028
Expires:  09/30/2026

To:                  All Field Office Officials (except Alaska)
 

From:              Assistant Director, Resource and Planning

Subject:           Animal Health, Vaccinations, Gelding, and Microchipping of Wild Horses and Burros

Program Area: Wild Horse and Burro (WHB) Program.
 

Purpose: The purpose of this Instruction Memorandum (IM) is to establish policy and procedures for evaluating animal health and body condition, providing preventive medical care for animals in holding, gelding (castrating) male wild horses and burros, issuing gelding reimbursement vouchers, and microchipping wild horses and burros.[1]

Administrative or Mission Related:  Mission Related.

Policy/Action: This policy described in this IM applies to all Bureau of Land Management (BLM) headquarters, state, district, and field offices and is effective immediately. This policy supersedes WO IM-2015-070 and WO IM-2015-153.

1. An important component of evaluating WHB health is scoring the animal’s body condition as an indication of its nutritional status and relative body fat percentage. The BLM will use the scoring system described in the Henneke Body Condition Scoring Sheet (Attachment 1) and information published in the Equine Veterinary Journal ca. 1983 (Attachment 2). A visual assessment based on this scoring system should be used when it is not practical to palpate the anatomical area described.
2. Preparation of animals should begin upon the arrival of animals at an off-range corral (ORC) following their permanent removal from the range. Within 30 days of receiving WHBs from the range, ORCs should conduct Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) testing, apply freeze marks, insert microchips, and administer all required primary vaccinations. Exceptions to this timeline can be made to account for animal condition or behavior. The specific reasons for the delay should be included with a recommendation of the attending facility veterinarian and documented by the BLM. Exceptions may also be based on operational limitations (e.g., unavailability of vaccine etc.), which should also be clearly documented by the BLM. Such documentation should be retained by the facility manager and/or direct supervisory chain consistent with other operational and decision-support records.
3. Deworming and vaccinations should be performed as described in the Deworming and Vaccination Schedule (Attachment 3). All vaccines and dewormers are available to be ordered through the Contracting Officers Representative (COR). To order and receive vaccines and dewormers, provide the amounts and type of vaccines or dewormers needed. This process will be identified and communicated by the COR. The COR will also maintain a current inventory of available vaccines and dewormers.
4. Testing for EIA, commonly known as the Coggins test, should be done for all animals removed from the range at the time of preparation for adoption, sale, fostering, transfer (subject to applicable statutory authority) or interstate movement as directed by State or Federal animal health officials and in accordance with applicable State or Federal laws. All animals in off-range corrals should be Coggins tested at least every 12 months. In the event of a positive test, appropriate biosecurity measures should be implemented (sequester, quarantine, etc.)
5. Hooves need to be trimmed as often as necessary to maintain them in good condition. At minimum, hoof trimming should be done at least every six months. Exceptions may include heavy mares and nursing mare/foal pairs.
6. Deworming, vaccinations, EIA testing, and hoof trimming may be done for animals on off-range pastures (ORP) as described, and animals being relocated from off-range pastures as directed by the COR.
7. Gelding Policy for Stallions and Jacks
   1. BLM offices are expected to geld all male wild horses and burros that are permanently removed from the range or are born in BLM ORCs or ORPs once the animal is a weanling or older. Exceptions may be made on case-by-case basis if an adopter has requested ungelded animals at ORCs.  All male wild horses and burros sent to ORPs should be gelded prior to transporting.
   2. Ungelded wild horses or burros should not be shipped to any satellite event or Online Corral (OLC) pickup location for adopted or sold animals.
   3. Stallions and jacks affected by cryptorchidism can still be fertile and retain stallion and jack behaviors, which can cause handling issues. Special care should be taken with these animals to avoid unknowingly placing them into private care or moving them between ORCs and ORPs. If the animal is a cryptorchid, a descended testicle will not be removed unless the retained testicle(s) is (are) removed at the same time. If an animal cannot be fully castrated with confidence, it will be regarded as having a serious physical defect and will be euthanized in accordance with PIM 2021-007 Euthanasia of Wild Horses and Burros Related to Acts of Mercy, Health, and Safety.
8. Gelding Reimbursement Vouchers
   1. If a stallion or jack is not gelded prior to adoption (adopted as mare foal pair, orphaned foal, or an oversight), the BLM may offer to have the BLM facility veterinarian geld the animal prior to pick up or provide a gelding reimbursement voucher (Attachment 4) if the adopter prefers to have the procedure performed by a veterinarian of their choice.
   2. The BLM will provide up to a $100 reimbursement for the gelding of a stallion or jack. Before providing the reimbursement, the BLM must receive from the adopter a completed voucher along with a gelding receipt from a practicing veterinarian. The voucher is redeemable for up to twelve months from the Date of Adoption on the Private Maintenance and Care Agreement (PMACA) or if the animal is a weanling once the testicles have descended and the gelding can be safely completed prior to receiving title of the animal.
9. Gelding Method
   1. Gelding will be performed under general anesthesia by a veterinarian. The combination of pharmaceutical compounds used for restraint, sedation, anesthesia, analgesia, and postoperative care, as well as the method of physical restraint and specific surgical technique, will be at the attending veterinarian’s discretion.
10. Microchipping
    1. In addition to freeze marks, all animals in ORCs, those going to ORPs, and those gathered to be released back to the range should be microchipped. The 15-digit microchip number will be stored in the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program database. Microchips facilitate easy identification of individual animals without the limitations associated with reading tag numbers or freeze marks. Treated animals returned to the range should be tracked as individuals using the microchip number and BLM’s database . If a visual determination of treatment status is needed on the range, a hip or neck freeze mark may be used in addition to the microchip at the discretion of the Authorized Officer. Microchip Administration and Insertion Procedures for Wild Horses and Burros are provided in Attachment 5.
11. Needles
    1. New, unused needles will be used for injections of any kind, blood sampling, and microchipping for each wild horse and burro. Needles will not be disinfected and/or reused between wild horses and burros, and all used needles will be disposed of in accordance with applicable local, State, and Federal laws and regulations.

Timeframe: This policy is effective immediately.

Budget Impact: The issued guidance does not result in cost beyond those already incurred under existing policy and standard operating procedures.

Background: The policy contained in this IM amends and/or replaces previous policies contained in the BLM Manual 4750-1 Wild Horse and Burro Preparation and Management Handbook and in BLM Manual H-4700-1 Wild Horses and Burros Management Handbook.

The administration of vaccines and dewormers as well as hoof-trimming for excess wild horses and burros removed from the public lands and maintained at ORCs has been a long-standing practice within the Wild Horses and Burro Program and is a basic health care standard operating procedure. EIA testing is required for interstate transportation by state laws. Humane, long-term care of wild horses and burros in ORCs and ORPs require periodic evaluation of their condition by qualified BLM personnel, in consultation with a veterinarian in some cases.

In 2005, the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board recommended that the BLM review its gelding policy and lower the gelding age from 6 years to 1 year and older. In 2006, the BLM adopted policy to lower the gelding age to 4 years and older. In 2009, the BLM adopted policy to geld all animals weanling age and older (with exceptions provided under extraordinary circumstances for adopter’s preference), to provide a consistent gelding standard for all preparation facilities and to address animals affected by cryptorchidism. The 2009 policy has since expired.

43 CFR 4750.2 states, in part, that “Each animal offered for private maintenance… shall be individually identified by the authorized officer with a permanent freeze mark of alpha numeric symbols on the left side it its neck.” The BLM would like to incorporate the use of microchips for all phases of wild horse and burro management and provide policy on other freeze marking that is not required by regulation. BLM animals will continue to be freeze marked but will have additional unique identifiers to synchronize with the animals’ information in the Wild Horse and Burro Program System (WHBPS) database. Microchipping is considered a veterinary procedure and has established protocols and procedures (Attachment 5).

Manual/ Handbook Sections Affected: BLM Manual 4750-1 Wild Horse and Burro Preparation, Chapter III – Identification and Basic Health Care will be amended to provide for rabies and West Nile vaccinations required by this IM. The Wild Horses and Burros Management Handbook, H-4700-1 section 4.9 is superseded by this IM and replaced in its entirety. This IM supersedes IM 2015-070, IM 2015-153, and IM 2009-063.

Coordination: This IM was coordinated among HQ-200, HQ-260, WHB State Leads, WHB Specialists and WHB Facility Managers.

Contact: Please direct questions regarding this IM to the Division Chief, Wild Horse and Burro Program (HQ-260), at 866-468-7826 or wildhorse@blm.gov.

Signed by:                     Auhenticated by:

David Jenkins                Robert M. Williams

Assistant Director          Division of Regulatory Affairs and Directives,(WO-630) Resources and Planning

5 Attachments

1. Henneke Equine Body Condition Score Sheet (1 p)
2. Relationship between condition score, physical measurements, and body fat percentages in mares (Henneke, Potter, Kreider, and Yeates, 1983) (2 pp)
3. Deworming and Vaccination Schedule (1p)
4. Gelding Reimbursement Voucher (1 p)
5. Microchip Administrative and Insertion Procedures for Wild Horses and Burros (2 pp)