Judge halts roundup of wild horses in Arizona

The wild horse organization obtained a temporary restraining order in April preventing federal agencies and third-party ranchers from removing the horses through July 15.

The organization contends the horses are protected under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, which established the Heber Wild Horse Territory within the Arizona portion of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. The plaintiffs claim the Forest Service violated the Administrative Procedure Act, the National Environmental Policy and the parties’ 2007 agreement by declaring the horses unauthorized livestock.

An International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros representative called the ruling “a critical first step in protecting the Heber wild horses.”