A wild horse welfare advocate has petitioned a federal court to halt the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) gather of mustangs currently under way at the Jackson Mountain Herd Management Area in Nevada on grounds that the roundup violates agency policy prohibiting such gathers during foaling season.

On June 8 the BLM began an emergency gather of 630 wild horses from Jackson Mountain Herd Management Area near Winnemucca, Nev. Originally the gather was slated to begin in July 1; however, due to persistent drought conditions the roundup began ahead of schedule, one month before the end of foaling season (which typically begins in March and extends through June).

In response to the gather, mustang advocate Laura Leigh, director and founder of Wild Horse Education, filed a lawsuit asking the U.S. District Court in Nevada to halt the gather. Leigh said she filed the suit after attempts to resolve gather-related issues with the BLM failed.

"(The BLM) is driving newborn foals down the mountain," Leigh said. "Anybody who knows anything about horses knows how delicate foals’ feet are. It’s heartbreaking