Forest Service News Release

Forest Service completes emergency welfare operation to save stranded wild horses

LEE VINING, Calif., Jan. 20, 2026 – The USDA Forest Service has completed an emergency operation to save wild horses trapped in deep snow on California’s Inyo National Forest after severe winter conditions left the animals with no access to food or water.

Forest Service crews rescued 23 horses and transported them to a temporary holding facility in Bishop, California. Three horses were humanely euthanized due to critically poor body condition, and seven horses were found dead in the field because of starvation and exposure caused by prolonged snow cover.

Many of the surviving horses were visibly emaciated and in poor health and would not have survived without intervention. Forest Service staff are providing care to stabilize the animals before transporting them to a better-equipped facility on the Modoc National Forest for continued care and rehabilitation. Recovery is expected to take up to 10 months.

The horses are associated with the Montgomery Pass herd and moved well outside their normal range before becoming stranded by recent heavy snowfall. Rescue efforts included the use of bait and water traps and required limiting public access to prevent disturbance.

A temporary closure in the Bald Mountain area was put in place to support rescue operations and ensure public and employee safety. That closure will be lifted Thursday, Jan. 22.

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology–and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.