Despite overwhelming bipartisan support and years of advocacy, New Mexico’s long-awaited free-roaming horse management bill has quietly died through a pocket veto, causing frustration among lawmakers, county officials and animal welfare advocates.
House Bill 284, co-sponsored by Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Galisteo, and Sen. Pat Woods, R-Broadview, passed 54-4 in the House and 38-0 in the Senate.
The bill was designed to create a science-based framework for the humane management of free-roaming horses, a growing issue in areas like Placitas and Lincoln County.
The intention was to correct flaws in current law and give local governments the opportunity to create refined management plans.
HB 284 included strong protections for the horses, specifically banning slaughter, mass euthanasia for population control and inhumane roundup methods such as helicopters and motorized off-road vehicles.
“I am disappointed with the pocket veto and more than a little bit frustrated,” McQueen said. “The bill had broad support from tribes, state agencies, local communities, animal advocates and agricultural interests. We never heard any concerns from the administration during the session… we reached out to the administration to see if they had any questions and never received a response.”
A pocket veto, a procedural action that requires no public explanation, occurs when the governor takes no action on a bill passed in the final three days of a legislative session.
Without a signature within 20 days, the bill fails automatically. HB 284 never received a signature or formal comment from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Supporters say the bill was the state’s best chance in years to address the ecological and safety issues caused by unmanaged horse populations.
In parts of Sandoval and Lincoln counties, free-roaming horses have been hit by cars, faced starvation from overgrazed land and have damaged private property.
“It’s one of those situations where you definitely know that this is not Placitas specific,” said Sandoval County Commissioner Kathrine Bruch. “It is something that the folks here have worked hard on, because we have this urban, rural interface where the land is at risk. There isn’t any public land for them; the jurisdictions, the land grant, the Forest Service, and the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) have all been very clear in that they don’t want them on their land. The roadway is not the place for them.”
Bruch has long advocated for humane solutions, including the Placitas Community Project’s darting program, which uses fertility control to reduce herd sizes. But she emphasized that local efforts need state-level support and legal clarity to be effective.
Animal Protection Voters, which championed the bill, called the veto a setback for public safety and ecological health.
“Free-roaming horses are treasured by many New Mexicans, but in some areas of the state, their presence is increasingly dangerous for horses and the people who encounter them.
Horses on the search for food and water sometimes damage private property and come into conflict with impacted communities,” the organization said in a statement.
“The pocket veto of HB 284 means even more than missing a chance to better protect horses – it’s a lost chance at protecting all species in the ecosystems where free-roaming horses dwell.”
Advocates say they’re open to collaborating with the administration to reintroduce or revise the bill to address any concerns, but they want clarity around the decision-making process.
“Free-roaming horse management is a public safety and animal welfare issue that must be addressed. This bill was a significant step forward,” McQueen said. “If the administration has a problem with this approach, they should tell us what their concern is and come forward with proposed alternatives.”
This bill was concerning to me because it passed authority to the New Mexico Livestock Board. Residents of Corrales might remember the horrific murder of a resident’s horse back in 2020. The Board was supposed to investigate this crime and we never heard anything more about it. To my knowledge, no suspect was found. I feel the law left a number of loopholes and wonder how much input was solicited from the residents of Placitas and Corrales about this bill, which received little publicity. A couple of years ago the Sandoval County Commission tried to bulldoze an ill-thought out ordinance banning feeding of horses except by a “licensed” non-profit. No surprise — no non-profits applied for registration because, as we all know, except for the learned commissioners — all the non-profits are strapped for cash and resources. I also wonder about the assessment process for carrying-capacity of the land. The formulas developed for this assessment is controversial. As more land gets privatized, there will obviously be less land for horses. I understand that population control is an issue but the legislators should draft a bill with clearer protections for the horses.