Governments would be allowed to arrange control of unclaimed horse herds

State and local governments would be allowed to make agreements with registered horse experts to assess herds and manage their numbers. Covered horses are unclaimed, with no evidence of private ownership or domestication. Horses under the federal Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act are excluded. Population control would require an expert's finding that the herd exceeds what the land can support and the appropriate landowner's approval. Relocation would require permission and enough capacity at the receiving land or facility. Rescue facilities must be board-registered or meet equivalent out-of-state standards. Capture would use baited corrals or other low-stress methods when feasible, without aircraft or motorized vehicles. Euthanasia would require a New Mexico veterinarian to find a condition that seriously harms the horse's quality of life and cannot reasonably be treated.

The New Mexico Livestock Board would register qualified horse experts and set approval rules. Registration would be required to manage covered horses, administer breeding control, or capture horses for relocation. Experts must demonstrate knowledge of horse herds, land ownership, and the land's ability to support horses. The board could charge up to $500 for initial approval and $250 each year, and set fines up to $1,000 per registration violation. The Bureau of Land Management and United States Forest Service would be exempt when acting under applicable federal law, rules, and policy. The board would revoke registration for failure to follow horse management requirements or related rules. Existing providers working before the act's effective date could qualify for an exception by applying within three months after registration rules are issued and later becoming registered, or by stopping services.

People would be prohibited from knowingly slaughtering covered horses, arranging their slaughter, or releasing them from rescue facilities or adoptive homes into the wild. These provisions cover horses outside the federal Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. Federal land agencies would retain their authority to manage those horses on lands they administer under applicable federal requirements. Each horse involved in a knowing violation would count as a separate misdemeanor, a criminal offense. Horses relocated to rescue or retirement facilities would need a microchip or freeze brand for identification. Adopters must show the facility that they can and intend to provide humane care. Experts would need owner or lessee permission to enter private or state land, and the responsible federal or tribal entity's permission to manage herds on its land.

The New Mexico Livestock Board would be allowed to set civil fines for rescue and retirement facility violations. Covered facilities care for or find owners for unwanted, abused, or neglected horses and related animals, or captured free-roaming horses. Federal facilities are excluded. Fines would apply to violations of the facility law or related board rules.