BLM Colorado Wild Horse and Burro Herd Management Areas are congressionally-designated areas of land to which specific laws and regulations pertaining to the management of wild horses and burros are applied. All Herd Management Areas need to be contained within an originally designated Herd Area. See separate Herd Area dataset for those boundaries. Under the law, BLM is required to manage wild horses and burros only in those areas (Herd Areas) where they were found in 1971. Through land use planning, BLM evaluates each Herd Area to determine if it has adequate food, water, cover and space to sustain healthy and diverse wild horse and burro populations over the long-term. The areas which meet these criteria are then designated as Herd Management Areas. The Bureau uses the term Herd Management Area; the Forest Service uses the term Wild Horse Territory.

BLM Colorado Wild Horse and Burro Herd Management Areas are congressionally-designated areas of land to which specific laws and regulations pertaining to the management of wild horses and burros are applied. All Herd Management Areas need to be contained within an originally designated Herd Area. See separate Herd Area dataset for those boundaries. Under the law, BLM is required to manage wild horses and burros only in those areas (Herd Areas) where they were found in 1971. Through land use planning, BLM evaluates each Herd Area to determine if it has adequate food, water, cover and space to sustain healthy and diverse wild horse and burro populations over the long-term. The areas which meet these criteria are then designated as Herd Management Areas. The Bureau uses the term Herd Management Area; the Forest Service uses the term Wild Horse Territory.