New Mexico legislation · 2026 Regular Session
New Mexico HB315: FREE-ROAMING HORSE MANAGEMENT
Status: In committee, February 4, 2026
What the bill says
An act relating to animals; amending definitions in the livestock code; allowing fertility control, relocation and adoption of free-roaming horses under certain circumstances; allowing a free-roaming horse expert to implement free-roaming horse herd management activities on certain land through certain methods; requiring the new mexico livestock board to approve the qualifications of a free-roaming horse expert; allowing the new mexico livestock board to make rules regarding the approval of the qualifications of a free-roaming horse expert…
From the introduced text, February 4, 2026:
AN ACT RELATING TO ANIMALS; AMENDING DEFINITIONS IN THE LIVESTOCK CODE; ALLOWING FERTILITY CONTROL, RELOCATION AND ADOPTION OF FREE-ROAMING HORSES UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES; ALLOWING A FREE-ROAMING HORSE EXPERT TO IMPLEMENT FREE-ROAMING HORSE HERD MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ON CERTAIN LAND THROUGH CERTAIN METHODS; REQUIRING THE NEW MEXICO LIVESTOCK BOARD TO APPROVE THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A FREE-ROAMING HORSE EXPERT; ALLOWING THE NEW MEXICO LIVESTOCK BOARD TO MAKE RULES REGARDING THE APPROVAL OF THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A FREE-ROAMING HORSE EXPERT; PROHIBITING THE SLAUGHTER OR EXPORT FOR SLAUGHTER OF FREE-ROAMING HORSES; PROVIDING A PENALTY. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO: SECTION 1. Section 77-2-1.1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1993, Chapter 248, Section 2, as amended) is amended to read: .233762.1 wen = lairetam derocsrednu eteled = ]lairetam detekcarb[ "77-2-1.1. DEFINITIONS.--As used in The Livestock Code: A. "animals" or "livestock" means all domestic or domesticated animals that are used or raised on a farm or ranch, including the carcasses thereof, and exotic animals in captivity and includes equines, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, bison, poultry, ostriches, emus, rheas, camelids and farmed cervidae upon any land in New Mexico. "Animals" or "livestock" does not include canine or feline animals or free-roaming horses; B. "bill of sale" means an instrument in substantially the form specified in The Livestock Code by which the owner …