FREE-ROAMING HORSE MANAGEMENT

HB 315 amends New Mexico's Livestock Code to establish rules for managing free-roaming horses - unclaimed horses not domesticated or under federal jurisdiction. It requires the Livestock Board to approve "free-roaming horse experts" who can use fertility control, relocate, or adopt these horses, while banning their slaughter or export for slaughter. The bill also updates definitions, mandates board oversight of experts' qualifications, and clarifies that equine rescue facilities must meet specific standards for humane care. These changes directly affect free-roaming horses in New Mexico, the Livestock Board, and professionals managing horse populations.