Two tribes have canceled contracts to buy wild horses from the Bureau of Land Management, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

One of tribes that canceled was the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation of North Dakota. The tribe requested 400 horses but stopped the order after receiving 277, the paper said.

The other tribe was not identified. The BLM said it won't identify any purchaser who backed out.

The BLM program was authorized by an act of Congress. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota and the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation were among the first participants. Private buyers also purchased horses.

The program was revamped after the BLM found out that some horses purchased by the Rosebud tribe and other buyers ended up going to slaughter. The BLM imposed new requirements that have led some to cancel their contracts, officials said.

Get the Story:
BLM SALE PROGRAM: 427 wild horses seeking homes (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 10/31)
Activists work to keep horses in pastures, off dinner plates (Gannett News 10/31)

Relevant Links:
Wild Horse Program - http://www.blm.gov/nhp/spotlight/whb_authority

Related Stories:
BLM imposes new rules on sales of wild horses (05/26)
Wild horses sold by tribe saved from slaughter (05/05)
Rosebud Sioux Tribe saddened horses sent to slaughter (5/2)
Horses tribe bought from BLM sent to slaughter (4/26)
Arizona tribes manage own herds of wild horses (04/13)
No wild horse sanctuary for Crow Reservation (04/01)
Wild horse sanctuary proposed on Crow Reservation (3/23)
BLM sells more than 500 wild horses to two tribes (3/22)