Did you know that many of our western states have large, free-roaming populations of wild mustangs and burros?  The lineage of many of these animals is from the original horses that the Spanish conquistadors brought to the new world in the 1500s.

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 gave the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) and the United States Forest Service the authority to manage and protect these wild animals on public lands.  The size of these herds increases each year.  Therefore, in those areas where the herd becomes too large for the natural food and water, the BLM gathers up the excess animals and offers them for adoption.

The typical wild mustang is between 13 and 15 hands tall while the burros average 11 hands.  Once trained, the horse or burro can perform all of the tasks any other domesticated horse or burro performs.  Because they have recently been captured, they are not familiar with human contact.  The new owner must develop a trust and bond with the animal and be prepared to gentle and train it or have a professional do these things.

There are special requirements that must be satisfied before you are permitted to adopt one of the animals. If you have owned large animals before, you should not have any problems qualifying.  The average adoption fee is about $125.00 for an untrained animal. Sometimes the BLM will offer trained mustangs for sale as well.

I was at the Extreme Mustang Makeover in Fort Worth this past September.  I witnessed 100 mustangs that had been in training for 100 days be put through a challenging course and then scored.  The total prize money for the competition was $25,000.00 with the top horse and rider receiving a prize of $10,000.00.  These horses were then auctioned.  One horse was sold for $50,000.00!  But do not worry, the average adoption fee for those professionally trained animals was $3,100.00.

The closest adoption facility is in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, just south of Oklahoma City.  They hold adoptions at their location approximately four times per year.  There are also many other BLM adoption locations throughout the west and mid-west.

If you have any questions about the BLM wild horse and burro program, visit their website.  In the alternative I will be happy to try to answer your questions.