Wild horses: Old West symbols

By Dan MacArthur
North Forty News

If you're looking for an exceptional equine, consider taking a ride on the wild side.

Adopting a mustang requires some serious work, but it can be well worth the effort, according to Barb Flores, the Greeley-based chair of the Colorado Wild Horse and Burro Coalition.

"I wouldn't ride anything else. I like their spunk. I like their intelligence," said Flores, who also serves on the board of the American Mustang and Burro Association Inc. In fact, Flores said such enthusiasm for wild horses is a family affair with her daughter and granddaughter also adopting mustangs.

In addition to all the animals' attributes, she said homes are badly needed for these living symbols of freedom and the West. The Bureau of Land Management estimates there are 37,000 wild horses and burros roaming public lands in 10 western states - about 9,000 more than those rangelands can support.

Unless adopters step up to the plate soon, she said recent legislation could result in wild horses winding up on menus across the globe. "We could see our national heritage end up on Belgian, French and Japanese dinner tables," she said.

With virtually no natural predators, their numbers can double about every five years. Federal law authorizes the BLM to remove wild horses and burros from the range to control herd sizes. Those animals removed are cared for in holding facilities and thousands are placed into private ownership through adoption each year. Since 1973, according to the BLM, its adoption program has placed more than 203,000 animals into private care. Currently some 24,000 wild horses and burros are being cared for in short-term facilities in the West and long-term facilities in the Midwest.

Wild horses typically are adopted directly from the Bureau of Land Management's National Wild Horse and Burro Program, according to Flores. They also can be adopted from individuals who have taken title to a horse a year following its successful adoption from the BLM.

Where to adopt

In Colorado, the wild horse adoptions are held at the East Cañon Correctional Complex outside Cañon City two Fridays each month. It is a regional preparation center for horses and burros gathered in Colorado and a resting point for animals gathered in the far West bound for adoption sites in the Eastern United States.

Purchasers typically can choose from some 400 wild mustangs and burros. "In most cases you're looking at horses that have just been gathered off the range," Flores cautioned. "What you see is what you get." She suggests seeking out younger horses that are calm and curious.

Adopters must schedule appointments no later than the Tuesday before the Friday adoption they wish to attend. Adopters must be pre-approved before making an appointment. Applications can be downloaded from the BLM web site or by requesting one from the district office, 3170 E. Main St., Cañon City, CO 81212, 719-269-8539.

In Wyoming, adoptions also are held periodically at Rock Springs, a preparation center for horses gathered in that state. Adoptions are set for April 8, May 13 and June 10. An appointment and an approved application are required. Call 307-352-0292 for an appointment. An adoption event also is set for Aug. 6 at the Terry Bison Ranch 11 miles south of Cheyenne.

The basic adoption fee for most horses is $125. Those lacking the time or inclination to train their wild horse also can purchase mustangs trained to various extents by inmates at Colorado and Wyoming prisons. Adoption clinics are scheduled regularly at the correctional facilities.

Trained horses

In Colorado, saddle-broke mustangs are available for $925 for mares and $1,025 for geldings, including the adoption fee. Training also is available for $175 a month and $3 a day for board. In Wyoming, an auction of trained horses is set for May 13 at the Department of Corrections Honor Farm near Riverton. Call 307-352-0302 for information. Trained horses also are available for adoption from the Mantle Wild Horse Training and Adoption Center near Wheatland. Call 307-322-5799 for details.

Training is probably the greatest consideration in adopting a mustang or burro, according to Flores, and adopters may be well advised to consider adopting a horse that has already been trained.

"It takes a lot of commitment as far as time and training," she said, conceding that "I would not train one again myself."

But the results can be rewarding for those willing to make the commitment. In addition to their intelligence, Flores said, mustangs have sure-footed endurance, making them great trail and ranch horses. She said her granddaughter's mustang, for example, gathers heifers by itself. They are also well suited for jumping and high-level dressage.

As well as the opportunity to acquire a great horse, she said, there's a serious need for adopters to step forward now with recent legislation enabling sales of large numbers of wild horses and burros for slaughter.

Flores and other equine enthusiasts are furious about the legislation inserted into a massive spending bill by Montana Sen. Conrad Burns in December. The law lifts the 34-year ban on the killing of wild horses. It allows the BLM to sell for slaughter mustangs that are at least 10-years-old or that have been unsuccessfully put up for adoption three times or more. An estimated 8,400 horses could be sent to the packinghouses as a result.

The BLM insists that it remains fully committed to its adoption program, which it will keep separate from its new sale-authority program. There will be no horse and burro sales at any of its adoptions.

"As we implement the new sale-authority legislation passed by Congress, we are committed to finding long-term care for these wild horses and burros," BLM Director Kathleen Clarke stated in a press release. The BLM has set up a toll-free number for those interested in buying a wild horse or burro deemed unadoptable, 1-800-710-7597. Interested groups or individuals may also contact the Bureau at a new e-mail address regarding the purchase of wild horses and burros (wildhorse@blm.gov).

Fort Collins group

In keeping with that effort, the BLM just announced the first sale of 200 mares to Wild Horses Wyoming. The Fort Collins-based for-profit company is dedicated to protecting and preserving these so-called "unadoptable" wild horses.

"Our mission of stewardship is to save the American wild horse while progressively expanding areas of safe harbor, providing the peoples of the world with opportunities to view and learn from the mustang in its natural habitat," the company states in its web site www.wildhorseswyoming.org.

Wild Horses Wyoming already has leased a 3,500-acre ranch near Centennial in southeastern Wyoming where the horses can roam free. It is seeking contributions to acquire additional lands and help maintain the herd.

"Our company is committed to the long-term care of these historic animals, and I urge the public to support us in our efforts to ensure good homes for those horses facing an uncertain future under the new law," stated ranch operations partner Ron Hawkins.

So if you have the time, the space, the love and the patience, consider opening your heart and paddock to preserve a piece of the Old West.