WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Land Management is offering qualified individuals the chance to adopt mares, mare/foal pairs, geldings, studs, burros and even mules gathered from rangelands in Nevada, California and Arizona during a televised adoption Aug. 16.
Saddle-ready wild horses trained in Wyoming are also available for adoption.
Preview. A preview of the animals will start at 9 a.m., Pacific Daylight Time. Bidding will begin at 10 a.m.
The adoption event will be broadcast nationally by Superior Livestock Auction, located in Fort Worth, Texas. Superior and the BLM have broadened the availability of the broadcast by offering the adoption telecast on the Dish Network at Channel 9409 or to DIRECTV at Channel 379. The broadcast will also be shown on C Band Satellite, Galaxy 3, Transponder 1.
To participate, you must be pre-qualified and be assigned a bid number by the BLM. The toll free number to qualify and for more complete information is 1-800-633-6094.
Potential bidders may be from any state, if pre-approved.
What’s available. Twenty geldings, 42 mares, 21 pairs, 23 studs, five burros, two mules and 12 saddle-ready horses are being offered in this televised adoption.
Saddle-ready horses were trained by prison inmates at the Riverton, Wyo., Honor Camp.
Bidding on each animal starts at $125. All animals have equine inoculations and have received a Coggins test to assure they do not have Equine Infectious Anemia. Health papers provided by the BLM allows transportation into any state.
Successful adopters will receive the health card for their animal.
Pick-up states. Seven pickup sites have been identified for the untrained wild horses, burros or mules. They are: Pauls Valley, Okla.; Piney Woods, Miss.; Cross Plains, Tenn.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Elm Creek, Neb.; Ridgecrest, Calif.; or Palomino Valley, Nev.
The BLM will transport the animals to the site closest to the adopter for pickup within a few weeks of the televised adoption. Saddle-ready horses must be picked up in Rock Springs, Wyo.
Qualified bidders may bid on the animal of their choice via telephone. About 90 seconds will be allowed for each animal.
To qualify to adopt, one must be at least 18 years old, a resident of the United States and have no convictions for inhumane treatment of animals. You must also arrange for or have adequate facilities to provide for the number of animals adopted.
Newly adopted wild horses must be kept in an enclosed corral with a minimum of 400 square feet. Box stalls may be suitable if daily exercise can be provided. Fences must be six feet high, and should be of pole, pipe or plank construction.
At a minimum, a shelter with two sides and a roof is also required. The shelter cannot be made of non-structural material such as a tarp.
Contract signed. When adopting, an individual signs an adoption contract with the BLM. After one year, the adopter gains title to the animal after verification of humane care by a qualified person, such as a veterinarian, a humane society representative or an extension agent.
No more than four animals may be titled in a 12-month period.
For general information on the wild horse and burro program and for the dates and locations of scheduled adoptions visit www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov or call the toll free number at 1-866-4Mustangs.
