MORENO VALLEY, Calif. - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will host a wild horse and burro adoption on Feb. 5-7, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the Pomona Fairplex, 101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona, Calif.
Approximately six to ten gentled horses and six gentled burros will be available for adoption by oral bid auction. On Fri., Feb. 5, potential bidders can preview the animals and submit applications to obtain a bidder number. On Sat., Feb. 6, animals can continue to be previewed and bid applications can be submitted prior to the oral bid auction on Saturday morning. Animals not adopted during the auction will be available for adoption to approved adopters on a first come, first served basis beginning Sunday, Feb. 7 for a fee of $125.00. Loading of all adopted animals will occur on Sunday, Feb. 7.
To qualify, adopters must be at least 18 and United States residents. They must provide corrals offering least 400 square feet per animal. Corrals must be enclosed by six-foot fences built of pipe or boards. Five-foot fences are allowed for horses under two years old. Roofed, two-sided shelters are required. The BLM recommends against releasing wild horses and burros into large pastures until they can be captured, haltered and led.
The BLM is responsible under federal law for managing and protecting wild horses on public lands across the west including California. Horses removed from public lands to protect the habitat for the herds are offered to the public for adoption.
The BLM periodically gathers horses and burros to control herd populations on ranges shared with wildlife and domestic livestock. Herd sizes are controlled to ensure there is sufficient feed and water for all range users and to ensure that natural resources are not over-used.
For additional information on wild horse and burro adoption requirements or the upcoming event, please contact the Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Corral at (800) 951-8720 or visit www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
