RENO, Nev. - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Nevada Department of Corrections - Silver State Industries hosted a saddle-trained horse adoption event on October 15 at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center (NNCC) south of Carson City, Nevada.
Fifteen once-wild horses from ranges on BLM-administered public lands in Nevada and California were saddle-trained for approximately four months by inmate trainers in the NNCC program and offered during a spirited competitive-bid adoption. Successful bidders paid a total of $38,950 for the horses.
All 15 horses were adopted after starting bids of $150. The event’s top bid of $6,300 went for “Tucker", a 4-year-old gray gelding gathered from the Little Owyhee Herd Management Area in Nevada. The average bidding price for each horse was $2,597.
The successful bidders officially adopted their new horses. After properly caring for their horses for one year, the adopters are eligible to receive title, or ownership, from the Federal government.
The BLM uses its adoption program as the primary tool to place these iconic animals into private care. The horses or burros available for adoption come from overpopulated herd management areas where vegetation and water could become scarce if too many animals, including wildlife and livestock, use the area.
Many people have found it personally challenging and rewarding to adopt a wild horse or burro. Additionally, it is a chance to care for, and then own, a part of America’s heritage. The BLM has placed more than 235,000 wild horses and burros into private care since 1971. Many of those animals have become excellent pleasure, show, or work horses.
The next saddle-trained horse adoption and competitive-bid auction at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center is scheduled for Feb. 25, 2017.
For more information about these special adoption events and how to adopt your own wild horse or burro visit BLM Nevada’s Wild Horse and Burro Program webpage at http://on.doi.gov/1DP3LhB.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
