The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Kansas State Fair and Wild Horse Youth Challenge Board will hold the Wild Horse Youth Challenge on Sept. 16-17. More than two dozen youths ages 10 to 18 will compete in multiple events during the event.
"It is amazing to see how the youth have developed their horsemanship skills while helping place wild horses into private care," said Wild Horse Youth Challenge President Tammy Halsey. "This is our sixth year partnering with the Kansas State Fair and the Bureau of Land Management to produce this event and it gets better every year."
According to a BLM press release, the event will take place on Sept. 16–17 at the Kansas State Fair, 2000 North Poplar Street, in Hutchinson, Kansas. On Sept. 17, trained yearlings, which once roamed public lands in the region, will be available for adoption by those who qualify to adopt through competitive bids, unless the youth trainer wants to keep their horse. There are 11 trainers who have decided they will adopt their horses.
In an Aug. 21 Facebook post, the Wild Horse Youth Challenge shared one duo that will take part in the competition. The post reads: “Karisa & Mater, One lucky family will be forever entertained by the many faces of Mater. This team has been pure joy to watch bloom. This is Karisa Kvasnica’s 3rd(?) year in the competition. Mom says you can’t keep them all. Lucky for you, Mater will be available at the fair!”
Per the release, to qualify to bid on and potentially adopt one of the yearlings, applicants must be 18 or older with no animal abuse on their records and have at least 400 square feet of corral space per horse, with accessible shelter, food, and water. The corral fence must be 6 feet tall for adult horses; 5 feet for yearlings or trained horses; and 4.5 feet tall for burros. Trailers must be covered stock trailers with swing gates and sturdy walls and floors.
The Kansas State Fair will take place from Sept. 8 through Sept. 17. Events include 4-H horse shows, a dog demo day and more. The Wild Horse Youth Mustang Challenge will take place at 3 p.m. on Sept. 16, and start at 8 a.m. on Sept. 17, in the Expo Center at the fairgrounds.
In 2022, the Kansas State Fair drew 315,273 attendees, with carnival events, and concerts at the Next-Tech Grandstands.
