A dozen animals, nine horses and three burros — an unusually low number — were adopted at the Montrose County Fairgrounds during the Bureau of Land Management event, said Fran Ackley, wild horse and burro specialist for the Colorado BLM.
“The economy is the biggest (factor in the decrease); the increase in fuel and hay prices,” Ackley said. “Indirectly, the slaughter ban has put so many more unwanted horses on the market.” Most people who adopt horses are recreational horse riders, he said. Those who take in burros have them as companions or protectors of other pets or livestock. Some people adopt them as guard animals.
 A group of wild mustangs walk along a ridge in the Little Book Cliffs region northeast of Grand Junction last summer. One horse from last weekend’s horse and burro action at the Montrose County Fairgrounds was from this region. (William Woody / Daily Press File) Advertisement |
“People who would (have) normally taken their animals to sale for slaughter now have to figure out something else to do,” he said. Those who may have looked to the BLM to adopt a horse are instead looking at domesticated rescued horses.
Ackley has also observed an increase in the past six months to a year of people turning horses lose.
Animals not adopted are either held at the BLM’s Canyon City facility or shipped to other adoption events in the state. Most animals which weren’t adopted in Montrose are being shipped to a holding facility in Nebraska.
Although euthanization of these animals is something under discussion within the BLM, the only two current options are to adopt them or send them to a long-term holding facility, where they live out the rest of their lives, Ackley explained. These facilities are reserved for animals less adoptable. Transporting the animals around for adoption is extremely costly, he said.
BLM Deputy Director Henri Bisson said Monday there is an overpopulation of wild horses on public lands and the agency can no longer afford to care for the number of mustangs rounded up, the Associated Press reported. Ending roundups and euthanasia are options the BLM is exploring, Bisson said.
Mustangs offered for adoption are from wild herds in Colorado and Wyoming, while burros are from herds in California or Arizona, according to the BLM. The animals come from herd management areas, places where the federal agency has decided to actively manage wild herds, Ackley said. Populations, ranging from 50 to 1,200 heads, are determined by the appropriate management levels or thresholds given areas can support, he said. Once a population reaches these levels, some animals are removed from the herd and put up for adoption. This usually happens every four years, Ackley said.
Bureau mustangs are known for their trainability and unique coloring, which includes gray, buckskin, palomino, appaloosa, roan, and pinto.
All animals are certified healthy, have been de-wormed, vaccinated (including West Nile), and come with a complete set of health care records. The cost to adopt an untrained horse or burro is $125, a saddle-trained mustang is $1,025 and halter-trained mustangs run between $125 to $350, Ackley said.
An extensive post-adoption process is in place to ensure owners provide proper care to adopted animals.
“We physically inspect approximately 75 percent of the animals that are adopted; contact all adoptees within six months after adoption, to make sure everything is okay,” said BLM spokesperson Jaime M. Gardner. “And then either a brand inspector, veterinarian, or BLM employee or volunteer has to inspect each animal one year after the adoption to make sure there is no mistreatment or neglect and to sign over the legal title for the animal.”
Mustangs and burros are well known for their inherent traits of intelligence, loyalty, stamina, sure-footedness, and soundness, the BLM noted.
“Throughout the 37-year BLM Wild Horse and Burro program, adopted mustangs and burros have found their way into the hearts of thousands of recreational riders and show arenas in both Western and English specialties, dressage competition, and endurance rides, as well as ranch work.”
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Adoption requirements:
Adopters must be at least 18 years old, have the ability and financial means to care for a mustang or burro, and have corrals that meet BLM specifications: Fully grown horses must be kept in a corral with a minimum of 400 square feet (20 feet by 20 feet) per animal that is surrounded by a 6-foot pipe or board fence. Five-foot fences are allowed for trained horses and those less than 18 months of age. Four-and-one-half-foot fences are required for all burros. Wire fencing is not allowed because it endangers the animals. Animals cannot be released into large pastures until they can be approached, handled, haltered, and led.
For information on the BLM adoption program, go to: www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/
Contact Lisa Huynh via email at lisah@montrosepress.com
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