Federal Government Offers Wild Horses, Burros for Adoption Tomorrow

Due to overpopulation, there are more wild horses in captivity in the United States than there are running wild. The federal Bureau of Land Management is hoping to unload horses and burros and will offer them for adoption tomorrow at the Gatewood Arena in Dry Ridge.There will be about 30 animals available for adoption—several burros, mares, geldings and yearlings. The animals are wild, and were taken from herds that roam ten western states.Wild horses and burros are protected in America, but the herds are growing out of control. To avoid environmental destruction, the federal Bureau of Land Management routinely moves the animals to holding facilities to await adoption. The wild horses and burros in these facilities—41,000—now outnumber the more than 38,000 roaming wild.Tom Gorey is a spokesman for the Bureau of Land Management.“To protect the resources on the land, including wildlife habitat we need to round up several thousand every year,” he said. “And unfortunately, the public demand for wild horses and burros has declined.”Gorey says though the animals are wild, they can be trained.“People who adopt a mustang generally have a very good experience. They recognize that the horse is intelligent, sure-footed and has good endurance capacities,” he said.Prospective owners need to have an appropriate place to keep a horse, and demonstrate knowledge of the time and money needed to care for the animal. The animals aren’t domesticated, so prospective owners also need to realize the work associated with training a horse. The adoption fee is $125.The animals can be previewed today from 2 to 7 pm. The adoption is first come, first served on Saturday.