RIVERTON– The Bureau of Land Management and the Wyoming Honor Farm will partner September 13–14 in Riverton for an adoption of gentled wild horses and burros. For more than 30 years, the Honor Farm has shared the BLM’s commitment to place excess wild horses and burros into private care in order to maintain healthy animals on healthy, productive public rangelands.
According to Scott Fluer, BLM program specialist for the Wyoming Honor Farm, the shared commitment is a success story for both the BLM and the Honor Farm. “Adoptions help the BLM manage wild horse populations on public lands and inmates who are released after working in this program have a greater chance to succeed in the outside world,” said Fluer.
Up to 50 saddle-started horses, halter-started yearlings and gentled burros will be offered for adoption. Photos of many of the available animals can be seen by following BLMWyoming on Facebook or Twitter. The horses to be offered were all gathered from Wyoming public lands.
On September 14, gates open at 8 am and the competitive-bid adoption begins at 10:30 am. Preview the horses and burros in advance from 1-3:30 pm on September 13, including a training demonstration by the Honor Farm at 1:30 p.m. Both days’ events are free and open to anyone interested in wild horses, the Honor Farm gentling process and the BLM wild horse and burro adoption program.
The BLM will provide applications and information about how to adopt on both September 13 and 14. The horses and burros are current on their vaccinations, de-worming and Coggins testing. Only covered stock or slant load style trailers are authorized for loading. Two-horse trailers are not allowed unless they are a stock or slant type, with no internal dividers.
The Wyoming Department of Corrections has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the nation, in large part due to the meaningful work accomplished by the Honor Farm inmates, including the gentling of wild horses. The gentling program provides inmate trainers the opportunity to work together as a team and, through this team, learn to respect the opinions and goals of others.
Lunch concessions will be available at the adoption. The Wyoming Honor Farm is located one mile north of Riverton. Take U.S. Highway 26 to Honor Farm Road.
Please remember that firearms, alcohol, drugs and dogs are not allowed onsite at any time. Cell phones, smart watches, cameras, video equipment and tobacco products must be kept locked in one’s vehicle while onsite. In order to maintain a positive environment for visitors, a reasonable clothing standard must be adhered to. Shorts and form-fitting clothing are prohibited.
The next wild horse and burro adoptions in Wyoming will take place September 20–21 at the Wind River Wild Horse Ranch in Lander and September 27–28 at the Deerwood Ranch near Laramie. To learn more about the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program and adopting a Wyoming wild horse, visit BLM.GOV/WHB or contact the national information center at 866-468-7826 or wildhorse@blm.gov.