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| Roping the wind (Fall 2006) |
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Roping the wind - Adopting a wild mustang brings two worlds together
By Steve Werblow
Mustangs are the very embodiment of the West that’s still wild, the freedom of hooves on the high desert and wind in a flowing mane. More than 27,000 mustangs still roam in herds across 10 western states. Some herds are direct descendants of horses stolen from the Spanish conquistadors. Others trace back to freed cavalry mounts, or old workhorses.
Whatever their heritage, mustangs are proud. Strong. Savvy. Sure-footed. And their loyalty is matched only by the devotion of the horse lovers who wouldn’t trade their wild mustangs for the finest domesticated mount.
“Because they’re wild, they’re looking for someone to bond with,” says Lisa Penter of Philomath, Ore., owner of five mustangs that her family rides on long trail camping expeditions. “You’re their herd. Once you gain their trust, they just melt. And it’s a mutual bond. They’re your best friend. It’s really special.” Penter’s cousin, fellow trail rider Tricia Irwin of Canby, Ore., adds, “When you fall off in the wilderness, they’re the horses that aren’t going to leave you behind.”
Adopt a mustang
Penter and Irwin were watching a pair of mustangs board Irwin’s horse trailer at a wild horse adoption event in Canby, Ore., organized by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Each year, BLM range managers round up wild horses and pull some of the animals out of the herds in order to keep populations in step with the land’s capacity to sustain them. Mustang herds grow an average of 20 to 25 percent annually, fast enough to double in size in just four to five years. Rather than let nature take its course and letting thousands of animals succumb to starvation or disease in boom and bust cycles, BLM carefully selects a balance of lead mares, dominant stallions, experienced horses, and youngsters to maintain healthy dynamics in the wild herds. About 6,000 of the rest - most one to five years old - are vaccinated and put up for adoption each year.
“What we’re looking for is an opportunity for the horse, and to supply a good horse to the public,” says Gary McFadden, who manages Oregon’s herds from the BLM’s office in Burns, Ore. “We’re not trying to get rid of horses. We’re trying to get horses into good homes. We want people to be successful.”To help ensure success, BLM puts on training demonstrations and offers horse-choosing advice at adoption events, and even presents post-adoption clinics in some areas.
Strict requirements
Another safeguard to protect adopted mustangs is a series of strict requirements for prospective adopters. Would-be owners must apply to bid, and show photos of their horse facilities. McFadden and his team look for a corral of 400 square feet per horse, sturdy 6-foot-high pipe-rail corrals, adequate shelter, and a good supply of feed and water. Even successful bidders must wait a year for title - time enough for BLM to ensure that the horse is being treated humanely.
Horses adopted at the Canby event went for about $175, close to the national average. Twenty-two horses went to new homes; nine others headed for other adoption events around the country, or online adoption at www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov. The Web site features a busy calendar of adoption events, which span the map from Eureka, Calif., to Ithaca, N.Y., and Minot, N.D., to Decatur, Ala. The site also includes details on each herd, bidder applications, and adoption rules. There’s a plug for BLM’s wild horse and burro hotline, (866) 4MUSTANGS, and even a list of prisons whose inmates will gentle mustangs for adopters.
Money and time
McFadden is quick to caution prospective adopters to look beyond the bargain price for mustang adoptions. Make sure you have the money, and the time, it takes to gentle your horse and bond with it. “It doesn’t matter what you pay for a horse - $125 or $10,000,” he notes. “It’s going to take $750 to $1,000 a year to take care of the horse. If you buy a 12-year-old broke horse for $4,000 or a yearling for $200 that you won’t ride for two or three years, monetarily you’re in about the same place. But you can’t learn psychology with a domestic horse that’s been trained by someone else, because you don’t know how it got there.” The training process starts immediately, for the horse’s sake. “Your job is to get it as gentle as you can as quick as you can,” says McFadden. “If you can’t touch the animal, the vet can’t work on him.”
That’s where the bond starts, he adds. “It’s usually a learning process for our adopters. It forces them to think about horse psychology and body language. It brings together all of the things about being with a horse.”
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