Horses arriving at the Congaree Arena in West Columbia this week
If you have every considered adopting a wild mustang from out West, you will have your chance on February 20-24 when the Bureau of Land Management horse adoption event comes to the South Congaree Arena in West Columbia, S.C. According to Hunter Paffrath, who is the BLM Agency Southeastern states public affairs spokesman, the adoption event will include about 150 wild horses, each of which can be adopted on a first-come, first-served basis for a fee of $125. Gates open at 8 am each day and close at 4:30 pm.
The horses will be coming from a herd management area in a western state, most likely in Nevada, which has the majority of the BLM horses. They will have been rounded up off the range and cared for at a holding site for long enough to make them ready for adoption. This means that they have been fed a diet that gets them to an appropriate weight, and that they have been freeze-branded, vaccinated, dewormed and had their feet trimmed. Every horse also comes with a negative Coggins test.
Don’t be fooled however: these are wild horses. They are not halter broken, and they are essentially unhandled. Some of them may have been in holding for long enough that they are accustomed to humans, and some may be friendly enough to let you give them a scratch. Otherwise, if you want to make them into riding horses or trusted partners, you will have your work cut out for you.
In order to be eligible to adopt a mustang, you have to fill out an adoption application, and you have to fulfill certain requirements. First, applicants must be at least 18 years old. Your facility needs to provide a minimum of 400 square feet of corral space per animal, with access to food, water and shelter. If you are adopting a mature horse, your corral fence must be at least 6 feet high. For a yearling, you need a 5-foot fence and for a burro, a 4½ -foot fence. Preferably, you will pick up your new horse in a stock-type trailer with swing gates and sturdy walls and floors. Two-horse trailers (with the divider removed) are acceptable on a case-by-case basis.
“At our event, we’ll have eight to 10 pens set up, with about a dozen horses in each,” explained Paffrath. Each horse is identified by a numbered collar around its neck. You pick out your horse, submit the application and fee, and then the adoption staff will sort the horse out of the pen and into a squeeze chute.
“A staff member will remove the neck collar we have on, and then if the adopter has brought a halter, we’ll put that on for them,” explained Paffrath. “Then we’ll open up the squeeze chute and put the horse in their trailer, and that’s it. It takes two or three people, but its pretty easy. We’ve got it down to a science.”
Although you can take your horse home for just $125 at the event, the BLM retains the title to the animal for the first year. During that year, representatives from the BLM have the right to come inspect your mustang to ensure it is getting proper care and can confiscate it if it is not. At the end of one year, the BLM will send you a “Title Eligibility Letter.” You can obtain the permanent title to your horse after a visit from an authorized BLM representative, who makes sure that you have taken good care of the animal and have made an effort to gentle and domesticate it. You will then get full ownership of the horse, and may even be awarded $1,000 through the BLM’s adoption incentive program.
Adopting a wild horse is a big commitment, and it is not for everyone. Why do it? For one thing, there are thousands of wild horses in America, and many of them end up living in taxpayer-funded long term holding sites. Getting some of these horses into homes frees up money for the BLM to care for the public lands under its control, which amount to one tenth of all the land in the United States. For another thing, there is something very special about a mustang.
“Mustangs are a living symbol of the American West and our pioneer heritage,” said Paffrath. “They’re a significant part of our nation’s history. A lot of people say that the bond that they develop with a mustang compared to a domestic horse is so different, and that they really are amazing creatures.”
For more information about adopting a wild horse, visit https://www.blm.gov/whb or call 769-366-4821.
