News.bytesNews.bytes Extra, issue 403

Mustangs show their stuff at Sacramento event

Visitors to last weekend's National Wild Horse Adoption Day event in Sacramento watched training demonstrations, learned about different bridles, saw how mustangs can help rescue injured people in remote areas, and even watched a mustang do "math" and give a ride to a dog. (text continues below)

A woman leans in to speak to her mustang
Gena Wasley shows the crowd her use of sounds in the training process.

The program Saturday included demonstrations by trainers Deven Childers, who competed in the Extreme Mustang Makeover in Texas and Gena Wasley and Sue Watkins, who competed in the Western States Mustang Challenge in Sacramento. El Dorado County Search and Rescue demonstrated the remote rescue techniques.  Bureau of Land Management Compliance Specialist Jason Williams and volunteer Vanessa Scroggins competed  in several mustang events.

The event was part of the first National Wild Horse Adoption Day in the United States. One horse and one burro were adopted at Sacramento's event.

A rope between two mustangs steadies a rescue stretcher mounted on a car-sized tire
El Dorado County Search and Rescue mounted posse members show how mustangs can be used to transport injured people from remote areas.

A woman stands on her brown horse, facing a man sitting on a white horse
Vanessa Scroggins and Jason Williams and Hanna compete in a battle of the sexes.

A man standing next to a black mustang, holds several different types of bridles
Deven Childers discusses the uses of different bridles.

A saddled mustang scrapes the ground with his hoof as a woman faces him
Jamie Thompson and her mustang do some advanced math calculations.

A mustang stands waiting while a woman talks to the audience about training
Sue Watkins gives a training demo.

A black-and-white dog rides atop a saddle on a white horse
Hanna rides Stinger, Jason Williams' Mustang, out of the arena.

Nearly 33,000 mustangs roam federal lands across the West. In order to manage the herds and maintain both land and herd health, the BLM oversees the adoption of wild horses and burros through public adoptions held throughout the United States. Since 1973, more than 220,000 wild horses and burros have been adopted.
For additional information on the adoption event or wild horse management, contact the BLM toll free at 1-866-4MUSTANGS.   Information is also available online at www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov.

David Christy, BLM Central California District Public Affairs, 10/5/09


BLM-California News.bytes, issue 403