News.bytes Extra, issue 428
Young trainers show off efforts at San Jose adoption
Four of the mustangs who found new homes at BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption Saturday in San Jose had been gentled for five weeks by young equestrians. Nine horses and one burro were adopted, including the four halter projects trained in San Martin. (text continues below)
Trainers show how a mustang learned to walk on a tarp during five weeks of training.
Riding instructor Karen Topping said three of the riders who are receiving lessons – Nicole Callinan, Lindsay Ravel and Ashley Vargas – suggested training mustangs. They picked the horses up at the BLM's Litchfield corrals two months before the adoption, but only had about five weeks to work with the horses due to wet weather. Topping developed a list of 32 tasks for the mustangs, including walking on a ramp, walking on a tarp and loading and unloading from a trailer.
Four more mustangs are being trained by the group for a future adoption.
The next adoptions will be:
- This weekend, April 24, at the Sundance Ranch in Redlands.
- On Saturday and Sunday, May 1 and 2 at the Livermore Rodeo Grounds, Robertson Park, 3500 Robertson Park Road, Livermore, in conjunction with the California State Horseman’s Spring Stampede. The BLM will offer 30 horses, mostly yearlings, and 10 burros for public adoption. Anyone interested can preview the animals when they arrive at about 3 p.m. on Friday, April 30.
The event gates will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Adoptions begin with silent bidding from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Tango and his friends, Nicole Callinan, Lindsay Ravel and Hannah Spodick, take a break during the adoption.
BLM Wrangler Galen Taylor gives a gentling demonstration.
Kelly Mahoney adds some bling to a mustang's number.
Mustang lovers check out the halter projects at the San Jose adoption.
- David Christy, BLM Central California District, 4/19/10 - photos by David Christy
BLM-California News.bytes, issue 428
 |