BLM California News.bytes 
News.bytes Extra, issue 518

Mustangs find new homes at Ferndale adoption event 

The BLM-California wild horse and burro program visited the Victorian Village of Ferndale on Feb. 11, rolling into town with five mustangs and a burro to offer for adoption. The trailers left the Humboldt County Fairgrounds empty, as all offered animals found homes with North Coast families.

three children watch a burro behind a fence
Young visitors to the adoption pens compete for attention of the lone burro awaiting adoption.

North Coast adopters took advantage of the opportunity to show the success they've had with their adopted horses, and brought them to the event.

photos of three adopters with horses
Above, Lauren West shows her mustang, Dixie Running Star, to adoption visitors. Dixie is a 2008 California State gymkhana champion. Top right, Misty Evans shows Cache, her Jackson Mountains, Nev. mustang. Lower right, Melanie Gleno shows Dakota Sioux, a Twin Peaks, Calif. mustang she adopted at the Napa, Calif. adoption event last September.

a woman with her horse
Making a triumphant return to Humboldt Fairgrounds were Blocksburg resident Katherine Coleman and her mustang, Gypsy, adopted last February in Ferndale.

The adoption event was held in conjunction with an annual pack clinic hosted by the Back Country Horsemen of California Redwood Unit. The event included opportunities for equestrians to learn proper packing techniques, Dutch oven cooking and other back country skills.

a man and a woman with two llamas               
Horse packing wasn't the only topic covered in the clinic. Above, Llama owner and trainer Mike Thompson introduces his pack animals to Lynda Roush, manager of the BLM Arcata Field Office. Information on riding opportunities in the King Range National Conservation Area was presented by King Range Outdoor Recreation Planner Justin Robbins, left, and King Range Manager Gary Pritchard-Peterson, bottom photo.
two men laugh in conversation

The weekend event also featured a riding clinic led by noted horse trainer Jerry Tindell. 

a woman leads a horse on a halter
Adopter Misty Evans leads her mustang, Cache, through a ground work exercise in the clinic. Cache was the only mustang in the arena.

- Jeff Fontana, BLM Northern California District public affairs officer (February 15, 2012)

BLM-California News.bytes, issue 518 -- To subscribe to News.bytes, send an e-mail to: mailto:Join-Newsbytes@List.ca.blm.gov OR visit our News.bytes subscription page.