BLM California News.bytes 
News.bytes Extra, issue 525

Through wind and rain…

Neither howling wind nor driving rain could keep the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program from offering animals for adoption in Red Bluff on Saturday, March 31. The program brought 18 animals to the Tehama County Fairgrounds, and despite stormy weather, adopters provided new homes for five mustangs and a burro.

A man and two youths look through a fence at a black horse.
Visitors admire a young mustang awaiting adoption.

Wranglers from the BLM Litchfield Corrals worked with nine of the animals prior to the event, ensuring they could be handled, haltered and led.

Three images in a diagonal. In the first, a man holds a halter up to the horse. They are both within the corral. In the second, the man places the halter over the horse's head. In the third, he secures the harness.

The adoption event was held in conjunction with the annual Back Country Horsemen of California State Rendezvous, which brings together equestrian and packing enthusiasts from across the state. The BLM Redding Field Office seized on the opportunity to share information about riding opportunities on northstate public lands.

Two BLM employees wearing BLM shirts talk to a crowd of four or five at their "Mule Days" booth.
Eric Coulter of the BLM Redding Field Office and BLM California Wild Horse and Burro Program Manager Amy Dumas greet visitors at the BLM booth.

One man holds a horse with a rope with two other people work to secure a mechanical contraption to the horse's back.
Members of the Forest Service's Region Five Pack Team were on hand to demonstrate various packing techniques. BLM, the National Park Service and the Forest Service partner with the Back Country Horsemen in the Wilderness Rider Program, in which trained stock handlers commit to educating others about wildland values and the importance of gentle use skills.

BLM-California's next wild horse and burro adoption event is Saturday and Sunday, April 21 and 22, at the Santa Clara County Horsemen's Association Arena in San Jose. Mustangs and burros are available for adoption year-round at the BLM corrals in Litchfield and Ridgecrest.

- Jeff Fontana, public affairs officer, BLM Northern California District (April 4, 2012)

BLM-California News.bytes, issue 525 -- To subscribe to News.bytes, send an e-mail to: mailto:Join-Newsbytes@List.ca.blm.gov OR visit our News.bytes subscription page.