Free Horse Gentling/Training Sessions Coming to Gilroy

Horse enthusiasts have the opportunity to get free tips and advice about horse gentling and training, during the Bureau of Land Management's wild horse and burro adoption event, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 12 and 13, at Woodmyst Farms, 7560 Crews Rd., in Gilroy.

Lesley Neuman, a trainer from the Placerville area, will share her techniques for training horses without inflicting pain or fear. She will work with wild horses directly from the BLM adoption pens during several sessions throughout Saturday and Sunday.

"The BLM endorses gentling techniques, not horse 'breaking,' for those who adopt wild horses," said BLM Wild Horse and Burro Specialist Mindy Odom. "Lesley will demonstrate techniques that can be used on horses adopted during our event, or on horses already in the corrals at home. These training methods build trust between horses and people."

During the adoption event, which runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, the BLM will offer for adoption 80 wild horses from public land herds in Northeast California and Northwest Nevada. These herd areas are known for producing good-sized wild horses. Additionally, the BLM expects to have 10 burros available for adoption.

Odom said wild horses are known for their strength, endurance and intelligence.

"In fact, horses from the Northern California Twin Peaks Herd Management Area recently won top national honors for their success in endurance rides sanctioned by the American Endurance Ride Conference," she said.

Animals will arrive at the fairgrounds at about 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, for adopter previews.

Adoptions get underway with an hour of silent bidding from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday. After bidding, all horses and burros remaining will be available for a $125 adoption fee.

More information is available by calling toll free, 866-4MUSTANGS, or by visiting the website at