BLM’s Little Snake Field Office Prepares for Mustang Adoption

MAYBELL, Colo – The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Little Snake Field Office will host a wild horse and burro adoption Saturday, October 1, 2005, at the Sand Wash Corrals northwest of Maybell, Colo. An open house and registration for the adoption will be held Friday, September 30 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the corrals.

“We will feature a nice selection of about 50 animals including studs, mares, and yearlings recently gathered from the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area near Maybell,” said Fran Ackley, Wild Horse and Burro Program lead for BLM Colorado. “Most animals will be 5 years of age and younger.”

The Sand Wash horses are very popular with adopters from Colorado and neighboring states. These animals are known for their unique colors, large stature and gentle dispositions. Pintos, buckskins, duns, grays, and roans are most common, and the horses typically range in size from 14 to 16 hands at maturity.

Saturday’s adoption begins at 8:00 a.m. with viewing and registration lasting until 10:00 a.m. The event will be conducted as a silent-bid adoption and bidding will begin at 10:00 a.m. The minimal bid for each animal is $125. Loading will begin at approximately 1:00 p.m. Any animals remaining after the adoption will be transported to the Canon City holding facility.

The Sand Wash Corrals are approximately 20 miles northwest of Maybell. To access the corrals, proceed on U.S. Highway 40 to Maybell and turn west on Colorado Highway 318. Go about 19 miles and then turn north on Moffat County road #67, then go about 1.5 miles to the corrals.

For further information regarding the Sand Wash adoption, contact Valerie Martin at 970-826-5011. Interested groups or individuals may also contact the BLM at 1-866-4-MUSTANG. For more information about adopting a wild horse, log on to the BLM website at www.doi.gov/horse.

Federal law authorizes the BLM to remove wild horses and burros from the range to control herd sizes; those animals removed are cared for in holding facilities and thousands are placed into private ownership through adoption each year. The BLM manages wild horses and burros under the authority of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. Since 1973, the BLM’s adoption program has placed more than 203,000 animals into private care.

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