EWING, Illinois - The Bureau of Land Management-Eastern States (BLM-ES) Wild Horse and Burro Adoption/Holding Facility in Ewing, Illinois, is offering 25 mare-foal pairs at reduced fees through September.  These colorful pairs can be adopted for $125: $100 for the foal and $25 for the mare in lieu of the standard adoption fee of $125 per animal.  If you would like to adopt at the Ewing, Illinois, Facility, please call 800-370-3936. Applications to adopt must be approved in advance.  The facility is open for visitors Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., and Saturday mornings from 9:00 a.m. - Noon. 

 

The special program is being offered to provide a cost savings to potential adopters and to help place these animals in good private homes instead keeping them in government holding facilities.

 

 “This is your chance to get two unique wild horses and have Americas Living Legacy at your own home,” said Barron Bail, BLM-ES Acting State Director. Some of these animals can trace their roots back to the beginning of the earliest European exploration of what are now the western regions of the United States.

 

Gentled wild horses are noted for their endurance, sure-footedness and intelligence.  

 

“These horses are diamonds in the rough, with excellent legs and hooves, and they have plenty of stamina.  They can be trained to ride or drive and love to work,” said BLM-ES Wild Horse Program Manager Karen Malloy.  “You’ll not only be caring for your own Living Legend, but also helping to save the horses left on the range from over competition for limited food and water,” she said.

 

Photos of wild horses, including these mare-foal pairs and burros are available at www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/ by clicking on the facility photos link, then selecting Ewing.  For more information, directions, and an adoption application, visit www.es.blm.gov/whb/.

 

Directions:   The Ewing, Illinois, Adoption/Holding Facility is located at 22295 Sheep Farm Rd., Ewing, Illinois  62836. From Interstate 57, take Exit 77 East, turn north (left) on State Route 37 and go 1 mile, turn east (right) on Ewing Rd.  Go 5 miles past the town of Ewing, turn north (left) onto Sheep Farm Rd., and go 1-1/2 miles.  The Facility is at the intersection of Sheep Farm Rd. and Bobtail Rd.

 

The BLM manages more land – 258 million surface acres – than any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western States, including Alaska.  The Bureau, with a budget of about $1.8 billion, also administers 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate throughout the nation.  The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.  The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, and cultural resources on the public lands.