Wild Horse Adoption Heading to McAlester, Hugo and Durant, OK, March 11-20, 2010!

Moore, OK--The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will kick off the Oklahoma Southeastern Circuit on March 11, in McAlester.  The BLM will make three different stops.  The first stop is McAlester at the Lightning C Arena March 11-13.  The next stop is Hugo at the Hugo Rodeo Arena March 15-17.  The last stop is Durant at the Bryan County Fairgrounds March 18-20.  Each event will feature 60 spectacular horses.  The adoption will be first-come-first-served and begin at 2 p.m. on the first day of each adoption. 

Adoption Schedule

McAlester                          Hugo                                 Durant 
3/11 10 a.m.–8 p.m.          3/15 10 a.m.–8 p.m.          3/18 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
3/12 10 a.m. –8 p.m.         3/16 10 a.m.–8 p.m.          3/19 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
3/13 8 a.m.–12 noon         3/17 8 a.m.–12 noon         3/20 8 a.m.–12 noon

Adoption Qualifications 
Application approval is required and can be done on site.  To qualify to adopt, one must be at least 18 years with no record of animal abuse.  Adopters must have at a minimum a 20’x 20’ corral 5-6’ high.  Four horses may be adopted with the required corral for each one.   All horses must be loaded in covered stock-type trailers with swing gates and sturdy walls and floors.  BLM staff will be on hand to assist adopters through the short application process, to answer any questions, and load horses.
 
Adoption Fees
The adoption fee is $125 and $450 for trained horses.  We accept cash, check, and all major credit cards. 
 
$500 Adoption Incentive
The SE Circuit will serve as test sites for a new adoption incentive program in which BLM pays a $500 care and feeding allowance to adopters of horses 4 years and older.  Younger and trained horses are not eligible for this incentive.  The allowance is paid in full after one year when adopters receive official ownership title for their horse(s).  All standard adoption conditions and fees apply.  A limited number of eligible horses will be available at the SE Circuit. 
  
Wild horses – iconic symbols of America’s western heritage – are renowned for their strength, endurance, agility and intelligence, characteristics bred into them in the wild that make them ideal for work or recreation.  Since 1973, the BLM has placed more than 220,000 of these “living legends” in approved homes across the country. The BLM periodically removes excess animals from the range to maintain healthy herds and to protect other rangeland resources.  The adoption program is essential for achieving these important management goals. 
     
For more information, call toll-free 866-4-MUSTANGS (866.468.7826) or visit  www.blm.gov/nm.

Directions
McAlester – Lightning C Arena is located 8 miles east of McAlester on HWY 270.

Hugo – Hugo Rodeo Arena take exit to HWY 70 5th Street and go 5 blocks north to the arena.

Durant – Bryan County Fairgrounds take HWY 70 to Main Street, take a right on 9th Street and go south to the fairgrounds.