Wyoming State Office
| Contacts: | Tyson Finnicum | |||
| 307-775-6045 |
Mustangs Adopted at Cheyenne Frontier Days
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) successfully adopted out two wild horses at Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD).
Annually, halter-started horses are available for viewing and adoption via silent bid during CFD.
Award-winning Austrian film producer Erich Pröll submitted a successful bid of $750 for one filly, a grulla gathered from the Little Colorado Herd Management Area (HMA) north of Rock Springs, Wyo. This adoption marks Pröll’s fifth BLM Wyoming mustang, three of which have already made the flight to Austria.
Pröll must keep adopted horses in Wyoming for a year in order to gain the title to the animal. After obtaining the title, the mustangs are shipped back to Europe by plane.
According to Pröll, American mustangs will be considered an exotic novelty in Europe, invoking images of cowboys and the West.
The other mustang, a dun from the Antelope Hills HMA near Lander, went for $300 to a couple from Colorado.
“CFD is an awesome event for BLM and the horses we host,” BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program Lead June Wendlandt said. “Not only do folks from all over the world interact with us, but the horses as well. After nine to ten days of crowds and the noise, the horses are pretty gentle and ready to go on to the next level of training.”
For those interested in adopting a mustang, there will be several other events this summer and fall. Several saddle and halter-started horses will be available for adoption Aug. 17-18, at the state fair in Douglas, and Aug. 24-25 at the Wyoming Honor Farm in Riverton.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. 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, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Wyoming State Office 5353 Yellowstone Road Cheyenne, WY 82009