BLM Eastern States Wild Horse and Burro Program

Ella and Megan

"When you lose something, you try to find a replacement or a repair. Ella was never my replacement or repair she was my soul coming to greet me again. I came across Ella on the BLM internet adoption website; I looked into her adorable yearling eyes and knew we had to meet. I begged my parents and grandparents for the Palomino Mustang with the neck tag number 9450. I wanted her desperately! She would be my most challenging project, and I hers. March 27, 2012, my 13th birthday; my present was the Palomino Mustang with the neck tag 9450, my Elladora. We picked her up from the Pauls Valley Off Range Corral in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. I spent that summer in Gainesville on my grandparent’s ranch working to get Ella ready for the BLM show later in the fall. We trained for days. I halter broke and desensitized her to everything. The first months are crucial to form a bond; and bond we did. I worked hard and received very little help while training her. She consumed me, and I wanted to be proud of what we accomplished.

I have had Ella for since 2012, and each year we grow and bond more. We are still learning new techniques and experiences daily. Saddle training her was an easy challenge. We had worked the whole year on ground training, and then the day came to put a saddle on. I expected some resistance, maybe a little freak out, all I received from Ella was a perk of the ears forward, and the rest was a piece of cake. Even the first ride went smoothly, except for the fact that Ella is super clumsy and tripped in a deep pocket of sand and we plummeted to the ground. We were okay in the end—just stunned and a little winded. Ella and I gained strength and confidence and grew as one.

Like most of the things in my life, Ella consumed my thoughts. I am always thinking of creative and innovative techniques to teach my horse. By using this mentality we have learned a lot throughout the years. We learned the how to side-pass, complete shoulder turns, as well as how to use pressure points. Having Ella as a constant beginner alongside me, training her has been fun. A key aspect of Ella is that she rarely gets frustrated with me, and she is patient when learning a new skill and reads my body for the proper command.

I adopted an amazing gift from the BLM. All I had to do was go to the online adoption gallery, feel something in my gut, and go for it. It was amazing to immediately feel a bond with her even though I have never even seen or touched her in person. She saved me by giving me a wonderful experience, and I saved her by giving her a purpose. Together we have both grown, and now we are inseparable."

Photo courtesy of Kim Wandell

Idaho Teenager Discovers Special Bond with Her Adopted Mustang

Kilchii and I have come so far since I adopted him. I can't believe how lucky I was to not only find a gorgeous mustang, but one with the best personality ever. He's literally like a dog. From sleeping in my lap, to licking my hands, to chasing me around and neighing to me when I call him. We've bonded so quickly and have become best friends.

I still remember how spooked and frightened he was the first day I got him and I just so badly wanted to gain his trust. The first time I ever worked with him I just sat in the round pen and walked around a bit so he could figure out what I was. Once he started getting curious I began getting closer to him. I was probably in the round pen for a couple hours before I could finally get a lead rope on him. From the moment we touched, I knew he would quickly become my friend. After the first week, every time I came to work with him, he would always come to the gate and wait to greet me.

He was still incredibly hard to train since he was scared and spooked at anything new I showed him. Desensitizing him to saddle blankets was at the top of my list. With plenty of patience and hours of working with him step-by-step he eventually started getting better. His mind set even changed. He now thinks before moving his feet, which was such a big and amazing improvement! He has surprised me so much with how hard he has tried to please me and I am so proud of how he's turned out, especially knowing I'm the only human that has ever worked with him. He knows all the ground work skills and even some riding skills. He's a pro at lunging and tracks up amazingly, he knows flexing of the neck, leg aids, driving and more.

I just love this horse so much and could never give him up. I still can't thank the Extreme Mustang Makeover and BLM enough for the opportunity to train and later adopt such an amazing horse! I'm one proud mustang owner and can't stop bragging about how lucky I am. Mustangs are one of the most fascinating & all-round great breeds I know. I've seen what they can do and I'm just blown away, especially by my Kilchii."

What a wonderful testament to the connection between one of America's mustangs and a horse loving teenager! It is something we never tire of hearing about; the unique bond adopters form with their mustang when they get past the hurdle of the first touch and continue down the training trail as a team.

Courtney Ferguson and Taylor: A Therapy Team

What a time it has been for Taylor and his owner, Courtney Ferguson. Not only has Taylor, an 18-year-old Nevada mustang, competed and placed in dressage, but he's also passed the tough tests for becoming a certified therapy horse for Saddle Pals.

Taylor works with students with challenges such as cerebral palsy, autism and Down Syndrome. He's patient, willing, and helps his students improve their coordination, communication skills and confidence. Students sometimes play basketball from his back. Inevitably the ball rolls down his legs and bounces. Taylor takes it in stride. Some students get excited, and fidget or shout. Again, Taylor stays calm, and simply gets on with his job. Just like the Saddle Pals instructors and volunteers, he knows his primary objective is to keep his students safe while they learn new skills on horseback. When he's not a Saddle Pals horse, Taylor and Courtney take dressage lessons.

They have competed, and placed. More importantly, they got positive, encouraging comments from the judge. According to Courtney, "He's willing to learn, and has a naturally generous nature. His favorite activity is trail riding; he's happy to spend the day exploring and enjoying new trails. Since I've gentled him and we've become a good team, I've met many other mustang owners and I've learned something even more remarkable about this big-hearted horse. What's truly incredible is the fact that, as special as Taylor is to me, he is NOT unusual. If anything, he is TYPICAL of mustangs.”

Taylor is a survivor, a quick learner, and a reliable friend. While Courtney has owned and competed horses most of her life, from quarter horses to Irish Thoroughbreds, she's the most proud of Taylor's sunny nature and his versatility.

Photo courtesy of Blue Fountain Photography

View wild horse and burro adoption success stories on @mypubliclands Flickr.

In addition to off-range corral facility and in-person placement events, BLM Eastern States coordinates the Online Corral, an important national tool for placing wild horses and burros into private care. Animals from western facilities are offered for adoption through multiple week-long auction events throughout the year. Adopters may pick up their animal at locations throughout the eastern United States.  

Visit the Online Corral to get started! 

Do you have questions about the Wild Horse and Burro Program, or would you like to request program data? We recommend first checking our data page, which provides decades of population, adoption, removal and other historical data, as well as our Frequently Asked Questions page.

For additional questions or data requests, please contact the National Information Center prior to submitting a request under the Freedom of Information Act. We strive to provide substantive responses as quickly as possible and reduce the need to submit FOIA requests. FOIA requests undergo a legal process that can be time intensive and costly, which consumes agency resources and funding that otherwise can be used to help fulfill our mission of managing healthy wild horses and burros on healthy public lands.

Finally, please report any suspected inhumane treatment of wild horses and burros to the National Information Center.

Wild Horse and Burro National Information Center
866-4MUSTANGS (866-468-7826)
wildhorse@blm.gov

Contact information for off-range corral facilities can be found on each facility webpage.

Contact your local BLM state, district or field office for specific questions regarding submitting an adoption application, obtaining title and more.

To submit a FOIA request, please visit the BLM's FOIA website.

Photo credit: John Wheland