My Wild Horse Story: Smoot Family

Brad and Kelly Smoot live near Arco, Idaho and have been considering adopting a wild horse for a while. When they heard about the Adoption Incentive Program, they decided that now was just as good a time as any! This is the first time the family has adopted a wild horse, well -- make that eight wild horses!  They started their herd by adopting two weanlings and two 2-year-olds. The initial experience with Ruby Kyle, a Wrangler at the Boise Wild Horse Off-Range Corrals was so positive, that when she called to let them know about some nice  mares that were available – they made the trip to Boise and adopted three more horses. Then to cap off their growing collection, they adopted a pregnant mare during the wild horse adoption held in Challis, Idaho the winter of 2020.

Having grown up with Quarter horses and Tennessee Walkers, Brad knew he wanted his family to enjoy experiencing life with horses.

“Together my wife and I have eight children and we enjoy getting into the back country and trail riding,” said Brad. “These horses have been relatively easy to start – I really do prefer working with horses that do not have any developed or spoiled habits. My 15 year-old daughter has already been riding one of the horses.”

In case you were wondering, the Smoot’s herd grew by one last week when a nice bay colt was born!

More than 6,000 animals were adopted through the Adoption Incentive Program during its first 12 months