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BLM Wild Horse & Burro Program Adoption Experiences: First responder’s lifelong dream comes true

Sep 18, 2024

Kiauna Curtis is a first-time adopter whose dream since she was a young girl has been to own a Mustang. She achieved that dream in Hot Springs, Arkansas, at the Wild Horse and Burro placement event.

A woman facing away from the camera, standing next to and petting her brown horse inside of an outdoor pen, with pine trees behind them. — Cowboy and Kiauna share a special moment, bonding with each other.

How important was it for you to adopt your first Mustang?

Curtis: I have always felt a tug in my heart and soul for wild Mustangs throughout most of my life. This dream of mine came true thanks to Branded Equine Therapy Services’ program “Operation Branded” in Harrison, Arkansas, which supports veterans and first responders. I am a police dispatcher for the State of Arkansas, which falls under the first responder category. This program helps participants work through the mental, emotional, and physical effects that many types of service/public servant careers can have on individuals by pairing the veteran or first responder with a Mustang adopted through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). By bonding with Mustangs, we learn more about ourselves and the horses we are working with, creating a connection through mutual understanding of overcoming challenges, anxieties, and limitations. I have found my own type of “equine therapy” for the stress, self-doubt, and anxieties I face in both my professional and personal life. I am so thankful to Branded for not only making my biggest dream come true but also for being there for me in every way possible. I truly feel that the tug in my soul for a Mustang has always been because there is a similar part of them within me as well.

How was your experience with the wild horse and burro program?

Curtis: I had a wonderful experience with the Wild Horse and Burro Program (WHB). The program is very straightforward regarding the requirements for adopting wild horses and burros. If there is anything you do not understand, a BLM representative is very quick to respond and explain it to you. I printed and filled out my adoption application, scanned it, and sent it to the BLM via email. It was approved the next day by my area’s BLM representative, and I was ready to attend the adoption event near me to pick out and adopt my Mustang! When I arrived at the adoption event, I was impressed by the program’s organization and the information provided to the public, the great condition and care of the horses, and the personal attention given to each animal.

Kiauna Curtis stands inside of a pen with her adopted BLM Mustang Curtis, touching him for the first time since bringing him home. — Kiauna and Cowboy experience their first touch since returning home.

Was this your first time adopting?

Curtis: This was my very first time adopting and owning a Mustang through the WHB. It is a type of excitement that’s hard to put into words when I walked up to the corrals and saw dozens of horses there for my choosing. It’s an atmosphere that is better experienced than described: the sounds of nickering and hoofbeats, the smell of hay and horses, and the friendly people who will simply walk up to you with a smile and discuss Mustangs as if every person you met was a new friend. While this was my first time adopting through the program, I can already tell it will not be my last!

Did you like the online corral process?

Curtis: The online corral is another great way to experience adopting a wild horse or burro outside of local in-person adoption events. By utilizing the online system, you can see more horses from broader locations, which can be shipped to a facility close to you for pick-up. There are more choices in locations when the Mustangs are from Herd Management Areas, which offer a variety of personalities and temperaments, as well as a broader mix of colors, heights, and ages available during the online adoption event. The online corral differs in that the horses are sold via online auction, meaning they are adopted by the winning bid. The price for each horse may vary, but many people end up getting a great deal on some excellent horses this way and can have a horse transported to their local adoption facility from a location they might not normally be able to consider. It is a different kind of experience with the WHB that I would like to participate in one day!

A woman smiles at the camera as she stands next to her brown horse with white facial markings inside of an outdoor pen — Cowboy proudly wears his first saddle.

How did you hear about the program?

Curtis: I had heard about the WHB by finding the Bureau of Land Management website online and reading all the information they had to offer about it. My own sheer determination to one day own a wild horse is what led me to seek out the answers to my questions. I can happily say that I was provided with all the answers I needed, as I am now the proud owner of a big, beautiful bay Mustang gelding from Nevada!