Adopt a wild horse or burro—May 18 at the Wyoming Honor Farm
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RIVERTON, Wyo. – The Bureau of Land Management and the Wyoming Honor Farm will partner May 17–18 in Riverton for an adoption of gentled wild horses and burros. For more than 30 years, the Honor Farm has shared the BLM’s commitment to place excess wild horses and burros into private care in order to maintain healthy animals on healthy, productive public rangelands.
“May is a great time to adopt a gentled wild horse, with the whole summer still ahead for continued training,” said Scott Fluer, BLM program specialist for the Wyoming Honor Farm.
Approximately 28 saddle-trained horses, 16 gentled burros and several halter-trained horses will be offered for adoption. Photos of many of the available animals can be seen by following BLMWyoming on Facebook or Twitter. The horses to be offered were all gathered from Wyoming public lands.
On May 18, gates open at 8 a.m. and the competitive-bid adoption begins at 10:30 a.m. Preview the horses and burros in advance from 1-3:30 p.m. on May 17, including a training demonstration by the Honor Farm at 1:30 p.m. Both days’ events are free and open to anyone interested in wild horses, the Honor Farm gentling process and the BLM wild horse and burro adoption program.
The BLM will provide applications and information about how to adopt on both May 17 and 18. The horses and burros are current on their vaccinations, de-worming and Coggins testing. Only covered stock or slant load style trailers are authorized for loading. Two-horse trailers are not allowed unless they are a stock or slant type, with no internal dividers.
The Wyoming Department of Corrections has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the nation, in large part due to the meaningful work accomplished by the Honor Farm inmates, including the gentling of wild horses. The gentling program provides inmate trainers the opportunity to work together as a team and, through this team, learn to respect the opinions and goals of others.
Lunch concessions will be available at the adoption. The Wyoming Honor Farm is located one mile north of Riverton. Take U.S. Highway 26 to Honor Farm Road.
Please remember that firearms, alcohol, drugs and dogs are not allowed onsite at any time. Cell phones, smart watches, cameras, video equipment and tobacco products must be kept locked in one's vehicle while onsite. In order to maintain a positive environment for visitors, a reasonable clothing standard must be adhered to. Shorts and form-fitting clothing are prohibited.
The next wild horse adoption in Wyoming will take place May 31–June 1 at the Wind River Wild Horse Ranch in Lander. To learn more about the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program and adopting a Wyoming wild horse, visit BLM.GOV/WHB or contact the national information center at 866-468-7826 or wildhorse@blm.gov.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.