Wild horses, burros available for adoption at Napa Mustang Days
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NAPA, Calif. – Wild horses and burros, including several mustangs trained to saddle, will be available for adoption at Napa Mustang Days, Friday through Sunday, June 15-17, at the Napa Valley Horsemen’s Association Grounds, 1200 Foster Rd., in Napa.
The Bureau of Land Management will offer nine mustang geldings, nine mustang mares, and six burros. These untrained wild horses range in age from two to five years old, and the burros are of all ages. Additionally, the event will offer four saddle-trained mustangs from the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center’s R3C Wild Horse Program in Elk Grove.
“All of these horses are from public rangelands, where we work to manage wild horse and burro populations at levels that the rangeland can sustain,” said Amy Dumas, manager of BLM-California’s wild horse and burro program. “Our partnership with Napa Mustang Days is an important means of finding good homes for these animals.”
Activities get underway at about 3 p.m. Friday, with a preview of untrained horses and burros available for adoption. Event gates open at 8 a.m. Saturday, and an hour of silent competitive bidding for untrained horses and burros begins at 10 a.m. Animals not taken during bidding will be available for $125 on a first-come, first-served basis until 5 p.m. Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
The BLM will offer saddle-trained horses in an auction during the Mustang Days’ Saturday Afternoon Showcase, starting at 1 p.m., in the main arena. Joe Misner, manager of the R3C horse training ranch, will demonstrate the abilities of each inmate-trained horse prior to the auction. Successful adopters can get a head start on their training programs by participating in a post-adoption mini-clinic with Misner later Saturday afternoon.
Mustang Days events include entertainment, food and beverages. The Saturday Afternoon Showcase, a main arena show, will feature the acclaimed mustang trainer Bobby Kerr, the Painted Ladies Rodeo Drill Team and a parade of adopted wild horses, burros and mules.
Horse trainer Lesley Neuman will offer wild horse gentling demonstrations during both days of the event. Wild horse and burro adopters will be strolling the festival grounds with their trained horses and burros, demonstrating the potential of these animals.
Details and an event schedule are available at www.napamustangdays.com.
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.