Wild horses running on a plain. Words read: Tales from the Trails. Your "mane" source for wild horse and burro stories

The Tales from the Trails blog pulls together wild horse and burro stories from across the Bureau of Land Management. These are stories about our work to manage and protect wild horse and burro herds on public lands, how animals are cared for in our off-range holding facilities and where they end up after they've been adopted to a good home. 

With kindness and patience, a wild horse or burro may be trained for many uses.  Wild horses have become champions in dressage, jumping, barrel racing, endurance riding, and pleasure riding, while burros excel in driving, packing, riding, guarding, and serving as companion animals.  Both wild horses and wild burros are known for their sure-footedness, strength, intelligence, and endurance. Contact the BLM or visit an event or facility near you to learn more about how you can bring home your own wild horse or burro. 

Send us your story!

If you're a proud partner to a wild horse or burro, we want to hear from you! Tell us about your trek "from wild to mild," a competition you won, or just tell us about why you're proud of your wild horse or burro.

Send your written stories and photos to wildhorse@blm.gov with the subject line MY WILD HORSE (or BURRO) STORY. For best results, stories should include your and your horse or burro's name, location (state) and at least one good photograph of the animal, you with the animal, or some other activity you'd like to convey. Please include at least one photograph depicting the freeze mark. Stories should be 300-500 words in length.

Man standing with horse and halter.
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...
Girl riding horse in grassy field.
It wasn't until I adopted my Mustang that I realized I had been missing a part of me for so long. I have owned, loved, and worked with horses since I was 6 years old. After I graduated high school in 2017 and my OHSET career had ended, I wasn't sure where my horse adventures would go from there.
Girl with horses in arena.
Despite resistance from those who warned me against it, I got my first mustang when I was 14 years old. The scrawny little bay gelding may not have seemed like much, but he was mine! #4457 (Malachi) was my first horse and although we definitely have had many ups and downs, struggles and successes and I have made plenty of mistakes with him, I would not change a second of it!
Girl kissing her horse.
I had always wanted to adopt and train a wild horse and a year ago I finally got the chance. It took Remi a long time before he fully trusted me, and we weren’t sure how long it would be until I was going to be able to start riding him.
Horses running in domestic location.
Wild horse and burro adopters and purchasers in northern California will benefit from increased convenience and comfort in the coming months, when a new adoption center and office opens at the Bureau of Land Management Litchfield Wild Horse and Burro Corral near Susanville, Calif.