The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has got a ‘wild’ summer idea for you. Approximately 100 wild horses and burros will be available for adoption at The Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Facility at Cross Plains, Tennessee on May 20-21, 2000. A variety of animals will be available—yearling males, females, geldings, male and female burros.

BLM’s Eastern States Director Gayle Gordon said, “These horses may be a little wild now, but with care and patience, they can excel in a variety of disciplines, from endurance and trail riding to reining and western pleasure.”

Most of these wild horses were gathered from the New Pass-Ravenswood Herd Management (HMA) located approximately 35 miles northwest of Austin, Nevada. The terrain varies from steep north and south trending mountain ranges separated by large, sweeping valley bottoms. Temperatures range from in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer to less than 20 degrees below zero in the winter. Precipitation is in short supply with an annual total of only 5 to 16 inches. The lower and drier elevations consist of saltbrush, greasewood, sagebrush and a variety of annual and perennial grasses and wildflowers. In some areas it may take 25 acres to support one horse for a month. Last August wild fires forced 945 wild horses from this HMA. Many of the animals are being offered for adoption, but some will be held for return to the HMA once it is rehabilitated.

Qualified individuals who agree to give the mustangs good homes can adopt for a starting fee of $125 per animal. This nominal fee helps recover some of the expenses the Federal Government incurs for transportation and veterinary care