Carson City, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Nevada Department of Agriculture and the Nevada Department of Corrections on Saturday, August 3, hosted the third of four annual saddle-trained horse adoption events at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Gardnerville, Nev.
Eleven wild horses and one wild burro, gathered from herd management areas within administered public lands in Nevada, Idaho, California and Oregon, were saddle-trained for four months by inmate trainers in the NNCC program, and offered during a spirited competitive bid adoption. Successful bidders paid a total of $14,350 for the animals.
All of the 11 offered horses and one burro were adopted after starting bids of $150. The event’s top bid of $2,500 went for a four year old gelding named “Sancho.” The average bidding price for each horse was $1,304.
The successful bidders officially adopted their new horse or burro, and they must show diligent care of each animal for a year before they can apply to the BLM to receive a title of ownership. Since 1973, the BLM has placed more than 230,000 horses and burros into private ownership through the adoption program.
The next saddle-trained horse adoption and competitive auction event will be held at Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City, on October 19, 2013.
More information about these special adoption events is available at: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/
Editors: Higher-resolution pictures available.
