Contact: David Boyd, Public Affairs Specialist, 970-947-2832
                Denise Adamic, Public Affairs Specialist, 303-239-3671 
  
Oct. 20, 2008

Sand Wash mustangs available for adoption Saturday

CRAIG, Colo.— The Bureau of Land Management will offer 20 wild horses gathered this week from the Sand Wash Basin at an adoption this Saturday at the Moffat County Fairgrounds.

The Sand Wash horses are popular with adopters from Colorado and neighboring states. The horses are known for unique colors, large stature and gentle dispositions. Herd colors range from unusual pintos to red roan, flaxen-maned sorrel, and unique greys, as well as the more traditional colors of bay and sorrel. Average horse size is 15 hands high, average weight 900 to 1,100 pounds.

Viewing and registration will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday and from 8-10 a.m. on Saturday at the Moffat County Fairgrounds. The silent-bid adoption will occur from 10-11 a.m. Saturday. The minimum adoption fee for most animals is $125. Wild horses not adopted during the silent bidding will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Adopters must be at least 18 years old, have the ability and financial means to care for a mustang, and have corrals that meet BLM specifications, available at http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/wild_horse_and_burro.html

More than 235,000 wild horses and burros have been adopted through the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program since 1971. These horses and burros have excelled in a wide variety of uses including recreational and endurance riding, ranch work, and show competitions.

BLM periodically gathers wild horses throughout the West to help keep their populations within appropriate levels. Wild horses have few natural predators, and their populations can double within four years.

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