Come out and watch the wild horses and burros arrive on Friday afternoon, June 15, at the Napa Valley Horsemen's Association at 1200 Foster Road in Napa. It's always exciting to see them come down the ramp and settle into their adoption pens.
The BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program began in 1971 with the passing of Public Law 92-195, the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Protection Act. The law provides federal protection for all wild horses or burros living within the boundaries of public lands in 11 western states.
However, horses are very good at reproducing, and they have few predators or other natural controls on population growth. So in order to keep horses populations in balance with their resources, the BLM periodically gathers excess horses, and the young healthy ones are offered to the public for adoption.
The horses and burros for this year's adoption will come from recent gathers in Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming, and currently being cared for at the BLM Wild Horse & Burro Corrals in Litchfield, California. Napa Mustang Days features daily demonstrations by an outstanding wild horse trainer, Lesley Neuman of Lostine, Oregon. Many adopters find that earning a wild horse or burro's trust is an exciting and meaningful experience. Lesley's appearance is sponsored by the Litchfield BLM facility.
(And if you prefer a mustang that is already trained to ride, see below)
R3C Saddle-Trained Horse Adoption
We are very pleased to welcome back the R3C Wild Horse Program of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office at Rio Consumes Correctional Center in Elk Grove, California. This wonderful program rehabilitates inmates through teaching them to gentle and train wild horses (mustangs). Gentling horses, it turns out, gentles people.
Program Director, Joe Misner, and other personnel from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, will bring 4 or 5 saddle trained horses for adoption. At the conclusion of the Saturday Afternoon Showcase, Mr. Misner will conduct a special mini-clinic for the the saddle horse adopters, to help get everyone off to a great start! The public is invited to watch.
The R3C horses have been doing very well for their new adopters. Local adopter, Betsy Tamblyn, adopted Sierra at the 2015 Napa Mustang Days, and the pair have won multiple awards at open horse shows and trail contests.
