That is truly what a great horse feels like.
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Yes. Adopted mustangs are just that. BLM will pay me 1,000 per Adoption Incentive mustang at the end of one year of them being here and after inspection certification by either a BLM representative or a veterinarian. I’m allowed 4 AI mustangs per year and foolishly i’ve used my four selections in this auction. Foolish because they’re all geldings this time, and i really would rather have mares. I think maybe the January auction will be mares and yearlings. So if i were smart (never claimed i was) i’d not even have looked at these geldings…but alas…
The problem is the cheap price of the sale authority horses. Horses that have either not been adopted for three separate auction events or horses that are over 10. When those horses are big fat 1,200 pounders and sell (immediate title to buyer) for 125.00 that is a lot of enticement for the meat buyers. The BLM isn’t able to stop them either. Pappa and mamma and two adult children and one or two youngsters could all be designated as the buyer and they could come in with a big trailer and load up 20 and head straight to Canada. Don’t know what price per pound is on horse flesh these days, but in just one trailer ride they’d walk away with thousands in their pockets. No waiting a year…while the horses have to eat pasture and lose weight. Just slam-dunk money. When i see those big fat older guys without any bids on them i just know they’ll be roasts in the oven. makes me so sad.
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How many years ago was this instituted, the sales authority rule, where the older and (allegedly) unwanted horses were handed over like this? I can’t recall, but remember it was to silence critics who were clamoring about the govt. “warehousing” mustangs for a rather hefty percentage of the BLM budget. At least I think that’s what happened. At any rate, I agree that it’s become a boon for the knackers.
But since you said estimating the age is often guesswork and inaccurate, who’s determining if a mustang is over 10 yrs.? That seems ripe for some hanky panky.
And what about the handsome, older bay you said was named Waylon? Will he end up in a can?
No kidding!
Every time I check on this thread, I end up perusing all the lovely animals and am always in awe of how unique some of them are:
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/21268817
I’ve never seen a facial marking, with the white extending across the eye and the cheek, like that.
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That is a very interesting marking. I see someone is willing to pay for it to.
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It’s funny to hear you talk about going up against sanctuaries. You ARE a sanctuary. I wonder, if they knew where the horses were destined, would they worry about others and leave you be?
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I feel terrible for all those Colorado mustangs this round. Who is watching over them?
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Great point! If people saw the way her animals are treated and the gorgeous farm… they’d be trying to retire their animals there.
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I am kind of surprised to see which horses have no bids yet, some of them are pretty nice. Plain colors, of course, but looking at this guy’s hind leg, I’d take him in a heartbeat:
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a friendly associate is pulling out all stops for him. (and a couple other colorfuls) She will get them i’m pretty sure. In fact, if she wins, i’ll be seeing them here when she’s on her way home because she’s dropping off a big paint for me that was untamable in her scenario. This will be the second “too wild” horse that’s been given to me. I’m not a paint person, i actually have a prejudice to them, but what the heck. lol
Yeah, i suppose we are sanctuary-esque. But i train them too…so slightly different. They are here because i love to train. Nothing is as fun for me as the incremental tiny little changes as they become softer and more amenable. I’m certain there will be a certain percentage of them that never get tame. But they all let me move freely amongst and through them when they’ve come in to spend the hot summer day in the barn in front of the fans. I walk in and they remain in. Kinda a major thing for an entire herd. The scared ones have learned from the tame ones. herd mentality works in my favor. And for me, that’s enough. To be accepted is enough.
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he’s lovely!!! a tad long, but i’m getting two with backs longer than my ideal. So sorry i even looked!!! lol.
In second peruse of him, i suspect that what is stopping folks, esp the western people, are two things… a) they dislike upheaded horses and b) they are very very suspect of 'heaveline’s. I have never known a horse with asthma (that i know of), and maybe it’s a stabled horse thing because of ventilation??? or dust maybe in western windy dry areas? But, this youngster has that line. One of the ones i’m getting has a verry distinct heaveline. This little guy of yours could very well be a nicely muscled, well conditioned horse …and probably is! But the majority of bidders probably are put-off by that line.
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No one. (but, I’m getting two of them 
)
edit: Ooops!! just checked to be sure. Nope, the two i was thinking of are from a couple different Nevada herds.
It doesn’t look terribly prominent in the chute photo, but I could see that might deter some people. Wouldn’t stop me personally, those horses are pretty jacked up running around like that.
Since I’m feeling enabler-y, here’s a few others with no bids that I’d certainly take home - apologies if any of them have been posted before:
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/17893496 - I like the freedom and the articulation this one shows
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/17893848 - cute chunky pony, not a huge mover but I still like him. Bonus chrome and a blue eye!
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/20894106 - this one’s movement reminds me of my feral 2yo - it’s a bit saddlebred/standardbred-y but I think it has good potential in the right hands.
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/20894129 - similar hind leg to the first one I posted, I like the reach under. And I love redheads.
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/20894221 - similar movement as 4106, I think this one could be developed into something really nice.
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/17894766 - wowza.
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/16894927 - Something about this one just strikes me. Can’t put my finger on it.
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/19894953 - not gonna lie, this one suckered me with his red teddy bear head and ears.
I didn’t go through every single one with zero bids, just the first 15 pages or so. And disclaimer, I only looked at the videos, didn’t check pics for club feet or other obvious defects. I like to collect the rejects of the world, so no surprise I went looking at the ones with little interest 
Perhaps next year I will have my mustang pen set up, IF I don’t manage to collect a few more auction ponies first.
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omg…you’re like a horror movie come-to-life! I don’t wanna look but i can’t NOT…LOL
FYI, it’s pretty easy setting up for them. All it takes is will and imagination and sweat. Not necessarily money.
I am an expert at spending other people’s money on horseflesh. LOL plus today’s weather is nothing but rain and thunderstorms, so I’m stuck in the house with nothing left but domestic chores to do.
The company I buy my stall setups from actually sells heavy duty mustang-ready panels and stalls (free-standing, think mare motel style) but they are a bit spendy. Since we just moved halfway across the country, I have zero extra stuff lying around to make anything out of.
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Isn’t he so cute? 
With big socks too and one of the better movers/conformation I’ve seen. Who wants this one so I can live vicariously through you?
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I’d take him 
but I don’t have an application approved or a proper pen set up. The LA pickup site is only 4 hours away, I already have a small redhead with 1.5 whites and a small redhead with 2 whites, so naturally I need one with 3 and one with 4 to complete the collection! The irony is that I’m 5’7" and I seem to be collecting 14-ish hand ponies.
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He’s adorable! And such a happy little monkey…look at his uppy tail 
Oh no no no not quite!!! You don’t get off that easy! You need 2.5 THEN 3, then 3.5 THEN 4! You seriously should get set up. …next online auction is in January 
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Don’t forget 1 white, a half and none! 
January is a bit close, especially if I’m still paying $700+ a ton for alfalfa, but maybe next summer-ish if it’s a good hay year.
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