The BLM is paying adopters $1000 to take a horse off it’s hands, $500 now, $500 in a year as they transfer title to them, up to 4 horses per person:
https://www.cbs.com/shows/cbs_this_m…t-wild-horses/
Nicely put together story that may get some more people interested in looking at some of those horses.
I think there was a thread on this not long ago (not specifically the CBS program - but the BLM offering $1,000 per horse), and if I remember correctly, it devolved into a big debate/argument over the validity of the wild horse.
(Edited) Found it.
https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/off-course/10357909-adoption-incentive-program-1-000-to-anyone-who-adopts-a-wild-horse-or-burro-from-blm
Unless someone wants to show in some specific breed, or compete in something specialized and against horses bred just for that, like racing or cutting, for most else anyone wants to do with their horses, feral or any other grade horse will suit just fine.
Ride TV a few days ago had the Mustang Makeover best ten competition.
Trainers take a feral horse and in 120 days train them best they may and come show what they can do.
It was impressive what those trainers had accomplished.
Then, they had some cattle to work and none of those horses was really that interested in their cattle, showing that cutting bred does matter, when it comes to real cutting instinct.
Now, many feral horses can be cutting bred somewhere back there, so the rare one, like our own, can turn to be an ace at cutting or any other specialty, but in general, they are not bred for any one purpose, random bred as they are, so we have to work with what each individual brings to the table, with a much larger variation what that may be than in purposely bred domesticated horses.
Once you take that into consideration, you have your validity.
You make it work with what you have in each individual.
I know several people that do a lot of the makeovers, and yeah, while their mustangs will generally try to track a cow, they are mostly listening to the rider and not really following or working the cow. Big difference from being on a horse with that ingrained cow sense tracking a cow.
I had a friend on another board who had fun teaching her anglo-arab mare to cut cows but it was never quite right. Then she started a filly who had the proper breeding and after several years of meticulous training, it was “katie bar the door.” No comparison.
This is yet another scheme to rescue the Government from the consequences of the 1972 Act that made them the largest horse owner in the world with few options to deal with the issue. They could not sell these creatures @ $125/head so now they will give them way with $1000 to boot! What could POSSIBLY go wrong with this program?!?!?! 
:eek:
Children, the Law of Supply and Demand is inexorable. There is NO demand for these horses, the supply is huge (and growing) and I wonder just how many they’ve actually moved under this banner?
The actual answer is very clear and very politically incorrect and very unlikely to happen. So this beat will go on.
G.
So does anyone know - how do they prevent unscrupulous people from taking the government’s money for the horse and then selling it for slaughter?
I think it would be a good thing for the trainers who routinely participate in the makeovers and then resell the horse to somebody else to enjoy. There are mustang only shows with points toward year-end awards, and these can only help these horses find a niche–somewhat like the situation the OTTB was in several years ago. After all the bad press the mustang has had through the years, I am constantly surprised at what nice looking animals they really are after they’ve had some good food and training. Definitely not a throwaway horse at all.
I own one, not BLM but Navajo. As I am not set-up for, nor do I have the time for taking one in right out of holding, I went through a TIP trainer for mine and of course, paid more. With the restriction of trailers and facility for gentling one, it would make more sense to process the horses through TIP Trainers. At least that way, the horses have some basic training on them. I see a lot of ads for Mustangs who were adopted, then never much done with them and looking to be rehomed. If you don’t have the time and the facilities, it can be a big job. Some horses are harder nuts to crack too and not for the average owner to contend with. They do seem to really bond with their “person” and look to them as herd leader which I have to admit is very cool.
Honestly, I embraced the slogan that if every horse owner would take just one, that would go a long way towards alleviating the problem. But then I take in stray cats too…
I don’t have all the answers either. It’s quite a problem with an estimated 40k in holding. Of course, if this were Australia, they would just shoot the excess numbers and be done with it. Cringeworthy I know but I can’t help but wonder if that’s not better than a long slow trip to the slaughter house, or life spent confined in holding pens.
They don’t. They let people “adopt” large groups of horses and after a certain period of time, they are theirs (the adopters) and they can do what they like - including shipping them to slaughter.
And @Bluey - you would have liked my mustang mare. She loved to “play” with the other horses. That for her meant herding them all into corners or cutting out the one she either liked or disliked and moving it wherever she wanted to. I had a cowboy watching her once and he was amazed. Said that she was a natural cutter. She had all the moves, too. Wish now I could have done something like that with her.
Yes, our own nondescript feral gelding was an ace at cutting, part draft horse looking, big platter feet and all, he could move like a cat and mostly didn’t have to, cattle looked at him and said “yes, sir” and marched where and how told.
Amazing is the word.
Once we had 500+ little heifers and 232 big steers get mixed on wheat pasture.
In about 30 minutes, he had all the steers pushed out of there thru the gate back in their own pasture, no hair ruffled in any of them.
One steer changed it’s mind, wanted back to the heifers.
Horse cut him, lifting his feet up just enough to clear the salt blocks in the way, where the steer decided maybe he meant it and went looking for the gate in a hurry.
There just are not many like your mare and our gelding in most of those.
In the article it said one person could only claim upon to 4 horses under that program, so $4000.
I had a 16.3hh tb I trained dressage, but each morning someones else’s beast would be in with ours. We would chase it. Our cattle learnt that we were not after them and would not get up. We chased until it went back through a fence. Every morning.
Later with me on him and on a loose rein he brought up a cow and 3 day old calf. He would halt and canter sideways one way to bring her back to the fence and halt and canter sideways the other way to stop them going the wrong way down the fence.
The only time ever a cow and 3 day old calf has been put in the yards without bringing the whole herd up and the only time I have ever cut someone out of the herd and brought them up and I didn’t even do anything but sit there.
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