CUCF schedules wild horse, burro adoptions
Central Utah Correctional Facility, Gunnison, will hold the first-of-five Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wild horse and burro adoptions Tuesday, May 6, with gates open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Auctions will be held on the first Tuesday of each month.
The sale offers halter and saddle started horses. Halter horses are first-come, first-served and an adopt-a-buddy horse for a small additional fee with the purchase of a full fee horse. Saddle started horses are available using silent bid with a set opening bid.
Correction officers search all vehicles and property as a condition of entering and exiting the facility to ensure everyone’s safety and to look for items that are not allowed into the prison.
Some items such as tobacco and pepper spray, which are not illegal, are considered contraband inside the facility. Other items not allowed include, but are not limited to, alcohol, explosive items, poisons, weapons, dogs and controlled substances. Each individual over age 16 is asked to provide photo identification, either a driver’s license or other state ID card.
Central Utah Correction Facility is located one-quarter mile east of Gunnison on U.S. Highway 89.
A Rewarding Experience
BLM uses its Adoption Program as the primary tool to place wild horses and burros into private care. The horses and burros available for adoption come from overpopulated Herd Management Areas where vegetation and water could become scarce if too many animals, including wildlife and livestock, use the area.
Many people have found it personally challenging and rewarding to adopt a wild horse or burro. Additionally, it is a chance to care for, and then own, a part of America’s heritage. The BLM has placed more than 230,000 wild horses and burros into private care since 1971. Many of those animals have become excellent pleasure, show, or work horses.
After properly caring for an animal for one year, an adopter is eligible to receive title, or ownership, from the federal government.
A list of common questions and answers related to adoptions is available at the How to Adopt page. Adopters often have questions about caring for their wild horse or burro. Contact a local farrier, veterinarian, or horse trainer for more information. The Mustang Heritage Foundation’s Trainer Incentive Program (TIP) is an additional resource for finding horse trainers.
If people can’t adopt but still want to help, they can volunteer, serve on advisory committees, or donate funds to assist wild horses and burros.