Wild horses have a new ally in the Bureau of Land Management.
In 2018, Congress sent excess wild horses and burros removed from public lands to become work animals for government agencies on every level. In Wyoming, this means that they end up at the Wyoming Honor Farm near Riverton. Here the horses are trained for whatever tasks they will face. The BLM has partnered with the Honor Farm to train and place wild horses for 32 years. Encouraging the transfer of wild horses to other federal agencies is another strategy of the BLM’s commitment to place horses removed from the range.
In a recent press release, officers from the US Forest Service’s Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in western Montana were looking into horses for the USFS mounted patrol program. She was reluctant to consider wild horses until she observed the training undertaken at the Wyoming Honor Farm and saw how successfully wild horses were adapting to their new roles. Now, the horses they’ve received have the temperament and sure-footing that have made them exceptional assets to the mounted patrol program.
So why all the sentimentality? Well, don’t jump to conclusions on the temperament of wild horses. Especially since the next public adoption at the Wyoming Honor Farm will be May 16. Some of these horses may have come from the Fifteemile Wild Horse Roundup in southeastern Park County last year.
You might find just the pony you’re looking for.
