Is wild horse or burro adoption for you?
Is now the time?
For most prospective horse owners, adoption of a wild equine is not a serious consideration. Despite the low cost of adoption, people avoid wild horses because photographs of wild horses fighting, galloping show them only when doing things we do not want in our barnyards. Few people want to take on or handle a horse that they believe to be violent and dangerous.
The NMMBA invites you to reconsider the mustang; to get new, more balanced perspective and help wild horses by sharing whenever possible, the rest-of-the-story – the gentle story - about wild horses.
A Message from NMMBA President: Is Now the Time?
If you are nervous about the idea of adopting a wild horse, it is OK! You are not alone, given the photos of hyperactive horses that we are bombarded with. In the past few months, I have learned that staying clear of wild horses, fearing that I could not handle the dangerous behavior that I expected, is a very typical response to wild horses.
When I tell my friends, all experienced horse people, that I have brought home three wild horses, they respond in shock. They have believed, as I did, the images of wild horses fighting, galloping at full speed, and other imagery of behaviors that are not welcome or helpful in domestication.
I have also learned that wild horses have more to fear from us than we from them. If we plan appropriately, it can be a wonderfully rewarding, safe experience. In fact, the horses that I have adopted are really no different from domestic horses: they each have personalities, different levels of learning and generally act like any other horse. They have confidence and fears, sweet and goofy moments. After their initial terror of having their lives end in a violent way fades, they are just horses which need to learn how to engage in a totally different world.
My domestic horses have been wonderful allies in transitioning wild horses into our lives. They have been patient, tolerant and wise. They have stopped their usual goofy-rough play and are consciously engaged in offering a wonderful example of the behavior that we need in our confined area.
To learn more about our experiences with the process of adopting and transitioning wild horses, go to www.shakingwindranch.com and click on education and training.
At the Colorado Canon City facility, where I adopted two of the BLM horses, I also purchased an older “sale horse”. The Canon City Colorado BLM staff was very helpful even in a miserably nasty day due to a late spring snowstorm. Because there were very few visitors that day, I had the extraordinary experience of walking through herds of horses. I immediately had a new perspective about wild horses and became enthused about adding mustangs to our domestic “herd”.
It was a life changing experience and I want to share my enthusiasm for wild horses with other equine lovers.
Alicia Nation,
President NMMBA