Bureau of Land Management to auction 40 wild mustangs, burros for adoption at Sonoma County Fairgrounds on Saturday
Source: The Press Democrat
May 01, 2008

Breathing a whisper of the Old West into Wine Country, a herd of 40 mustangs and burros culled from high desert lands in Nevada and northeast California is headed to Sonoma County this weekend for public adoption.

The first such occasion in 11 years, Saturday's adoption auction at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds is one in a series held annually to find homes for creatures protected under federal law as "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West."

The Bureau of Land Management acquires the animals through periodic roundups in 10 Western states where about 29,000 burros and wild horses run free, BLM representatives said.

Tasked with managing their rangelands in balance with livestock, the BLM sets target populations for each herd, then culls what's necessary using helicopters to drive the desired numbers into pens for transport and adoption, spokesman Jeff Fontana said.

The herds otherwise double about every four years and can overrun available water and food, the BLM said.

Horse lovers say the roundups bring a prime opportunity to acquire animals known for their sound physical constitutions, intelligence and profound loyalty.

"A lot of horse people are very breed-centric. A lot of people look down at 'these mongrels,' " said Sebastopol horsewoman Kathy Sparling, who owns seven mustangs and boards several others on her ranch near Sebastopol.

"And yet I think they have the best breeder on earth. Mother Nature is a better breeder than any human could ever be."

The horses are thrifty when it comes to food and extremely strong. Untouched by humans, they're also free of the weaknesses sometimes generated by overbreeding, as well as the psychological "baggage" that makes other horses difficult to train.

"We used to just go to those adoptions, and there was just something exciting about them," said Napa resident Nancy Kerson, who, with husband Mike, now owns five mustangs and two burros adopted from the Bureau of Land Management.

"And since we've got them, we just think they're fantastic. I mean you don't want to generalize, but in general, they're a little bit deeper, a little bit more complex, a little bit smarter."

These animals are wild and require patience, special care and understanding as they transition from freedom in the wild and a herd-based social structure to domestic livestock.

"You really have to take the time to develop a trusting relationship," said Windsor horse trainer Lisa Bishop, who gentles Sparling's wild horses and has eight mustangs of her own adopted from the BLM.

Since the early 1970s, 219,000 animals have been adopted into private ownership, the BLM said.

While would-be adopters don't necessarily agree with the policy, many acknowledge the animals' need for safe homes is in part what prompts them to adopt.

"We're really trying to help -- help the animals and help the people who adopt them to succeed," Mike Kerson said.

But those unprepared for the challenge of a wild horse can be overwhelmed.

The Kersons have been called upon more than once to work with mustangs from failed adoptions so the animals can be readopted.

Like others, they said the key to training wild horses is based on a system called "natural horsemanship," which in turn is based on herd behavior and aims at communicating clear expectations in a nonthreatening manner.

The gentling process may involve weeks of simply standing in a pen with a horse, rhythmically flopping a string across its back to mimic the tail of another horse or stroking it gently.

Long before you try to halter or saddle them, you ask them to move their feet with a gentle kind of pressure, releasing once they've behaved as desired, rather than forcing them to do anything, those interviewed said.

When they let down their defenses at last, "it's an incredible moment," Mike Kerson said.

"It's almost like they take a big breath, and there's a point where they just go, 'Oh. That's all you wanted? You're not going to eat me for dinner?'

"It just brings tears to your eyes. It's so dramatic, because they've been so fearful."