BLM schedules wild horse and burro event in Hutchinson

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management along with Kansas Correctional Industries will hold a wild horse and burro adoption and open house event at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility, October 18-19. The event begins Friday at 10 a.m. and will feature 15 saddle started horses and five halter started horses, along with 50 untrained animals for adoption. Gates open at 8 a.m. on Saturday with adoptions beginning at 10 a.m.

Animals offered at the event are adult and yearling horses along with burros that once roamed free on public lands in the west. BLM periodically removes excess animals from the range to maintain healthy herds and to protect other rangeland resources. According to the BLM, their Adoption and Sale Program is essential for achieving these important management goals. Since 1973, BLM has placed more than 280,000 of these animals in approved homes across the country.

BLM staff will approve applications onsite. To qualify to adopt, applicants must be at least 18 years old, with no record of animal abuse. Qualified homes must have a minimum of four hundred square feet of corral space per animal, with access to food, water, and shelter. A six-foot corral fence is required for adult horses; five feet for yearlings; and four-and-a-half feet for burros. All animals must be loaded in covered, stock-type trailers with swing gates and sturdy walls and floors. BLM staff will be on hand to assist with the application process.

The Hutchinson Correctional Facility is located at 1201 East Ave G. For more information, visit blm.gov/whb .