Wanted: Good Home For Wild Horses, Burros Federal Agency To Offer About 160 Animals In Montana Later This Month

For the first time in about two years in Montana, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management plans to offer wild horses and burros for sale.

Cheap. Really cheap.

Because they’re wild.

“Really wild,” said Sandy Dyer, a management assistant for the BLM in Butte.

The agency will offer about 100 horses and 60 burros for “adoption” Aug. 24 in Butte. The price is $125 for a horse and $75 for a burro.

The animals are from wild horse herds that run on BLM land scattered across the West, Dyer said.

Prospective buyers have to get prior approval to buy a horse, Dyer said. The deadline for applying for pre-approval is Aug. 20.

Prospective horse buyers will have to show a BLM representative that proper facilities are available to care for the horse, Dyer said.

“You need to have the facilities and the know-how to deal with them,” Dyer said.

Both horses and burros will be adopted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Those who have been pre-approved and waiting for months or years will be higher on the list than someone who applies next week, Dyer said.

Still, she added, people who apply soon should have “a real possibility” of adopting a horse. And, she added, adopting a burro “for sure won’t be a problem.”

The horses and burros are being shipped to Butte from a BLM holding facility in Wyoming, Dyer said.

The adoption will be at the Montana Livestock Company.

About 50 mares will come complete with colts by their sides. There is no additional fee for the colt, Dyer said.

About 30 younger mares also will be available for adoption, she said.

All of the horses and burros have been checked by veterinarians and will have received yearly immunizations before the adoption, Dyer said.

Those planning to adopt a horse should bring a trailer with them and be prepared to take the animal at the time of adoption.

Under the adoption program, people who receive the animals will not legally own them for one year.

“For a year, they still belong to the government and people are just caretakers,” she said.

At the end of the year, if it is determined the animals are being properly cared for, the caretakers become owners, Dyer said.