BLM Wild Horse & Burro Program Adoption Experiences: Equine therapy service places more than 60 Mustangs with veterans, first responders during 2023

Lindsey Gabbard, founder and executive director of Branded Equine-Based Therapy Services in Harrison, Arkansas, shared her personal experience working with the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program, and how it has aided in the development of her nonprofit organization.  

What exactly does Branded Equine Based Therapy Services do? 

Gabbard: Branded focuses on helping the community by offering equine-based therapy services to those in need. The mission is to provide equine-assisted therapies and activities to individuals of all abilities, Veterans, and First Responders to promote unparalleled growth and healing. 

How has your experience been with the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program?  

Gabbard: Branded has had a wonderful experience with the Wild Horse and Burro Program. We have enjoyed getting the chance to work with them to facilitate adoptions for our veteran and first responder program. The wild horses and burros we adopt from [BLM] are quality animals [with] unlimited potential to be exceptional partners. 

How many times have you adopted or purchased an animal from the Wild Horse and Burro Program?  

Gabbard: Branded helped place over 60 mustangs into private care last year, most of them [paired with] a Veteran or First Responder within our program, Operation Branded.   

As someone who has adopted animals through the BLM's Online Corral, would you recommend the Online Corral to friends and family?  

Gabbard: The Online Corral is a great option for adopters to view a wide variety of horses from the comfort of their own homes and have them brought to the location nearest them if they win the bid. It is a great tool that gives wild horses that are ready for placement a chance to find a partner to take the next step on their journey. 

How did you hear about the program? 

Gabbard: I competed with my first mustang, Freedom, in the Supreme Extreme Mustang Makeover in 2011 and have been hooked ever since. [My experience with Freedom] was my motivation to start this nonprofit and share the life-changing experience of owning and training a mustang with countless others. [Freedom] now serves as a therapy horse in our program and touches lives each day. 

To learn more, go to BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program.