Head out to the wild horse and burro event in Pauls Valley
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NORMAN, Okla. - The Bureau of Land Management will hold an open house event at the Pauls Valley Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Facility, in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, from May 18 – 19. The event will feature 50 wild horses and burros, including several flashy mares. There will also be a horse trainer onsite giving wild horse gentling demonstrations. The open house event will take place from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. on May 18, and 8 a.m. - noon on May 19, with the adoption beginning at noon on Friday. The BLM will offer animals for the adoption fee of $125 (set by law). In addition to the open house, the facility is open the second Tuesday of every month.
The horses offered for adoption are adult and yearling horses and burros that once roamed free on public lands in the West. The BLM periodically removes excess animals from the range in order to maintain healthy herds, and to protect other rangeland resources. The adoption program is essential for achieving these important management goals. Since 1973, the BLM has placed more than 235,000 animals into private care.
BLM staff will approve qualifying applications on-site. To qualify to adopt, an applicant must be at least 18, with no record of animal abuse. Adopters must have a minimum of 400 square feet of corral space per animal, with free 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 trailers with swing gates and sturdy walls and floors.
The BLM pays a one-time $500 care-and-feeding allowance to adopters of horses that are at least four years old. The BLM pays the allowance after one year, when adopters receive official ownership title for their horse(s). All standard adoption conditions and fees apply.
To get to the Pauls Valley Adoption Center from I-35, take Exit 74 (Kimberlin Road) west about one-quarter mile to the facility. For more information, call 866-468-7826 or visit www.blm.gov.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.