Tales from the Trails

The Tales from the Trails blog pulls together wild horse and burro stories from across the Bureau of Land Management. These are stories about our work to manage and protect wild horse and burro herds on public lands, how animals are cared for in our off-range holding facilities and where they end up after they've been adopted to a good home. 

With kindness and patience, a wild horse or burro may be trained for many uses.  Wild horses have become champions in dressage, jumping, barrel racing, endurance riding, and pleasure riding, while burros excel in driving, packing, riding, guarding, and serving as companion animals.  Both wild horses and wild burros are known for their sure-footedness, strength, intelligence, and endurance. Contact the BLM or visit an event or facility near you to learn more about how you can bring home your own wild horse or burro. 

Send us your story!

If you're a proud partner to a wild horse or burro, we want to hear from you! Tell us about your trek "from wild to mild," a competition you won, or just tell us about why you're proud of your wild horse or burro.

Send your written stories and photos to wildhorse@blm.gov with the subject line MY WILD HORSE (or BURRO) STORY. For best results, stories should include your and your horse or burro's name, location (state) and at least one good photograph of the animal, you with the animal, or some other activity you'd like to convey. Please include at least one photograph depicting the freeze mark. Stories should be 300-500 words in length.

A horse with a rider and an American flag behind him.

My Wild Horse Story: Fred and Blue

From visiting residents at nursing homes, rounding up cattle on the Bell Ranch in New Mexico and visiting elementary schools to conducting clinics with adopters and potential adopters, Blue has been my best friend, confidant and companion. He is the reason I currently serve as Chairman of the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board.
Man standing next to a horse with girl on back. 7

My Wild Horse Story: A Poem About a Mustang

From the Nevada wilderness to the rolling hills of Iowa, you came to become the beloved mount of a lonesome cowboy. // Always wary of your surroundings, you and the cowboy grew to depend on each other. // Herding cattle, breaking a trail, riding fences. Oh the stories that were told with pride.
A woman standing with a horse.

My Wild Horse Story: Tara Kilpatrick and Ink Print

Tara Kilpatrick began her involvement with wild horses 20 years ago. After moving to Southern Nevada, she and her husband David began exploring the Mojave Desert. She soon came across her first sighting of wild horses in the Red Rock Herd Management Area and began documenting the herd’s animals and social interactions.
Horses with riders on the range.

My Wild Horse Story: Becky and Miata

I am just the average person who loves her horses. I do not consider myself a trainer because I am always learning. I started working with mustangs in 1998 when I got my first 9-month-old from Idaho’s Challis herd management area.