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.

Horses with riders in a parade.

My Wild Horse Story: Doris and China Boots

As a youngster growing up, I rode donkeys, ponies, and horses. I went away to college and my father kept the horse my sister and had shared. She was an amazing horse, believed to be a Morgan/mustang cross. An awesome line back dun with a black mane, tail and legs. More than 25 years would pass before I have horses again.
Woman standing while cradling horse's head in her arms.

My Wild Horse Story: Ashley and Chico

My name is Ashley. Back in 2017 I adopted my first mustang, Chico, from the Teens and Oregon Mustang Challenge in Albany Oregon. Chico was from the South Steens herd in Oregon and was once known in the wild as Cypress.