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Burros waiting to be adopted |
Over the weekend of September 14-16th the Nancy
G. Held Equestrian Center hosted the Bureau of Land Management
National Wild Horse and Burro adoption. This event drew in
people from surrounding areas that had the chance to view and
perhaps adopt one of the over seventy wild mustangs and burros.
The horses and burros were separated in corrals by age and sex
in order to give spectators as much information as possible.
Around the neck of each Horse or burro was a rope with a tag on
it displaying the animals corresponding number. On each
enclosure there was a list stating where the horse came from,
how long they had been in captivity, as well as the age and
color. An auction took place Saturday morning with horses being
sold for as little as twenty five dollars and as much as three
hundred dollars. All proceeds from the auction went towards
helping fund future adoptions. As the horses were sold their
numbers were crossed off the lists, showing viewers which ones
were still up for adoption.
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The wild horses and burros had never been
handled before and the new owners were on hand to witness their
animals first experience with having a halter put on, being
separated from the herd, and loaded on to a trailer to go to
their new homes. A lot of work went into loading each horse and
care was taken by those in charge to keep the situation as calm
and quiet as possible. When the Bureau of Land Management left
on Sunday they had sold over fifty of the seventy animals that
had been brought with them. |
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The Albion College Equestrian Club was present
on Saturday, providing baked goods, beverages and bagels to
those who came out early in the morning. Participating club
members not only got a chance to observe all the happenings but
they also got a chance to speak with both the handlers and the
new owners of the adopted animals. Each person had their own
story to tell and it seemed that all who purchased mustangs or
burros were looking forward to not only providing them with a
nice home but also getting the chance to begin such a rewarding
training process. Everyone agreed that it was both a successful
and enjoyable weekend, one that would hopefully happen again in
the future. |
