Blog

The Nevada Department of Corrections-Silver State Industries, along with the BLM, conducted the auction at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center, offering horses that had been trained by state prisoners for about four months.

“The weather was incredible and we were very pleased with the large turnout of the public for this event,” said Jenny Lesieutre, a BLM Nevada public affairs specialist for wild horses and burros, in a prepared statement. “Seeing what the inmates and the animals have accomplished ensures that the horses and burros will go to fantastic homes where they can use their training for any task they are asked to do.”

The BLM reported that 20 ridden horses from herd management areas in Nevada, California and Oregon were offered for adoption at the June 15 event.

The successful bidders paid a total of $94,750 for the animals, the BLM said.

With bids starting at $150, the wild horses averaged $4,737 apiece. The highest bid was $16,500 for Queen Bee, a four-year-old, 15.2-hand red roan mare from the Diamond Hills North herd management area in Nevada. Jen-ette, a one-year-old female donkey, was adopted for $2,000, the BLM said.

The winning bidders officially adopted their horses. After properly caring for their adopted animals for a year, the adopters can receive a title from the federal government, the agency said, reporting that it has placed more than 313,000 wild horses and burros into private care since 1971.

The next saddled wild horse adoption and bidding auction at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Reno is scheduled for October 12. More information about this partnership between the BLM and the prison, including past and current event catalogs, can be found online at https://on.doi.gov/2jE05uy.

The BLM also posted photos from the adoption event on its Nevada Flickr page at www.flickr.com/photos/blmnevada/.