`WHISPERING' TO WILD HORSES

FRUITLAND -- Professional horse gentler Dave Seay educated and entertained horse owners and lovers Saturday during the Adopt-A-Wild Horse program held at Flickerwood Arena.

Some 300 visitors attending the event over the weekend to see and in some cases purchase one of the 70 wild horses available for adoption. The event is sponsored annually by the Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management to control wild horse overpopulation in the western states.

All of the horses available this weekend were 8 years old or younger, said Shayna Banks of the Bureau of Land Management. More than 50 horses had been adopted by mid-afternoon Saturday, with paints, palominos and buckskins being the most popular varieties, she said.

Most of the visitors at the arena Saturday afternoon were horse owners hoping to gain some handling tips during Seay's performance. "I love horses," said Missy Bradshaw of Cape Girardeau, who owns a quarter horse. "I've got no place to put another one, but I came to watch and learn."

Russ O'Neal of Puxico brought his wife Nellie and 4-year old granddaughter Meredith to the event. He said he had no intention in buying a horse; instead, they attended the auction to watch Seay's performance and to see the horses.

"I just wanted to see him in action," he said. "We've got horses and I just wanted to come out."

As the audience watched -- and in some cases, took notes -- Seay worked several hours with a young stallion until he had gentled the horse enough to wear a halter, saddle and lead. He emphasized the importance of patience, foot placement, and consistent, repeated movements when working to gentle a horse.

"Horses are conditioned response animals," he said. "If you do something enough times the same way each time, eventually they'll do what you want them to do.

"We live in a quick-fix world where we expect things to go the way we want immediately," he said. "Well, it's not going to happen that way with a horse, and if you rush them, they're just going to react the direct opposite of what you want."

All remaining horses will be available for adoption today from 8 a.m. until noon. The event is free and open to the public.

Each horse can be purchased for an adoption fee of $125, a charge used to recover expenses for transportation and veterinary care of the animals.

To qualify for adoption, applicants must be at least 18 years old; have no prior violations of adoption regulations; have adequate facilities, including a sturdy corral at least 6 feet high and a shelter or stall space at least 12-by-12 feet per animal; transportation; and the means to care for the animal.