WILD HORSES: AUCTION WILL BE HELD IN COUNTY JULY 11, 12

JACKSON -- The Old West will come alive for a couple of days next month.

The Adopt-A-Wild Horse and Burro program sponsored by the Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management will make its way to the Flickerwood Arena near Jackson July 11-12. Qualified applicants can adopt up to four of approximately 125 wild horses gathered from the western United States.

"They're all wild horses," said Jim Boylan of the bureau. "They've never been worked with."

The horses can be adopted and tamed.

He said there will be a good mix of wild horses from Colorado, Oregon, Wyoming, Nevada and California. They range in ages from very young to 6 years old.

Burros, which are commonly part of the adoption event, are not available in this adoption.

Those wishing to adopt must have an application reviewed and screened by July 6. Those who have previously applied for adoption need to contact the bureau at 1-800-293-1781 to update their records. Those who have not previously applied should call the bureau to start the process.

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.

When applicants qualify, they will be invited to attend the adoption.

The horses will arrive July 10 with viewing hours from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The scheduled period for adoption is July 11 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those eligible to participate will then be able to bid on horses. The minimum bid is $125.

Boylan said bidding is relatively new. Previously, the adoption would take place through a lottery system in which people were given numbers that matched horses.

"We would normally have a lot of redrawing," he said. A recent federal rule has authorized the bureau to conduct competitive bid adoptions to help prevent the redrawing.

If any horses remain, a second adoption period will take place July 12 from 8 a.m. until noon.

All the horses will be in good health, Boylan said. After gathering the horses in the wild, the bureau feeds them, gets them healthy and provides them with vaccinations, deworming and blood tests before sending them to be adopted.

The program began in 1973 to control a wild horse overpopulation in the western states. "We're trying to maintain a balance in the West," Boylan said. "We get too many horses out there, and there's not enough for them to eat. They can survive, but they need our help."

Over 170,000 horses and burros have been adopted through the program.

This will be the first time the program will be in Cape Girardeau County. Previously, the event has visited West Plains, Passaic and Columbia.

Boylan said many people adopt horses for several reasons, including to use for work and trail riding, but many do so because "They feel like they get a piece of the Old West."