From Wild to Home: A New Chapter Begins for Mustangs in Waterloo

From Wild to Home: A New Chapter Begins for Mustangs in Waterloo

Inside a BLM Wild Horse and Burro adoption event, where adopters, trainers, volunteers~ and one very nosey mustang~ came together around second chances.

By Deliverance Hope | Word ’Round Town

There is something different about standing only a few feet away from a horse that has spent much of its life belonging to no one.

No halter waiting by a stall door.

No familiar owner calling its name.

No history of lessons, show rings, trail rides, or children brushing its mane.

Just a horse.

Wild.

Watching.

Waiting.

And perhaps, somewhere within all of that uncertainty, wondering what comes next.

That was the scene in Waterloo as wild horses and burros gathered under the care of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Program, awaiting the possibility of something entirely new:

a home.

The adoption event brought prospective adopters, experienced horsemen and women, volunteers, families, trainers, and plenty of curious visitors together beneath one roof.

Some came knowing exactly what they were looking for.

Others walked the pens studying faces, markings, movement, and temperament~  perhaps waiting for that one horse to look back in a way that simply felt different.

A Program Built Around Adoption

During the event, I spoke with BLM Marketing Representative Hunter Paffrath, who shared more about what happens both at adoption sites and after the animals leave.

According to Paffrath, BLM employees travel to adoption locations, joined by volunteers who help care for the animals throughout the event. Many of those volunteers are veterinary students who are able to gain experience and educational credit while tending to the mustangs and burros.

Paffrath said an average adoption event sees approximately a 90 percent adoption rate.

Animals that are not adopted do not simply disappear from the program. They may return to a temporary holding facility, and some may eventually be placed in long-term pasture settings.

Approved adopters may adopt up to four animals per year, provided their facilities meet the program’s requirements.

BLM also retains oversight after an animal goes home.

The agency keeps title to an adopted animal for the first year, during which time the adopter may return the animal if circumstances do not work out. BLM also retains the ability to inspect an adopter’s property, either virtually or in person, and can intervene if concerns arise regarding the animal’s care.

After the first year, once program requirements have been satisfied, title can be released to the adopter and the animal becomes privately owned.

Paffrath said the approval rate for adoption applications is generally very high, at approximately 95 to 100 percent.

And prospective adopters do not necessarily have to wait for an in-person event. BLM also operates an Online Corral, where available animals may be viewed and bid on online before arrangements are made to pick them up at designated locations around the country.

The People Who Help Bridge Wild and Home

Adoption day, however, is only the beginning.

For many mustangs, the next chapter requires patience, experience, trust, and someone willing to meet the horse where it is.

Among those attending was a woman from Mendy’s Mustangs in Fairfield, Iowa, who told me she has been around horses for over 60 years, and has spent many years gentling mustangs.

Her connection to mustangs began early.

Her very first horse was a mustang pony.

Today, she continues the cycle: purchasing mustangs, working with them until they are gentled, placing them into new homes, and then beginning again with another.

It is work that cannot be hurried.

A wild horse does not know that the human standing nearby means no harm simply because the human says so.

Trust must be earned.

Nearby were Ally and Mandi of Double A Horsemanship in Wisconsin, a mother-and-daughter team who also reported successfully gentling numerous mustangs.

Their presence offered another glimpse into what happens after adoption,  the long process between the moment someone raises a bidding card and the day a formerly wild horse willingly allows a human into its world.

Two Mustangs Head Home With James Sturgeon

One adopter whose journey will continue beyond this event is James Sturgeon of Willow Springs Farm Horsemanship in Center Point, Iowa.

Willow Springs Farms offers horse training and horsemanship instruction, including riding instruction for different experience levels, individual and group sessions, English and Western riding, horse handling, starting horses under saddle, and foundational riding skills.

Sturgeon successfully adopted two mustangs during the Waterloo event.

And Word ’Round Town will be following them.

Because bringing home two wild mustangs is not the end of a story.

It is the beginning of one.

Their first evening home alone made that perfectly clear.

Let’s just say…

five sets of fences did not prove particularly convincing to two newly arrived mustangs.

But that is a story for the next chapter.

They quickly realized… they are now home ~ and they are secure, care for, and about, as well as safe.

We will be following James and the two horses as they settle in and begin the process of learning what life alongside humans can become.

Photo of James Sturgeon’s adopted mustangs courtesy of James Sturgeon.

And Then There Was Mr. “Wild” Nosey

Of course, somewhere during all the serious conversations about adoption requirements, training, facilities, and the enormous responsibility of taking home a wild horse…

one mustang apparently decided I required closer inspection.

Much closer.

I had gone to photograph wild horses.

He seemed to believe the assignment worked both ways.

First came the nose.

Then more nose.

Then apparently my arms, purse, camera bag, camera equipment, and anything else within his reach became subjects worthy of investigation.

So much for maintaining a respectful journalistic distance.

At some point, after another enormous muzzle came pushing toward me through the rails, I decided he needed a name of his own.

Mr. “Wild” Nosey.

No one had apparently explained to him that the word wild was supposed to involve keeping one’s distance from humans.

He wanted kisses.

He wanted attention.

He wanted to know what was in my belongings.

And had I remained there long enough, I suspect he might have wanted my car keys.

There was humor in it, certainly.

But there was something else, too.

Standing beside those pens, it became impossible to look at the horses merely as numbers, adoption listings, colors, ages, or capture locations.

Each one had a personality.

Some remained cautious.

Some watched quietly from a distance.

Some stayed close to the herd.

Others stepped toward people.

And at least one apparently believed a reporter’s purse contained information critical to his future.

What Happens After the Gate Opens

There is a moment during an adoption when an animal’s story changes direction.

The horse itself may not understand it yet.

One moment, it stands among animals that have shared a similar journey.

Later, a trailer door closes.

The road begins moving beneath its feet.

And somewhere at the other end is a place it has never seen, people it does not know, fences it has not tested…

although apparently some do get right to work testing those.

For the adopters, there is excitement.

For the horse, there may initially be uncertainty.

And between those two worlds lies the work.

Patience.

Consistency.

Gentling.

Trust.

Learning.

Sometimes setbacks.

Sometimes breakthroughs that may appear very small to everyone except the person who has waited days or weeks for them.

That is why this story does not end at the Waterloo adoption event.

For some of these mustangs, it is only beginning.

And Word ’Round Town plans to stay along for the ride.

Especially with two particular mustangs who have already proven they may have quite a story to tell.

And perhaps somewhere out there, Mr. “Wild” Nosey is currently investigating somebody else’s purse.

To be continued…

~Deliverance Hope
Word ’Round Town
word-round-town.com

BELOW are more photos from the Waterloo, Iowa BLM Adoption Event~