Providing a home for a wild horse or burro is a challenging and rewarding experience. For qualified individuals, this is a unique opportunity to care for, then own, a "Living Legend" -- a symbol of American history -- a wild horse or burro.

A wild free-roaming horse or burro, as defined by Federal law, is an unbranded, unclaimed, free-roaming horse or burro found on Western public rangelands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Wild horses and burros are descendants of animals released by or escaped from Spanish explorers, ranchers, miners, U.S. Cavalry, or Native Americans.

To adopt a wild horse or burro, you must:

If you meet the adoption qualifications requirements, complete the "Application for Adoption of Wild Horses or Burros" and mail it to the BLM office serving your area. The BLM will contact you during the application review process to verify that your facilities meet the minimum requirements for the number of animals you want to adopt. When you adopt, the BLM requires you to sign a Private Maintenance and Care Agreement. This agreement includes the following statement:

"Under penalty of prosecution for violating 18 U.S.C. 1001, which makes it a Federal crime to make false statements to any agency of the United States, I hereby state that I have no intent to sell this wild horse or burro for slaughter or bucking stock, or for processing into commercial products, within the meaning of the Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, 16 U.S.C. 1331 et seq., and regulations 43 CFR 4700.0-5(c)."

You must agree to sign this statement at the time of adoption.

The BLM posts temporary adoption sites and dates on this site at Adoption Schedule, or you may call, toll free, 1-866-4MUSTANGS. If you are interested in adopting, complete the Adoption Application and mail it to the BLM office serving your area or visit http://www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov//.