Saddle-trained horses available for adoption

The Bureau of Land Management and the Nevada Department of Corrections invite horse enthusiasts and the general public alike to a wild horse adoption event at the Western States Wild Horse and Burro Expo in Gardnerville on Friday and Saturday at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

Inmates from the Northern Nevada Correctional Center’s Saddle Horse Training program will showcase their training efforts during a competition that spans Friday afternoon and evening and Saturday morning, concluding with an awards ceremony and adoption of the animals.

Ten saddle-trained horses and one burro from the ranges of Nevada, California and Utah will be available starting at 1 p.m. Saturday. The horses and burro range in age from 3- to 6-years old, are saddle-trained with 120 days of training and vary in weight and color. The beginning bid on all animals is $150.

The following is the schedule for the inmate competition: Noon, Friday, in-hand freestyle competition in the small arena; 6 p.m. Friday, horsemanship pattern competition in the main arena; 10 a.m. Saturday, trail competition in the small arena; freestyle competition immediately follows the trail competition in the small arena.

For the catalog of the BLM wild horses and burro being offered for adoption go to www.blm.gov/nv/st/en.html. To pre-qualify for the weekend adoption, stop by the BLM booth at the Western States Wild Horse and Burro Expo.

There also will be a barbecue dinner on Saturday night with live music by Exit 22, a local country and swing band. Tickets are $13 for adults and $8 for children younger than 10. Shopping is also offered with many different vendors. The only admission fee is $5 per vehicle per day to park. A three-day pass can be purchased for $12.

For more information and an events schedule for the Expo, visit www.wildhorseandburroexpo.com.