Eyewitness Report: BLM Adoption Event in Swanzey, New Hampshire

On April 21st and 22nd, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hosted an adoption event at the Cheshire Fairgrounds in Swanzey, New Hampshire. This event marked the first of several planned adoption and saleseventsin the Northeastern States District of theBLM.

Sixty-six wild horses and sixwild burroswere available for adoption. About half were yearling fillies from Utah, while the remaining horses, mostly geldings, ranged in age from 2 to 20 years old. The majority of the older horses were from Utah, with others from Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, California, and Wyoming. Common colors included bays, chestnuts, and sorrels, with occasional grays, roans, duns, palominos, or pintos.

The burros, aged between 2 and 10 years, were rounded up from Utah and Arizona.

Approximately one-third of the horses were designated for pickup by trainers in the Trainer Incentive Program or by adopters through theBLMOnline Corrals (OLC), an online auction platform for adopting or purchasing wild horses and burros.

The standard adoption fee is $125, though fees may vary for adoptions via the OLC. ABLMofficial anticipated a strong turnout, and by early Friday afternoon, about 50 people were exploring the horses and burros in the pens, some with the intent to adopt.

Several trailers lined up to collect horses and burros. By 1:30 pm, around 20 animals, adopted either online or at the fairgrounds, were on their way to new homes.

The event was well-organized, withBLMpersonnel providing assistance to adopters and visitors. The loading chute was efficiently designed, and staff were patient and considerate when loading animals. In one instance, an adopter was advised to make two trips to ensure the safety of a yearling traveling with a larger horse.

While the horses and burros were in good condition, many yearlings were muddy, with tangled coats and manes. Some appeared particularly young due to their small size.

When not being sorted for pickup, the animals were calm, often eating hay or drinking. All were eligible for the Adoption Incentive Program, offering $1,000 to adopt an untamed wild horse or burro, though no applications had been submitted yet.

Unadopted animals will return toBLMcorrals in Ewing, Illinois, for future adoptionevents. Under theBLM's "Three-Strike" rule, animals not adopted after three attempts become available for sale at $25, with immediate title transfer and no follow-up compliance checks, increasing the risk of ending up in a kill pen.

The NSD/BLMhas not yet reported the final adoption numbers from the Cheshire event. In FY 2022, theBLMremoved 20,193 wild horses and burros, most of which remain in government holding corrals. In FY 2023, theBLMplans to remove an additional 6,867 animals, primarily using helicopters, a method that can be brutal and sometimes deadly.