Eyewitness Report: BLM Adoption Event in Wolcott, Connecticut
By Mary Koncel, Program Specialist
On April 8th and 9th, 2022, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hosted an adoption and sales event at the Hillside Equestrian Center in Wolcott, Connecticut. This event aimed to find homes for wild horses and burros, offering them for adoption under the Adoption Incentive Program (AIP).
Although the BLM advertised that approximately 75 wild horses and burros would be available, only 64 horses were offered for adoption. All were eligible for the AIP, but many adopters did not enroll. Ten horses were picked up after being adopted earlier through an online auction. The standard adoption fee was $125.
All horses were removed from their Herd Management Areas via helicopter roundups, primarily from Nevada and Utah, with some from Idaho and Wyoming. About one-third were weanlings, while others ranged from 2 to 12 years old.
The majority of the horses had good body condition scores. However, many weanlings were muddy, with tangled coats and manes. One weanling had an injured eye, which was being treated by a veterinarian. She was to be returned to the Ewing Wild Horse and Burro Off-Range Corral in Ewing, IL for further care.
Unlike some recent BLM events, such as the one in Okeechobee, Florida, the loading of horses onto trailers was uneventful. BLM personnel were experienced and patient, and the loading chute was well-designed.
The BLM reported that 47 of the 64 horses were adopted. Horses not adopted will return to the Ewing corrals for future adoption opportunities. Under the BLM's “Three-Strike” rule, if a horse is unsuccessfully offered for adoption three times, it becomes a “Three-Strike Horse” and is available for sale for $25, with no follow-up compliance check, increasing the risk of ending up in a kill pen.
According to AWHC’s ongoing investigation into the AIP, adoption does not guarantee a happy home. The AIP offers $1,000 to adopt an untamed BLM wild horse or burro, but many end up in slaughter auctions after adopters receive incentive payments.
The BLM has made changes to its AIP, such as conducting compliance checks six months post-adoption instead of one year, but AWHC maintains these changes are insufficient to protect wild horses and burros from the slaughter pipeline.
In FY 2021, the BLM rounded up 13,666 wild horses and burros. In FY 2022, the target is 20,095, with most not being adopted.