NORMAN, Okla. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will co-host the Wild Horse Youth Challenge along with the Kansas State Fair and the Wild Horse Youth Challenge Board and volunteers, Sept. 17-18. The event will feature twenty-seven youth, ages 10-17, who began gentling and training a yearling wild horse in May. The youth will compete in three in-hand events, a showmanship class, a trail class around obstacles and a freestyle class at the fair.
After the show, on Sunday, Sept. 18, the trained yearlings will be available to qualified adopters by competitive bid. Any amount above $125 will be retained by the youth trainer. If the youth trainer wants to keep his or her horse, the horse will not be available for adoption. Eleven youth have decided to offer their trained yearling horses for adoption.
“This is our fifth year partnering with the Kansas State Fair and volunteers to produce this event,” said Pat Williams, BLM Wild Horse & Burro Program Manager. “It is amazing to see how the youth have developed their horsemanship skills while helping us place wild horses into private care.”
The animals offered at the event are yearling horses that once roamed free on public lands in the West. The BLM periodically removes excess animals from the range in order to maintain healthy herds and protect other rangeland resources. The adoption and sale programs are essential for achieving these important management goals. Since 1973, the BLM has placed more than 240,000 of these animals in approved homes across the country.
BLM staff will approve applications onsite. To qualify to adopt, applicants must be at least 18 years old, with no record of animal abuse. Qualified homes must have a minimum of four hundred square feet of corral space per animal, with access to food, water, and shelter. A six-foot corral fence is required for adult horses; five feet for yearlings; and four-and-a-half feet for burros. All animals must be loaded in covered, stock-type trailers with swing gates and sturdy walls and floors. BLM staff will be on hand to assist with the application process.
The Kansas State Fair is located at 2000 N. Poplar St, Hutchinson, KS 67502. For more information, call 866-468-7826 or visit www.blm.gov.
