California’s Wild Horses Can Be Yours for $1
Did you know that California has wild horses?
There’s a very large population of wild horses located in the Modoc National Forest, and because of an overpopulation, they need new homes.
Recently, several hundred Devil’s Garden wild horses were rounded up for adoption. Thanks to SFGate for sharing the unique opportunity to take home a wild horse for only $1.
The horses are offered for only $1 so that horse trainers could take them home, train them, and ideally be able to turn a profit. However, anyone who meets certain requirements is allowed to adopt the horses.
Prospective Adopters Requirements:
- The applicant for wild horse adoption must have a facility that is:
- Minimum of 400 square feet of corral space per animal, i.e. 20’ X 20’
- Made of: pipe panels, wood post, planks (min. 1.5” thick), horse fence (V Mesh or 2” X 4” square – woven wire not welded wire)
- 5’ high for yearling or gentled horse of any age
- 6’ high for an un-gentled horse two years or older
- Shelter that meets the minimum requirements chart for wild horses and burros based on the state or region in which the animal resides, unless otherwise stipulated by the authorized officer
- Trailer requirements – step-up gate, dividers if hauling more than one horse
- Additional requirements vary by state
History of Devil’s Garden Wild Horses
Wild horses have been present on the Devil’s Garden Plateau since shortly after the first pioneers arrived. Many of the early horses escaped or were released when their usefulness as domestic animals ended. The first roundup occurred as early as 1889. In later years, local ranchers and native tribal members turned horses out to graze and then gathered them as needed. Devil’s Garden Horses contributed to the liberation of Europe in WWI. Not all were ever captured. With the passage of the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act (PL 92-195), private horse roundups ended. In 1974, as an initial step toward management, the Forest Service inventoried the Devil’s Garden Wild Horse population for the first time. The new Devil’s Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory Management Plan, completed in 2013, set an Appropriate Management Level (AML) of a maximum of 402 total horses. – USDA Forest Service
