Burro at Ridgecrest corrals
Credit: Alex Niebergs, BLM
May 6, 2021 - RIDGECREST, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is scheduling appointments for members of the public interested in adopting or purchasing a wild horse or burro from the Ridgecrest Corrals near Ridgecrest, Calif. Those interested in visiting the facility and selecting a horse or burro can contact the corrals at 760-384-5765 and make arrangements.
“When San Bernardino County closed non-essential services to slow the spread of COVID-19 and mandated closure of non-essential offices, we suspended scheduling appointments at our corrals,” said Ridgecrest Field Manager Carl Symons. “With the county’s move to the orange tier, we can start scheduling appointments for adopting and buying horses and burros. Our corrals are open-air, so viewing of our wild horses and burros can be done anytime.”
Those interested in adoption or purchasing can download the adoption/purchase agreement at https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/4710-010.pdf and email it prior to their appointment at the Ridgecrest Corrals. Completed forms may be emailed to cdowdy@blm.gov, faxed to 760-384-5767, or sent by mail to: BLM Ridgecrest Corrals, 300 S Richmond Rd. Ridgecrest, CA 93555. The corral staff will contact each applicant to determine interest in either a horse or burro, adoption or purchase, and additional preferences. Jennies and gelded jack burros are also available.
Another option for adopting a horse or burro is the BLM’s Online Corral, https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/, where selected horses from the Ridgecrest Corrals and other BLM facilities are featured. Information about adopting or purchasing these horses and burros, and qualifications and requirements adopters and purchasers must meet, is available on the national website. A separate online adoption application is required for those who wish to bid through the Online Corral site.
The BLM manages and protects wild horses and burros on public lands under provisions of the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act. When populations grow too large to be supported by the forage and water sources shared with other range users, including wildlife and domestic livestock, animals are removed from the range and made available for sale or adoption.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, passed unanimously by Congress and signed into law on Dec. 15, 1971. To mark this anniversary, the BLM is holding a series of events around the country highlighting the value of wild horses and burros as enduring symbols of our national heritage. Learn more at https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/50th-anniversary.
Source: BLM
