The Bureau of Land Management's First
NATIONAL WILD HORSE & BURRO EXPO
NOVEMBER 14-17, 2002
SOMERVELL COUNTY EXPO CENTER
GLEN ROSE, TEXAS

It was fun. It was wild. It was an event to experience.

Closing the doors late Sunday afternoon, the tired and dusty wild horse and burro crew was still smiling as they said goodbye to their new friends and adopters. Featuring four days of training clinics and action-packed entertainment, the Bureau of Land Management's first National Wild Horse and Burro Expo had something for just about everyone.

There were hundreds of spectators, adopters and participants enjoying the different vendors, clinics and entertainment offered by the Expo. The 2002 Expo also showcased the largest adoption event of the year, and found homes for 180 wild horses and burros.

Of the 177 animals adopted, 13 were saddle trained or halter trained at correctional facilities in Canon City, Colorado and Hutchinson, Kansas. The highest bid was $1,850 for a four-year-old, saddle-trained bay gelding. Two other saddle-trained horses from Canon City took the second and third spots: a four-year-old palomino gelding ($1,650) and a two-year-old palomino gelding ($1,625). The highest fee paid for a halter-trained horse was $900 for a three-year-old buckskin gelding from Hutchinson. All of the halter trained and saddle trained animals were adopted.

These new adopters were invited to attend training clinics on site to learn the best way to work with the newest member of their family. Gentling demonstrations and training clinics were held in three large arenas each day. Horse enthusiasts, from novice to professional riders, were able to select the exact clinic that met their needs and level of experience.

Clinics were lead by several nationally recognized horse trainers, including Chris Irwin, Michael Richardson, Lesley Neuman, Bryan Neubert, and Charles Wilhelm and Parelli Endorsed Instuctor, Bruce Logan (both Wilhelm and Logan were sponsored by Wahl Clippers). Other demonstrations offered introductory tips on working with a wild horse from past adopter Ray Field and proper hoof care with Lyle "Bergy" Bergeleen.

In addition to offering training clinics and wild horse and burro adoptions, the Bureau of Land Management also hosted a wild horse and burro show. This event was open to any contestant with an animal previously in the wild horse and burro adoption program. Beginning with a series of competition classes for youth and adults, including halter, showmanship, western pleasure and barrel racing, this event allowed past adopters to show off their animals. New adopters watching the show were able to see the potential of their animals.

In the middle of the competition classes, the entertainment really kicked off when country singer Templeton Thompson, a native Glen Rose, Texas, stepped out into the show arena and broke out in song. Obliging her new fans, Templeton autographed backtags and Expo programs as she continued to sing three more songs from her CD I Remember You.

Spectators and fans continued to cheer as they enjoyed the horse and burro show's grand finale - the wildest costume contest ever. Wild horses and burros dressed in costume entered the arena with their adopters one by one. Competition was tough, but the large green dragon (a well disguised wild horse) and tiny knight (Trey Ledesma) won the hearts of the judge and the audience - it was a team that was hard to top.

To learn more about events like this and how you can adopt a wild horse or burro call the Bureau of Land Management at 1-866-4Mustangs, or visit the agency's web site at: www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov.

The next Expo is being tentatively planned for the Spring/Summer of 2004 in the Ohio Valley. The next Expo will be a cooperative effort between BLM and one of their partners, The National Wild Horse & Burro Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of the BLM's National Wild Horse and Burro Program. For more information about the foundation, please call 1-800-551-9209 or visit their website at: www.wildhorsefoundation.com.