The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Nevada Department of Corrections – Silver State Industries held a saddle-started wild horse adoption event on June 21, 2025, at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center. At the event, 41 qualified bidders from across the U.S. adopted 16 saddle-started wild horses and one saddle-trained burro, all trained for about four months by inmates. The animals, sourced from BLM-managed lands in California, Nevada, and Oregon, were sold for a combined total of $67,700, with individual bids starting at $150 and a top bid of $8,000 for a 4-year-old Sorrel named “Big Baby.”

This adoption program helps manage overpopulated wild horse herds on public lands, where natural predators are insufficient to control growth, and places these iconic animals into private care. Since 1971, the BLM has adopted out over 320,000 wild horses and burros, many becoming valued companions or working animals. The next saddle-trained wild horse adoption event is scheduled for October 25, 2025, with more information available on the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program website.