Land managers in Colorado are working to find homes for the large number of wild horses that have been captured in recent years as part of a national effort to thin herds. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is seeking bids from ranchers or landowners to contract with the federal agency to keep wild horses for the rest of their lives. There are currently about 450 horses in Colorado eligible for adoption or long-term pasture.
Efforts to find homes for wild horses include the Meeker Mustang Makeover, a horse-training contest that received funding from the BLM as part of a $25 million initiative to find homes for 11,000 wild horses and burros within five years. The federal agency is also increasing adoption events and marketing to help move horses out of holding facilities. Fertility control options are being used to maintain herd sizes of the remaining 1,300 wild horses in Colorado.
Concerns have been raised about the lack of space and adoptive homes for the large number of wild horses that have been removed from the wild. The National Mustang Association Colorado is looking for land to create a sanctuary for the horses that must leave Mesa Verde National Park. Efforts are being made to address the issue of wild horses on private, state, federal, and tribal lands in Colorado.
