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Government organization adopts out 13 horses, burros at Tonganoxie event

By Elvyn Jones - | Jun 22, 2016

A mustang named Estrella comes up to greet Randy Billinger on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, along the fence line of his ranch southeast of Baldwin City. Billinger and his wife, Kristi, have been adopting and "gentling" horses since 2000 and are founders of the Midwest Mustang and Burro Saddle Club, where they help other adopters by teaching them successful techniques for calming animals.

Randy Billinger knows of many reasons why horse lovers should consider adopting wild mustangs from the Bureau of Land Management.

The animals are beautiful, have few flaws from inbreeding, possess strong hooves and have excellent feet suited for many uses, Billinger said. But he said the emotional high that comes with gaining a wild horse or burro’s trust is the greatest reward.

“There’s just no experience like that first touch when the animal finally accepts you,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of people tear up when they tell me about it. It’s a pretty amazing thing.”

Horse and burro enthusiasts converged Friday and Saturday on the Leavenworth County Fairgrounds to see the animals at a Bureau of Land Management wild horse and burro adoption. The animals were rounded up from the open range in Western states to preserve healthy herds and to protect range-land resources, said Crystal Cowan, BLM wild horse and burro specialist.

The BLM started the adoption program in 1973 and has placed more than 230,000 horses and burros in its 43 years. Cowan said the BLM visits the Lawrence area at least once every two years, as the group also was in Tonganoxie two years ago

A mustang named Estrella comes up to greet Randy Billinger on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, along the fence line of his ranch southeast of Baldwin City. Billinger and his wife, Kristi, have been adopting and "gentling" horses since 2000 and are founders of the Midwest Mustang and Burro Saddle Club, where they help other adopters by teaching them successful techniques for calming animals.

This year, the BLM had 36 mustangs and burros at Tonganoxie available for adoption on a first-come, first-served basis, Cowan said. Of those animals, 13 were adopted, including four burros. There is a minimum $125 adoption fee.

“They’re ready to get a new home when they get here,” Cowan said, noting that the animals originally come from Oregon, Utah, California and Nevada.

The BLM does have a one-time $500 care-and-feeding allowance for horses at least 4 years old. The fee is paid one year from the adoption date, when titles of the adopted animals are transferred from the BLM to their owners.

Those wanting to adopt an animal must be at least 18 years old, have no record of animal abuse, and sign a statement stating they have at least 400 square feet of corral space with access to food, water and shelter. A 6-foot-high corral fence is required for horses and a 5-foot-high fence for burros. Adopters must bring a covered stock trailer of sturdy construction with a swing gate to transport horses or burros.

Cowan said the animals that were up for adoption in Tonganoxie ranged mares and geldings to yearlings and burros.

A couple of mustangs keep close together on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, at their ranch southeast of Baldwin City. Randy Billinger says the horses prefer to stay close together as is in their nature as herd animals.

“They’ve been vaccinated and dewormed, and they are used to people being around to feed them, but they are still wild.”

Saturday morning, some of the horses were warming up to visitors, including one in particular that welcomed some petting while other horses looked on with cautioned interest.

Jenni Davis traveled from Agency, Mo., about an hour’s drive, to check out the animals.

“I’d rather they be running free, but I’d rather they be adopted than put down or sent to slaughter,” she said.

There are many opportunities to adopt, including July 15-16 at the Craig County Fairgrounds in Vinita, Okla.

Billinger's adopted horses, mostly mustangs, wander freely in a pasture next to his home on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, at their ranch southeast of Baldwin City.

And, adoptions take place the second Tuesday of each month at a BLM adoption center in Pauls Valley, Okla.

Closer to home, the Hutchinson Correctional Facility’s inmates work BLM animals in preparation for adoption. There’s a horse show and expo Oct. 14-15 in Hutchinson where adoptions can also take place, though people can make an appointment to see the horses for potential adoption 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the correctional facility, 620-728-3296.

Billinger said the BLM won’t take adopters’ word that they have the required space. Adopters can expect a visit from BLM employees to check on where and how the animals are being kept and treated, he said.

He and his wife, Kristi, adopted their first three mustangs in 2000 for their Franklin County farm southeast of Baldwin City, Billinger said. They now have “seven or eight” and two former BLM burros. Their herd grew after they helped found the Midwest Mustang and Burro Saddle Club. They have taken in a number of horses and a burro from adopters who found themselves over their heads.

“Sometimes when people adopt, they’re just not ready,” he said. “That’s where our club comes in. We have a lot of members. When people call, we go out and work with them on safe and gentle techniques to gentle a horse without harsh methods.”

Those cases are the exception, Billinger said.

“Most people understand that just like domesticated horses, you have to have the time and space,” he said. “Most people are honest and follow through with their commitments.”

The animal’s temperament plays into how long it takes to “gentle” a mustang or burro, but Billinger said the biggest factor was the handler’s ability to give the time to work with an animal with the proper training techniques. The old cowboy bronco-busting method of horse training has been replaced with techniques that gradually build the horse’s trust in its handler. Billinger says he uses a method that initially employs a 10-foot bamboo pole to touch and scratch the horse.

“It can take a few weeks to several months to get a halter on a horse and lead it around by getting pressure on the lead rope,” he said. “With our burro Bernie, I had him so I could go up and put a halter on him in two days.”

He and his wife gained some fame in 2002 from their Kiger mustangs when the DreamWorks movie “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” was released. They were featured in several news stories on the mustang sub-breed the BLM discovered in 1977 in southeast Oregon.

“We were the first to bring Kiger mustangs to Kansas,” he said. “A big draw is their American heritage. They are a beautiful animal.”

That’s true of all wild mustangs, Billinger said. Since the BLM started the adoption program, people have found the horses excel in endurance competition events, endurance trail riding and any number of competitive disciplines from barrel racing to top-level dressage events, he said.

“They make wonderful ranch horses,” he said. “They have such good feet for working with cattle. A lot of military people are using mustangs for color guards. One of the horses pulling Ronald Reagan’s casket in Arlington National Cemetery was a mustang.”

Burros also have practical uses, Cowan said. Many people place a pair of them in pastures to protect cattle or sheep, but they also have a less functional appeal, she said.

“It’s their personalities,” she said. “They have such great individual character.”