Local families adopt two wild mustangs

From Bend.com new sources

        On Sunday, Sep. 28, The High Desert Museum’s resident wild mustangs “Steens” and “Beaty” were adopted by two local families as part of the Bureau of Land Management’s Adopt-A-Wild Horse or Burro Program.

            Two-year-old gelding “Steens” was adopted by Wendy Wilsey-Magers and David Magers of Alfalfa; two-year-old “Beaty” was adopted by Gib and Beth Carter of Sisters.  The adoption proceeds netted nearly $1000.00.  On-hand for the adoption was Elaine Marquis-Brong, State Director for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM); Barron Bail, BLM District Manager; and Bill Pieratt, Wild Horse Adoption Coordinator for the BL.

            With few natural predators mustang herds reproduce rapidly.  Today, the BLM and the United States Forest Service manage wild horses and burros on public lands to protect both the environment and the horses’ health.

            Through the BLM’s Adopt-a Wild Horse or Burro Program excess wild horses and burros are gathered and offered for adoption to the public.

            To broaden the knowledge and understanding of the adoption program, The High Desert Museum partnered with the BLM to create Mustang Corral.

The exhibit debuted on June 14, 2003, and will serve as the annual summer home for either wild mustangs or burros.  It is estimated that nearly 30,000 Museum visitors had the opportunity to get up close to theses icons of the untamed West while also learning about the adoption program.

            Mustang Corral remains temporarily vacant throughout the upcoming winter months, but the Museum expects to receive a new pair of wild mustangs or burros from the BLM in late April 2004.

            The High Desert Museum, a non-profit educational institution, is nationally acclaimed for its indoor and outdoor exhibits and animal habitats, and for making the High Desert come alive through presentations on the region’s people, cultures, wildlife, art, and history.

            Museum admission ranges from $8.50 adults, $7.50 seniors (65+) and youths(13-17), $4 children (5-12), and free for members and children 4 and younger.  All admission prices are good for two consecutive days.

            Annual memberships start as low as #35.  The Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located just south of Bend at 59800 S. Hwy 97.  Contact: 540-382-4754 or www.highdesertmuseum.org.

 

Two Wild Horses are Stars of Exhibit at High Desert Museum

The Bend Bulletin--By Jim Witty

        The wild mustang, that unfettered icon of the American West, is coming to The High Desert Museum

            Mustang Corral will be the annual summer home for a pair of wild horses or burros and will allow museum visitors to get up close to these magnificent feral beauties.

            The new exhibit opens Sunday with the introduction of the museum's newest animal ambassadors, Beaty and Steens.  Beaty is a 2-year-old filly gathered from the Beaty Butte Herd Management Area, and Steens is a 2-year-old gelding from the South Steens Herd Management Area.  Both horses will remain at the museum throughout the summer and be available for adoption through the Bureau of Land Management's Adopt-A-Wild-Horse program in the fall, according to museum spokeswoman Lisa Olsiewski.

            The Mustang Corral exhibit will run through September this year.

            For the last month, Steens and Beaty have lived with Prineville-area horse trainers Rick and Kitty Lauman, who will continue working with the pair at the Mustang Corral.

            Representatives from the BLM’s Adopt-A-Wild-Horse-Or-Borrow program will be on hand Saturday and Sunday for the opening weekend festivities.  Several horse-related demonstrations are scheduled throughout the summer.

            Many free-roaming horses in the West are descended from 15 Spanish horses that Hernan Cortez brought by ship to Mexico in 1519.  The story of their modern descendants is told in the museum’s new exhibit.

            European settlers of the High Desert used horses to pack supplies, haul wagons, drag logs and pull plows.  And throughout the 19th century, domesticated horses escaped or were released into the wild.  By the onset of the 20th century, there were an estimated one million mustangs roaming the West, according to the museum.

            During the 1920’s, ’30, and ’40, “mustangers” rounded up the horses for sale to slaughterhouses for human and pet food.  There was a public outcry against the practice in the 1950’s, and in 1971 Congress passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act to protect the herds.

            Today, the BLM manages the burgeoning wild horse herds to protect the rangelands by capturing excess animals and offering them for adoption.

            The High Desert Museum has hosted wild horses before.

            Last year, the museum hosted a weekend-long exhibit and education fair that featured two adopted horses, one of which was an award-winning Kiger mustang training by the Laumans.

            The museum is open daily from 9a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

            

 

 

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