Horse adoption is Saturday

On Saturday, 16 saddle trained horses from the ranges of Nevada will graduate from months of training and will be available for adoption.

The public is invited to the 10 a.m. graduation and to bid on the horses, including 12 from BLM-administered public lands and four estray horses under the jurisdiction of the State of Nevada at Northern Nevada Correctional Center, off Snyder Avenue on the south side of Carson City.

Public access to the corrals starts at 9 a.m., and a competitive bid adoption conducted by an auctioneer begins at 10 a.m.

The horses range in age from 2-6 years, are saddle-trained with 120 days of training, and vary in weight and color. The beginning bid on all horses is $150. The saddle-trained animals are trained by inmates in the Nevada Department of Corrections program.

A catalog of BLM wild horses and Nevada state estray horses offered for the May 30 adoption can be viewed at http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/carson_city_field.html. Copies of the handout are also available at BLM offices in Reno and Carson City. Frequently asked questions about the program are answered at the same site.

To pre-qualify for the weekend adoption call, (775) 885-6146 (BLM horses) or (775) 343-9118 (Nevada estray horses through the Mustangs of America Foundation).

The Bureau of Land Management, the Nevada Department of Agriculture and the Nevada Department of Corrections sponsor the program.

Potential adopters are asked to enter the Northern Nevada Correctional Center off Snyder Avenue on the south side of Carson City. From Highway 395, take Snyder Avenue east for 1.5 miles to the entrance to the Northern Nevada Correctional Center. Turn right (south) and watch for signs and event personnel directing event participants to the horse corrals and parking at the extreme south end of the facility.

Prison rules prohibit the public from wearing any blue clothing, blue jeans, tank tops or shorts. Also, no cell phones, cameras or recording devices are allowed.