In order to qualify for the drawing for Chopper, prospective adopters must fill out an application for adoption and be approved by 11:30 a.m. March 15. The winner must agree to the terms of adoption by signing a private maintenance and care agreement. Required forms are available at our booth. The drawing will be at noon on March 15. The winner can pick up Chopper at the Horse Expo or make arrangements to pick him up in Canon City on Friday, March 20 at 9:00 a.m. YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN. If the winner is not present, we will draw another name.

We currently have over 900 animals to choose from, featuring an unusual selection of appaloosas, palominos, buckskins, grullas, pintos, roans, and more. Mustangs and burros range in age from weanling to five years old, and there are usually mare/foal pairs available. We offer both trained and untrained mustangs and burros.

With regards to saddle trained mustangs, we usually have five available at any time, mostly geldings, and 30 more in training but not finished. Halter trained mustangs are also available. These are usually 5-7 years old. Most burros range in age from weanlings to 10 years old. Jenny/foal pairs are sometimes available.

Adoptions in Canon City are by appointment only on scheduled adoption days.

Untrained animals: Untrained mustangs and burros adopted at the Canon City facility are offered at a fixed price of $125. For mare/foal or jenny/foal pairs, the fee is $250. Animals offered through competitive bidding via the internet or at satellite adoptions start at $125. Payment for adoption fees is made to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and can be made by cash, check, money order, or credit card.

Halter trained mustangs: Most of the halter trained mustangs are offered for a fixed price of $125 on a first come first served basis. Younger animals may have a higher minimum fee. Halter trained mustangs offered through competitive bidding via the internet or at satellite adoptions start at $125 or higher. Payment is the same as for untrained animals.

Saddle trained mustangs: The total price for saddle trained mustangs adopted from the Canon City facility is $1,025. This includes the adoption fee of $125 and a training fee of $900.00.

Saddle trained mustangs are offered for adoption only when training is complete. The adopter will make two separate payments, one to BLM for the adoption fee and one to the Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP) for the training. Mustangs offered through competitive bidding via the internet or at satellite adoptions start at $1,025. Payment for the training fee can be made by cash, money order, or credit card.

Halter training services: The WHIP also offers halter training services to adopters for a fee. An adopter can choose from the hundreds of mustangs available and contract with the WHIP for halter training. Training and gelding, if desired, usually takes 4-6 weeks. The prices are as follows: training - $210/month, board - $4.00/day.

Adopters from out of state must obtain a current health certificate to transport a mustang or burro across state lines. This is available through a local veterinarian and, with some advance notice, can be arranged prior to your departure.

For information on adoption requirements, go to
http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Programs/wild_horse_and_burro.html

To view/print a PDF on applying to adopt a wild horse, click on:
Adoption Application

When you adopt, the Bureau of Land Management's mustangs and burros are guaranteed healthy with no lameness. They are vaccinated annually for Eastern and Western sleeping sickness, West Nile virus, tetanus, and rabies. Additionally, on a quarterly basis they are dewormed and vaccinated for rhinopneumonitis, influenza, and strangles. They also come with a current, negative Coggins test. The guarantee is valid for six months from the date of adoption. If the mustang or burro suffers from a life threatening condition or lameness that existed at the time of adoption, have your veterinarian send in a statement describing the ailment and confirm that it existed at the time of adoption. You must return the mustang or burro to the Canon City facility. Upon return, you will be entitled to a replacement animal at no additional charge.

Saddle trained mustangs also come with a training guarantee. This guarantee is valid for 30 days after you've received the mustang. The staff at the Wild Horse Inmate Program will be glad to answer any questions you have about your mustang. However, if you are dissatisfied with the training or are having extreme difficulty with your trained mustang, return it to Canon City for an exchange or a refund of the training fees. The BLM portion of your adoption fee for a trained mustang is non-refundable and non-exchangeable. However, you may adopt another animal for the $125 fee.

If problems with training develop, adopters of saddle trained mustangs can bring their horse back to Canon City and work with one of our mustang training staff to solve any problems. This service is available by appointment only.

For mustangs and burros adopted in person in Canon City, BLM will pay to have your newly adopted animal delivered free within 150 miles driving distance of Canon City. Deliveries will be on Wednesdays (subject to change), weather permitting. BLM will strive to have your adopted animal delivered within three weeks from the date of adoption. If an adopter cannot be available on the scheduled delivery day, a feed charge of $3.00/day will apply until the mustang or burro is picked up from Canon City.

If the delivery distance is more than 150 miles, adopters may be able to pay for the remaining miles through a contract with the Wild Horse Inmate Program.

BLM reserves the right to refuse delivery if facilities are not adequate or safe for the adopted animal as per the application for adoption.

American mustangs are a common thread in many of this country's greatest legends. Mustangs played a vital role in the settling of our American West. These noble creatures carried cowboys up the Chisholm Trail, mountain men through the Tetons, trappers into Oregon, native Americans into buffalo hunts and settlers from the east coast to the west. Today these mustangs are helping troubled men make a new beginning with an old craft - horse training. Born and bred in the wild, mustangs have to be intelligent, hardy, sure-footed, and healthy to survive the rigors of living on the open range. It is these traits, combined with their loyalty, that make them such a versatile horse.

In 1986, Colorado Correctional Industries, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), initiated a program in Canon City where mustangs are trained and offered for adoption to qualified applicants. This is our Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP). We operate within a state-of-the-art facility and employ a staff of professional horse trainers who provide horsemanship, animal husbandry and farrier skills. Since its inception, more than 5,000 mustangs have been trained through the WHIP.

We specialize in starting horses for the trail rider, but our trained mustangs have also found homes and lead productive lives with youth riding organizations, handicap and therapeutic riding organizations, riding stables, and government agencies.

Colorado Correctional Industries, in conjunction with the Bureau of Land Management, is proud to offer mustangs, the American original. Be a part of the western tradition and adopt a mustang of your very own.

In 1986, Colorado Correctional Industries, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), initiated a program in Canon City where mustangs are trained and offered for adoption to qualified applicants. This is our Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP). We operate within a state-of-the-art facility and employ a staff of professional horse trainers who provide horsemanship, animal husbandry and farrier skills. Since its inception, more than 5,000 mustangs have been trained through the WHIP.