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Least Resistance Training Concepts
Comstock Wild Horse Program |
"We're really pretty cool"
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Jump to Animals Available for Adoption Index
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These are the horses that Velma (Wild Horse Annie) Johnston set out to protect.
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While the Federal Government eventually passed the Wild Free-roaming Horses and Burros Act, the act applies only to wild horses on federal public lands. The horses that roam state and private lands in western Nevada are not protected under the Act.
The State of Nevada has charged the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) with responsibility and authority over non-federal "estray" horses. Unfortunately there is not much funding allocated for this program. The personnel assigned to the horse program are primarily responsible for other duties and share their time to keep the horse program going. In 2002 a round of serious budget and personnel cutbacks even further hindered the resources available to the horse program. The entire State of Nevada has been designated as a Federal Agricultural Disaster Area due to years of unprecedented drought. Estray horses are wandering down into populated areas in search of food and water causing serious traffic accidents and other problems. (We're receiving almost daily reports of horses being killed on highways.) NDA reduced the herd near the Highway 50 corridor by some 170 horses but they still keep roaming into developed areas and to make matters worse, development is steadily encroaching into historic wild horse ranges. NDA is not obligated to hold these horses indefinitely, in fact they can only afford to hold the horses a short time to allow authorized adoption organizations to take them for placement with adopters. LRTC, the Virginia Range Wildlife Protection Assn., Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue and Mustang-Spirit have been scrambling to place these animals along with assistance from some other wild horse groups and individual volunteers. If the horses don't get placed through the adoption program, NDA will have to take them to the Fallon Livestock Sale. We are currently faced with a two edged crisis. First we need people capable of adopting wild horses to provide good homes for these animals. Secondly, since many of the horses wandering into populated areas are bachelors and band stallions, the participating adoption groups need financial assistance in getting these animals gelded before being offered for adoption.
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Lucky and adopter Betty Retzer
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How You Can Help
Please click on a link for more information. We will connect you with the participating adoption group closest to your area.
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Shiloh & adopter Suzy Noel
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6 month old "Jewels playing
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Additional information on how you can help this program can be viewed by clicking HERE.
Some background discussion as to why there is a wild horse adoption crisis in Nevada can be found by clicking Here. We will work to facilitate providing horses and financial incentives to qualified groups that wish to use them in educational programs and/or place them with adopters. Please email us to discuss available options. |
Least Resistance Training Concepts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational
corporation based in Knightsen, California, with volunteers in thirty one states.
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