Wild horses rounded up this month in the Fox Lake Herd Management Area will soon be ready for adoption at the Bureau of Land Management Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Center. Those not adopted here go to adoption events in southern states or long-term holding facilities.
Twelve studs arrived then about seven yearlings arrived the next day from Fox Lake. All have been branded, got their first vaccinations and appear to be healthy, according to Acting PVC Manager James Beck. Those interested in adopting a horse need to make an appointment.
“Technically, they are all available (for adoption) now,” Beck said last week. “We branded all those on Monday. They can’t be picked up until they get booster shots, in four to six weeks.”
Winter weather could delay gelding and shipping giving locals more time to see the animals.
“I think we only got a few adult mares- maybe one or two but the studs were mostly older studs. We got twelve one day and I think the majority of those were seven years and older which will be long term (holding) but they are going to be here for a while,” Beck said. “With the weather, we’re not going to geld anything so it will be a little while before we even get stuff gelded.”
The Fox-Lake yearlings were mixed with other horses about the same age and on the same vaccine schedule in a pen where they could not be seen by the public. Beck explained that the large, empty pens, visible from outside the facility, were reserved for upcoming roundups.
“We didn’t use a bigger pen on the outside knowing we’ve got a lot more horses coming in,” he said. “This little group will stay kind of there until we get other horses to that same part of the process- boosters, branded and all that. Once everybody has their boosters then they can be mixed but we have to keep those booster schedules separate. We’ve got them in a little pen that allows us to keep the other pens for more horses coming in.”
Yearling studs will also be gelded while young females “are too young to be bred” and could be shipped anytime after their boosters to confirmed adopters or to adoption events. Meanwhile, Nevadans interested in adopting any of the Fox Lake animals should contact Beck at PVC soon.
“If we’ve got some definite interest, we can figure out a way to (show animals),” he said. “I don’t anticipate us cleaning those horses out until (February). We’ve got some stuff from the Surprise Valley gather that we will try and move by the end of January, beginning of February just so I don’t have that many animals here with the gathers we have coming in. And then, by the end of February through March, I will try and get all of the yearlings out that I can to adoption events.”
Springtime adoption events are scheduled across the southern states, Beck said.
“That’s the time of the year that the south part of the country- Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida- all those southern states really start their adoption events,” he said. “We will try and get those animals moved out before we start foaling out any mares that we have here, that are left from the gathers. It just gives us more room.”
Beck told a visitor the Fox Lake yearlings could be seen when the weather clears.
“If you want to come back, maybe give us a call when the weather is a little nicer,” he said. “We’ll walk you down through an alley. Right now, it’s pretty bad with today’s rain.”
At PVC, most of the wild horse and burro pens provide no shelter from winter wind, rain and snow. Sheltered pens are reserved for “compromised” or sick animals, Beck explained.
“Our sick pens- we make sure all those animals have some type of shelter,” he said. “These (Fox Lake) animals are good, healthy and strong. We make sure they’ve got all the feed and water. We take care of them very well. Like I said, we can get people down to see them or get them moved to another location if we know we’ve got the interest.”
Those interested in seeing and possibly adopting any of the mustangs before they leave the facility may contact Beck for an appointment by calling the PVC office at 775-475-2222.
