Business & Technology

December 28, 2003

Texans offer homes to wild burros

By BEVERLY MOSELEY
Eagle Staff Writer

Some folks crowd shopping malls during the holidays looking for that one unique gift, while others venture into the country to find that special present.

An opportunity presented itself to find that gift near Franklin in December when young and old alike gathered to appraise and contemplate the pluses and minuses of some long-eared, stout-framed wild burros that were up for adoption.

No less interested were the 20 potential adoptees that stared back at the shoppers. The burros were recent arrivals at the Wild Horse Foundation near Franklin.

“We’re so excited that they were so healthy and big and beautiful,” said Susan Calhoun-Field, who co-founded the nonprofit foundation with her husband and equine trainer, Ray.

The couple established the foundation in 1998 “to educate the public about wild horse and burro issues, let the public know these animals can be trained to be companion animals and to protect our American heritage,” said Calhoun-Field.

Since then they’ve added barns, pens and training facilities while raising their own wild mustangs and burros. The foundation depends on donations and adoption fees to sustain its operations.

Within the past year, they have been approved by the state of Nevada, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the National Park Service to take delivery of wild burros and mustangs for adoption.

Treasured history

Since the Fields began the foundation they have found homes for an estimated 30 mustangs and 14 burros.

“These wild horses and burros are the [equine] working class that founded this country,” Ray said.

The Fields’ burros — 10 jacks [males] and 10 jennies [females] — were rounded up by the BLM at the National Park Service’s Mojave National Park in California. The burros are up-to-date on their shots and have health certificates from California.

The thinning project is designed to prevent overpopulation and enable other native wildlife to survive in the desert, said Tom Pogacnik, the California wild horse and burro program manager for the BLM.

“These are burros that have drifted over from the BLM land that surrounds the Mojave Desert,” he said. “Burros have been on this land since the mid-1800s. Most come from old prospectors.”

Pogacnik said the burro roundup was the first at the Mojave National Park and the Fields are among the first to receive animals for adoption. The Fields are taking “this on themselves,” he said. “We don’t provide any funding.

“All these burros will be adopted. That was part of the agreement.”

Burro shopping

The Snider family from Kosse, Texas was among the visitors looking over the stock. The Sniders have a jenny and were looking at two of the recently arrived jennies.

Michele Snider said wild burros and mustangs get a bad reputation; however, sometimes “they’re a lot better than some horses you raise,” she said. “They don’t come to you with any bad habits.”

Whether adopting a burro or wild mustang, a $150 fee is assessed for each animal, or $250 a pair. The purchase agreement stipulates that if a buyer wants to sell an adopted burro or horse obtained from the foundation it has the right of first-refusal to buy back the animal.

Buyers must meet criteria that includes providing a covered shelter with a 20 x 20 foot pen or a pasture with shelter access, adequate food and water supplies, personal references and the name of a veterinarian. The Fields also make on-site visits of prospective buyers.

“We make sure they know what it takes to take care of one,” she said. For example, understanding the animals’ nutritional requirements is a prime consideration. And the Fields emphasize that they are willing to offer buyers their expertise and answer any questions.

“We do whatever we can to assist buyers after the animals leave the ranch,” Calhoun-Field said. That includes help with training the burros and mustangs through workshops and clinics.

“We want them to succeed. We want them to have a companion they can love and care for,” Calhoun-Field said.

Know the animal

Training is the key to establishing a successful relationship between man and a wild burro or mustang. The Fields found out early on that conventional training techniques used on horses didn’t work with them.

That led to their pursuit of alternative methods that were neither abusive nor aggressive, Ray said, adding that they traveled extensively attending clinics, listening to experts and researching training techniques.

When someone buys a domestic horse it has already been around people and probably has had some formal training, Ray said. But burros and mustangs off the range have had no contact and have never been challenged by human communication.

“You actually have to instruct the horse by body language, sign language and single voice command,” Ray said. “One of the greatest things I like to tell people is that wild horses don’t have bad habits from bad people teaching them bad things. They’re like a new car — they haven’t even been test driven.”

It was in America’s Great Northwest that the Fields found John Sharp, 87, who taught them a gentle horsemanship training technique known as humane penning.

“We want to carry on his technique and educate the public,” Calhoun-Field said.

The technique involves using panels to work a mustang or burro into a pen area and then gradually closing the panels in on them. Then a cane pole is used to reach for and touch the burro. The pole is worked gently across the animal’s topside with a back and forth motion. It is relaxing and works to desensitize the burro to touch, she said.

Once the animal is comfortable with the sensation the handler can then begin to work the cane over other areas of the body. While using the cane pole, the handler is slowly working his or her hands down it until he or she can touch the animal.

“The burro views it [the pole] as an extension of your arm,” said Calhoun-Field.

The Fields offer clinics and workshops throughout the year. A gentling clinic will be held at the foundation on Jan. 3. For more information go to www.wildhorsefoundation.org or call (979) 828-3927.