BLM Mustangs

I don't know if any of you ever stalk the BLM mustang online auctions, but I do. I'm finally in a location and position in my life where I could take on a mustang. I'm boarding but my facility has 6.5' fences and a smaller paddock that opens up into a round pen, so the horse could be out in a paddock near other horses but be worked in the pen. My current horse (Arab) rides well so I could have one to ride so that I'm not rushing the mustang to get to a riding point. So I put in an adoption application for a few auctions in the last year. The horse I wanted for this one ended up being shipped to long-term holding so he wasn't available afterall. The auction had a group from the South Steens HMA, which is a very colorful herd. It just ended yesterday and the high bid went to a buckskin gelding with a super long and weak back... $4265!!! I just can't imagine someone spending that much money on an untouched mustang who might turn out to be too challenging for the new owner and doesn't have a good functional conformation. The second highest went to a well built, good moving, silver 2yo at $3125. Third went to a burly decently built pinto gelding at $2860. I just couldn't believe how high those horses went. The one I picked out for this auction was a pretty plain black gelding with a few white hairs on his forehead (not really enough to even call a star). He was built well and moved well, and I figured in this colorful group, the solid black wouldn't get many bids, but he ended up selling for $555 which was more than I wanted to spend on a horse I'd only seen a few pictures and one short video clip on.

Aaaah it's my dream to be able to adopt one! I've been stalking the auctions too- even though I'm not financially in a place to be able to own one, I like to just oogle, haha.

Came across this beauty: https://www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/horse.php?horse_id=9009

I'm absolutely in love. ♥ I can't believe how low she went for too. Conformation isn't too bad, but she has such lovely movement. 2 bids, only $130?! Frustrating haha, I wish she could have been mine. Oh well. Oogle.

That's insane how much those guys went for though, as you said, considering their extremely unbroken. $5k can get you some pretty nice schoolmasters here...

I've been watching them as i've been recreating some into my adopts, and the one Ryaisy linked may be a prospect for inspiration ;)

Wey, pm me? ;) Think we've got a inspiration/idea!

So just putting in my two cents, bear with me.

I adopted a brumby through a government sanctioned "rescue group" with the idea of breaking it in and flipping on it fairly quickly.
Paid the adoption fee for a supposed 4 year old black stallion. When they knocked him out to geld him, they checked his teeth and told me he might be up to 7 years old. Ok, fine, we were getting very boarder line age-wise but I was pretty committed by then.

3 days before he was due to arrive at my property they called me to say they were having a float loading session with this wild unhandled horse and he got a little cut above his eye. Fine, ok, whatever, thanks for telling me.
3 days later he arrives in the dark and the rescue group bolts. That should have been the red flag.
I go out in the daylight, and I'll spare you the details but it involved a half blind horse and that "little cut" was a fractured eye socket. I spent $1500 on a vet bill that day with the vet advising me to put the horse down. I didn't put him down and miraculously he got some vision back in that eye eventually.

Fast forward 5 years, I still have him and I get the vet out to do his teeth. I assumed the horse was about 12 by this point. The vet does his teeth and then informs me what a lovely geriatric I have. What??? Yeah, my 12 year old is actually closer to 20.

I got a 15 year old brumby out of the bush. No wonder he never really settled into domestic life. He has major trust issues and I can't leave him in anyone else's care as he's not able to managed by anyone but me. Flattering, yes. Annoying, much more so.

Take this little story as you will. But I've been there and done that and got the short end of the stick. I'm sure there's heaps of happy stories out there but you need to know what can happen. I got my horse from an apparently reputable organisation. I love him dearly (on a very spiritual level actually) and he's a fantastic babysitter for my youngsters but he's useless in the conventional horse sense. I'm blessed because I have my own place and the space to keep him. Anyway, that's my experience. Good luck and I hope you have a better time of it.

Last edited on 2017-02-16 at 03:45:46 by tas

@Ryaisy I was just having a quick look on the website and picked out this beauty too! I don't know much about the BLM but amazing we picked out the same horse.

I am constantly on there looking at "dream" horses. One day I hope to get another mustang but until that day it's just fun to look.

It always blows my mind how the colorful horses go for crazy amounts. Half the time they look like a fraken horse when it comes to confirmation. -.- I don't get it.

Well I guess its good for me.. One day when we want to take on a mustang I'll be able to get a cheap nicely built horse... as long as its a plain bay XD

@Tiger
No way! Man haha, I just was browsing through all of them and when I came across her, was drawn to her movement- it's so rare to see such emphasized leg movement with them!

@Dox
Hah! Oh gosh no kidding. You see a single overo mare and she ends up selling for $5k- conformation? A joke. Like yeah they're pretty and unique- but your horse is already unique, it's a mustang.

Honestly I'd rather pick a horse that is as ugly as they come, but has beautiful movement and conformation. Less vet bills in the future, lol. Savin' you and the horse a looootttt of time and money!

tas - I've no idea how Brumbys go, but with the US Mustangs, they're usually gelded and up to date on things before being put up for auction. Of course age is always a wild guess unless you're looking at one that was super young when brought in (which rather defeats the purpose of the wild-educated horse IMO). But you don't actually own the horse for an entire year. You can't sell it in that period, so they're never a quick flip for profit. But during that period you can return the horse to the BLM for any reason. If the horse is just too much, has a serious injury, etc, they'll take it back and if it doesn't get adopted back out, will go to a long-term holding facility (basically 1000 acres fenced off where the horse will never be touched again). It rather intimidates me that I could end up with one that's just bat-sh*t crazy, but at least I can return it and they'll give you the money back in another adoption.

Ryaisy - I've seen that mare in the past few auctions, she always gets bids but never actually sells. She's got flashy knee action but she's so darn hollow I think it would be a real challenge to overcome.

this is the horse I liked https://www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/horse.php?horse_id=9354&mygalleryview= check out the video of his movement... oooooh! There was another one I just loved back in June who moved out like a welsh cob, but he was 13h and it had me on the fence. I finally decided to go for it anyways and he'd already been adopted.

Just wanted to update (this is Helix, I'm on break and don't want to progress my horses, so I'm on my second account). I placed a bid on 2 horses in the auction that just ended. Won them both. I'm going to ask my eventing instructor her opinion on which would have more dressage potential and just take her advise as a go. But here are the links to both.

https://www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/horse.php?horse_id=9485&mygalleryview=

https://www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/horse.php?horse_id=9472&mygalleryview=

Both are from the same HMA, 2 and 3 yo geldings. The facility did videos for them, so that was super helpful in picking them out of the pack, but they move very differently and I'm just not an expert.

Also, that poor little strawberry roan didn't sell last time either, she got another 44 bids this time, so maybe she'll finally get a home.

And more super high bids were in this auction group. Weanlings (they're listed as yearlings, but would be 10 months old or so now), bids at $2000, $1840, a few around 1400 and 1200 as well. I always feel like that's a lot to drop on a mustang of any age, but certainly an undeveloped youngster. But hopefully that means they'll go to great homes with people who can afford good farrier, vet, and feed expenses.

They're both lovely! ♥

Both those boys have good hind leg reach underneath, which is your main focus with dressage. #5270 (2yo) looks more rounded through the back and hindquarters, more proper muscle development with him, whereas #5272 (3yo) is more hollow through the back, which CAN be fixed with time and proper training. They both look like good prospects to me.

My riding instructor said hands down get the 3yo, so I did. Longer pasterns, longer neck, she likes the way he uses his hindquarter better, he's more uphill, and of course, fancier movement doesn't hurt. Plus, we were both a little uncertain about the age on the "2yo" he's built like a weanling. So he either is right around 12 months, or he's a wonky 2yo, who will be a wonky adult. BLM is notorious about mis-aging horses, especially if you've got one a good bit bigger than those his age, so he could very well be a big coming yearling who's too young to do much with other than feed and groom.

I'm not particularly in love with the markings on the 3yo, but you don't buy a horse on markings, so I guess you can't not buy a horse based on markings either.

I would LOVE to adopt a BLM mustang, but there is no way I will ever be able to because I am in Canada. If canadians were allowed to adopt straight from the BLM (not through tip programs of already trained mustangs), I would buy a mustang.

To be perfectly honest, the 2yo actually has better movement at this point and he has the better structure to go along (which is pretty dang good for his age). With proper development, he can become as correct as the 2yo is. Always remember, never sacrifice CORRECTNESS for fancy movements. Flashy =/= right. Basically, you don't want to look like current Grand Prix riders and their poor horses XD