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Wild horses, burros up for adoption during 2-day event near Las Cruces

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At the Doña Ana County Fairgrounds, wild horses and burros that once roamed free are now waiting to go to a loving home as part of the Bureau of Land Management's adoption event. 

Brought from different states, 80 wild animals are up for adoption, and you can take up to four of them home.

Ranging from 2 to 4 years old, the horses and burros — or donkeys — are untrained. They're fully vaccinated, dewormed, and tested negative for the Coggins blood test. 

The BLM is also offering people $1,000 per animal as an incentive.

"And the $1,000 is just to help defray some of the the training, feeding, veterinary costs and just make it a little more enticing for a person to come in and adopt a wild horse or burro," said program manager Pat Williams.

On Friday, bidding starts at noon. 

After that, whatever animals are left, are available on a first come, first serve basis for $125 each.

All you need to do is apply on-site and bring your own trailer. 

Anyone is eligible as long as they're over 18 years old, a U.S. Citizen, has no record of animal abuse, and has a minimum of 400 square feet per animal.

Williams has owned several horses, and he recommends to first-time horse and donkey owner a lot of patience. 

He wanted others to know why bringing one of these animals home is worth it.

"For wild horses, they're known for their sure-footedness and their endurance, but they're also incredibly smart, and willing to learn, and thing is, you know, when you take them home, they're scared. And then once you gain their trust, the sky's the limit...," continued Williams. "It's humbling because a wild horse will will teach you just as much as you're teaching it." 

Doors open on Friday at 9 a.m., but adoptions will start from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

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Nicole Ardila

Nicole Ardila is a multimedia journalist.

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