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This is a non-commercial, independent website, owned and written by Nancy Kerson, for the benefit of actual and potential adopters of BLM Mustangs and Burros and similar animals.
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Back to Gallery of HMA'sOregon has 21 Herd Management Areas that are administered by 4 BLM Districts and the US Forest Service. |
 Click Map for enlargement | BURNS DISTRICT: Alvord-Tule Springs Heath Creek Kiger Palomino Buttes Riddle Mountain Sheepshead South Steens Stinkingwater Warm Springs PRINEVILLE DISTRICT: | VALE DISTRICT: Cold Springs Coyote Lake Hog Creek Jackies Butte Sand Springs Sheepshead (shared with Burns District with Heath Creek) Three Fingers USFS: Big Summit Murderer's Creek |
This is Tucker, adopted in Roseburg, OR 2/25/05. He is great ~ tarps no biggy, clippers a breeze, fairgrounds and commotion best behaved horse on his second outing - if I may brag….I have planned for a long time that my next riding partner would be a BLM mustang. I am excited to be able to share these pics. Hope they are helpful. I’ll send better pics this spring. - Ieesha King – Glendale,OR |   | |
Oregon has 18 Herd Management Areas: | ||||
Oregon originally had these 11 Herd Areas, too, but they have been zeroed out: | ||||
 Chief from Alvord - Tule Springs. |  I adopted him as a 3 year old in May, what a wonderful horse. He amazes me every time I see him. - Lea Ann | |||
 Skeeter from Alvord Tule, adopted by Jennifer Janes |  photo: Andi Harmon "Cowboy" and Lloyd of Burns BLM Corrals | Dr. Gus Cothran analyzed blood markers and DNA for this herd in 2000 - 2001, checking on genetic health as well as possible clues to ancestry and origins. At this time he determined that of all the domestic breeds, the Alvord-Tule Springs herd most closely resembled the Quarter Horse and the Thoroughbred. As for genetic health, he states, "If there are no drastic reductions in herd size it should be possible for variability to be maintained for at least the next 50 years."
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 Ebony, adopted by Rhonda Zinkel, with her mule baby, Eleanor. |
|  Latte from Alvord-Tule HMA adopted by Rhonda Zinkel  | ||
| Alvord-Tule horses at Burns BLM Corrals: | ||||
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 Duchess from Beaty's Butte - adopted by Tom & Andi Harmon Duchess was the first Mustang we ever adopted and she was from Beaty's Butte. Talk about a smart horse! She gentled immediately and was very willing right away to learn new stuff. She was a little more aloof than Beau is. She was also a small horse, which was not the norm for that herd area. She was a beautiful bay ...She had a tendency to be a little ornery, but knew who she could push around and who she couldn't. But when she had her first rider, which was after her 3rd saddling, she took it all in stride like it was just meant to be! - Andi |  BB - adopted by Rhonda Zinkel |  Beaty's Butte horses at Burns BLM corral | ||
 Beaty's Butte horses at Burns BLM corral  | 
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|  Kitty Lauman use two Beaty's Butte mustangs in her video "From Wild To Willing." She says this herd has exceptionally good minds. Her horse, Wyatt, on whom she won the National Cowgirl Mounted Shooting Championships, is also a Beaty's Butte horse. | 
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 Climax from Beaty's Buttes HMA in Oregon. She's the one that was gorgeous but WILD. Adopted her in 2001 as a 4 yr. old. She was a return from Matt Fournier and slated for sanctuary because they considered her too wild to gentle. She did destroy my round-pen... but she's now in S. Calif. and being brushed, etc. by kids. Took awhile... but, she got there finally. Rhonda Zinkel Long Ears & Pack |  Wyatt from Beaty's Butte, ridden by "Cactus Kitty" Lauman, is a Cowboy Mounted Shooting Champion | |||
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 Prairie Rose from the Big Summit HMA |   Eeyore from Ochoco National Forest performs in costume and in equitation classes. | |||
 O'Neill, still in the wild.  Wild Moment (third horse from the left) O'Neill is still in the wild in the Big Summit HMA and joined our inventory unit last year (The Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition inventories the HMA annually). He stayed with us for 4 days. We had to put up a hot wire to keep him out of camp. I even touched his nose the first day he came to visit…then decided that was not the best thing to do since he was supposed to be wild! He rode with us all of the first day. As you can see in the one photo, he just got in line and followed along. The second day he stayed with us for ½ the day, and on the third day, he said “I’ll wait here at camp for you” and sure enough…there he was. It was one of those “Wild Moments” that I’ll never forget. - Karen Jackson-Simmons | ||||
   Thanks to Marcia Grahn for these beautiful photos of Ochoco/Big Summit horses in the wild! | ||||
 Ochoco Belle, ridden by Cassie Saunders in the 2004 Western States Wild Horse & Burro Expo |  | |||
  |  The Cold Springs horses exhibit a high incidence of the Silver Dapples color gene - unusual among wild horses and common only in Rocky Mountain horses and certain pony breeds among domestic horses. |   | ||
 Karma, an orphaned foal adopted by Andi & Tom Harmon |  |  Karma with her mother at eh burns Corrals, before her mother sustained a fatal injury | ||
 |  Cold Springs Cody | Rumor has it that a ranch back in the 40's and 50's used to run their AQHA stallions with the wild herds there and bring in the herds in the fall, take out the babies they wanted and turn the rest back out. So there is likely some very old QH blood in those horses. Which would explain why many of them are quieter than others and also why some of them are a bit difficult, depending on the QH stallions they ran. | ||
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 Sallee, adopted by Jennifer Janes |  Dusty from Coyote Lakes - adopted by Tom & Andi Harmon |  Coyote Kid - adopted by Karen Jackson-Simmons | ||
 Ranger is a Coyote Lake mustang, from SE Oregon (HMA #14 on your map). He looks like a little Fresian with his huge, arched neck, feathered legs and long, curly mane, forelock and tail. Adopted by Karen Blackwood. In December of 2006, Ranger and Karen were honored at their Horsemen's Association for their work in competitive cow cutting. To read more about Ranger, click here.
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 | Karen Sullivan's Coyote Lakes horse | |||
HOG CREEK Herd Management Area photo: Andi Harmon Hog Creek HMA horses at Burns BLM Corrals | ||||
  Bo, a blue roan stud from Hog Creek, adopted by the Greg Schultz family BLM TARGET HERD SIZE: 30 to 50. HORSE COLORS: Bay, brown, black, sorrel, roan, palomino, buckskin. SIZE OF HORSES: The horses are good sized, saddle type, ranging from 15 to 16 hands and weigh from 950 to 1300 pounds. Hog Creek, 22,265 acres, AML Range 30-50 This HMA was last gathered in 1997. Shortly after this gather, 3 new stallions were introduced to Hog Creek HMA to help ensure genetic viability. One bay stallion from the Jackies Butte HMA, and two red roans from the South Steens HMA, were selected since they were representative of the herd characteristics for size and saddle horse type conformation. The bay stallion disappeared the first year after being transplanted, but the two red roan horses continue to contribute greatly to the overall quality of the herd. | ||||
 Vale’s Strawberry Rohan from Hog Creek |  |  Hog Creek Shadow, adopted by Aimee Wheeler | ||
 Charlie, orphan Kiger colt being raised by Andi & Tom Harmon |   "Cowboy" and Matt Fournier | |||
 Kiger filly adopted by Carter Roberts of Oklahoma |  Kim Bauer's Kiger horses |  Rick Littleton and Steen's Kiger | ||
 Kiger Internet Adoption filly |  Kiger Internet Adoption horse |  Kiger Internet Adoption horse | ||
 Liggett Table Horses photo: Andi Harmon | ||||
 MURDERER'S CREEK Wild Horse Territory, U.S. Forest Service
Murderer's Creek, 108,568 acres, AML Range 50-140 The lineage of the Murderer's Creek horses is diverse and quite debatable. Although it is likely that horses found in the area by early explorers (probably escaped from Indian herds) left their mark in the area, there can be no dispute that many of the Murderer's Creek horses are descendants of animals lost or turned loose by settlers and ranchers.
Prior to the passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act in 1971, ranchers managed the wild herds by turning out their own stallions to bring certain characteristics into the bands, then gathered the young horses in the spring. The Murderer's Creek horses are generally around 14 hands in size. More than 50 percent of the horses of the Murderer's Creek are "timber horses." They live in heavily timbered areas of ponderosa pine and mixed conifer. These horses tend to be bay or brown in color, whereas the horses in the western, more open part of the territory are grays, duns, and sorrels. The "timber horses" tend to stay at the high elevations year-round, living in bands of three to eight animals. Gathering the "timber horses" of Murderer's Creek is very challenging, as the horses have learned to use the trees and mountain terrain to their advantage. Despite this reputation, the "timber horses" tend to settle down shortly after capture, and they are generally quieter when worked with than their open country cousins of the west end of the territory. Dr. Gus Cothran performed genetic analysis of this herd in 2000 - 2001, checking on genetic health as well as possible ancestry. He found that this herd - which is physically isolated from other herd areas - is the most unique, bearing the least similarity to the other Oregon herds studied. He also found that it was NOT inbred, as I have heard people say they believe it to be. Genetic health was good, and he predicted no inbreeding issues in the near future "if population levels are maintained." He found that this herd bears closest genetic resemblance to the American light racing and saddle breeds as well as to the New World Iberian breeds. | ||||
 |  Palomino Stud from Palomino Buttes photo: Andi Harmon |  Family Band of wild horses in Palomino Buttes HMA | ||
 |  Newly gathered Palomino Buttes horses at Burns, Oregon, BLM Corrals - photos by Andi Harmon |  | ||
Sarah Okamura & Sunka Wacan, her Palomino Buttes HMA horse Cremello Gelding Foaled 1997 Adopted 1999 Sunka (pronounced “Shoon-kah”) was adopted as a long yearling from the Burns Holding Facility in Oregon. He came from the Palomino Buttes Herd Management Area. His color and size are not uncommon in horses from this herd. He owes a debt of gratitude to Matt and Pam Fournier, horse trainers from Oregon, for helping select him from the holding pens. His owner, Sarah Okumura, never owned a horse prior to Sunka. His initial conditioning consisted of settling in for a few months. During this time he was taught to accept a halter and lead. Sarah spent the next few months getting him used to grooming procedures and doing simple round pen exercises. He readily accepted a saddle and bridle. |  Since Sarah never had a horse before, she asked the trainer at the facility at which she boarded to supervise her and give her pointers from time to time. The trainer also worked with Sunka for his first month under saddle.
At that point, Sunka was suitable for Sarah to begin riding, although she still took lessons and asked for advice when needed. At the age of three, less than two years after adoption, Sunka was ridden in his first parade, participated in a Pet Fair full of dogs, kids, and balloons and went on a camping trip.
| Soon after that, Sunka began his show career. He was somewhat successful right off the bat, but Sarah knew that he could perform better. She sought training assistance from Bob and Lori McBride, who have a lifetime of experience training and showing horses. After a few months working with Bob, Sunka was competing successfully in open shows. Since that time, Sarah has worked with Bob and Lori off and on but has done much of Sunka’s training herself, particularly in trail competition. In 2004, Sunka performed successfully in the Gold’n’Grand, a large and highly competitive Western show. He was also Super Horse at the Western States Wild Horse & Burro Expo. In 2005, he won English High Point Champion at the Expo, and they performed a freestyle act for the Friday Nite Showcase.
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 Kricket from Palomino Buttes |  Redrock from Palomino Buttes | Thought I'd send you photo of our most recent addition. His name is Redrock, and he is a color guard/flag/posse horse. What makes him so special? He was gathered in late Sept '05, adopted in Nov '05 and brought home the week after Christmas. Not started with until really January '06. By March '06 he was being ridden, did mounted shooting in April and began his trail work in June. This horse just wants to please, wants to do well, and is VERY willing. He's from the Palomino Butte herd, and lives with our other Palomino Butte horse 'Kricket' - Denise Frick | ||
Paisleys Bella Juanita...aka "Oreo"  at adoption |  in training |  and with her adopter, Sandra D Schluter of South Florida, two years later in a show | ||
Tonto, adopted by Rick and Kitty Lauman of Prineville, Oregon, as a 7 year old. Tonto now participates in horse shows, trail rides, and Cowboy Mounted Shooting contests. He is even ridden by their 7-year-old niece! |  | Dr. Gus Cothran performed genetic analysis of this herd in 2000 - 2001, checking on genetic health as well as possible ancestry. This herd most closely resembles the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse and the other North American Gaited Saddle breeds (Rocky Mountain, Tennessee Walker, etc) and the New World Iberian breeds (Paso Fino, etc) as well as the Moroccan Barb. Dr. Cothran warned that although the herd is currently healthy genetically, herd size is sufficiently low that loss of genetic health is likely within the next 20 years. He recommended close monitoring. | ||
 Paisley mares and geldings at Burns BLM Corrals - Thanks to Andi Harmon for the pix! |  |  | ||
  Look closely and you can see wild horses among the sagebrush. These pictures were taken along a highway near Paisley Desert HMA. | ||||
Click here for: A Pokegama-area Wild Horse Adventure | ||||
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  "Sweetheart" Orphaned Foal being raised by Andi & Tom Harmon pictured just after adoption and a couple of months later
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 "Wart Hog" from Sheepshead HMA - may he rest in peace. :-(
|  Sheepshead horses at Burns
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 Pistol from South Steens |  South Steens HMA horse owned by Liz Cohen |  Phantom Target, a South Steens mustang owned by Pete Sharp | ||
 South Steens HMA wild horses - photo by Andi Harmon Laura writes, "Here are a few updated pictures for Mesa, my BLM Mustang from the South Steens HMA in Oregon. She's coming 4 years old this Spring and is more bomb-proof than my 11-year old domestic gelding! I've been riding her for about a year now and she's got a beautifully smooth trot, very calm and collected disposition but tons of energy when I need it! Can't wait to adopt again! | 
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| The "Internet Six" In December 0f 2004, the BLM Internet Adoption included six beautiful but older (all in their teens) pinto stud horses from South Steens HMA. In January of 2005, the Burns Sale Law took effect and the "Internet Six" had to be removed from the Internet Adoption, as, under the new law, they were no longer part of the Adoption Program. They were, however, for sale. All six were purchased. One sadly died during surgery at the Burns corrals. The remaining five are pictured here:
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 Rick Lauman riding "Crow," a South Steens horse owned by Lee Dick |  Cassie Sanders and Kiowa, owned by Lee Dick |  South Steens mare needing rescue | ||
 |  Crow |  South Steens mare needing rescue | ||
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| Photos by Andi Harmon | ||||
 Rocky - Three Fingers HMA orphan raised by Andi Harmon |  Cody - Three Fingers HMA orphan raised by Andi Harmon |  Three Fingers HMA horse at Burns BLM Center awaiting adoption | ||
 Three Fingers HMA mare at Burns Corrals - photo by Andi Harmon |  Three Fingers horses at Burns BLM Center  | |||
 Chief from Warm Springs - adopted by Andi & Tom Harmon |  Beau from Warm Springs - adopted by Andi & Tom Harmon |
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_small.jpg) 13 year old Sarah MacWhorter and her Warm Springs Appaloosa, Justa Cruz'n Chip, at the 2003 National Wild Horse and Burro Show in Winnemucca, NV (above) and the 2003 Western States Wild Horse & Burro Expo, in Reno, NV (below and right). "Justy" was high point colored horse - halter gelding, show high point trail, and Sarah/Justy won reserve high point youth rider. Justy was adopted as a 2 year old in October 2001 from the Burns corrals - the herd had just been gathered - and he began his show career the following year.
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 Warm Springs horses at Burns Corrals - Liz Cohen | ||||
DOLLAR of WARM SPRINGS
| Dollar was about 22 years old in the photo at left and is a herd stallion for the Warm Springs herd. He will never be adopted out. When he came in as a 2 year old, now some 22 years ago (he will be about 25 next spring), Lloyd at the Burns corrals gentled and saddle broke him. But it was decided that Dollar would be better suited as a | |||
| 2006 Warm Springs Gather: Photos by Andi Harmon
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  Becky Sheridan's new Warm Springs colt, adopted in October, 2006 | ||||
Justy returned to the Western States Wild Horse & Burro Expo in 2005, ridden this time by Sarah's younger sister, Laurie MacWhorter. The pair won the top honor: SUPER HORSE!
