Wild horses win hearts in Sisters

Sarah McWhorter on Justin, a five-year-old Appaloosa mustang. photo by Kathryn Godsiff

Wild horse enthusiasts, potential adopters and the curious converged on Catalyst Farms Equestrian Center last weekend for a free Wild Horse Gentling Clinic and Adoption.

The event, which drew around 50 people from both sides of the Cascades, was sponsored by the Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition, with the venue donated by Catalyst Farms.

Cooperating with the Ochoco National Forest and Prineville and Lakeview Bureau of Land Management, the coalition was on a mission to expose locals to a backyard treasure: the wild horses of the Ochoco National Forest.

During the course of the clinic, the eight horses available for adoption were gentled by Prineville couple Rick and Kitty Lauman. The Laumans are well known in mustang circles as effective trainers of wild horses.

The clinic served a two-fold purpose: to get the horses over their initial and natural fear of humans and to educate attendees about the methods and philosophy used by the Laumans.

The event concluded Sunday afternoon with the adoption, run in a silent auction format.

Event organizers were delighted that all the horses found new, loving homes.

Spearheading the coalition is Forest Service employee Gayle Hunt, who works at the Ochoco Ranger Station. Hunt has established a connection with the Ochoco horses, simply by moving around in their space. She discovered that the horses have an affinity for humans. The Ochocos are a popular place to recreate, and most of the interface between the horses and humans is positive.

Hunt knew that the Forest Service budget covers only minimal arrangements for management of wild horse herds on Forest Service land. When horses are culled from the Ochocos (officially called the Big Summit Herd Management Area), they are sent to the Bureau of Land Management corrals in Burns for processing and adoption.

Hunt felt that the personable, but mostly plain-colored Ochoco horses were lost in the colorful crowd of horses awaiting adoption from the Burns corrals. Some did get adopted, but many languished there, she said.

So Hunt and several others who had the privilege of adopting mustangs from the Ochocos formed the non-profit Central Oregon Wild Horse Coalition with the idea of raising the profile of these horses.

"People were missing out on a life-changing experience by not getting a mustang, especially a Big Summit mustang," she said.

There is no official membership in the coalition.

The coalition will take part in a census of the Big Summit Herd on June 10-12. Hunt said they are looking for serious riders to assist.

Call 541-447-8165 for more information.