HERRIMAN, Utah, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- More than 450 wild horses are up for adoption in Herriman, Utah, as part of an attempt to limit the size of the herd, a federal official says says.
V. Gus Warr, a Bureau of Land Management wild horse and burro specialist, said the horses available Saturday were members of the Cedar Mountain herd that were rounded up last December in the Salt Lake Valley, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Seventeen of the wild animals had new owners by the end of the day.
Warr said the agency would like to keep the wild herd's population between 180 and 375 horses.
The wild horses are thought to be the descendants of Standard Horse and Mule Co. horses used in the late 1800s by the U.S. Cavalry.
Jan Drake of the Park City National Ability Center said while the horses are wild, they can be easily trained.
"They will eventually become therapy horses and used in our riding program for physically and mentally handicapped children," said Drake, who adopted two horses. "These are wonderful animals, once you have them properly trained, they're yours, they'll do anything you ask them to do."
Under the adoption program, people pay $125 for one horse and can get a second one for $25. But they don't get title to the horses until after a year, during which time the bureau periodically checks to ensure they get proper care.
Those not adopted eventually go to long-term bureau holding facilities in Kansas or Oklahoma.
