Federal government offering $1,000 to people willing to adopt a wild horse

LOS ANGELES (FOX 11) - The federal government is offering $1,000 to anyone who adopts a wild horse or burro from the Bureau of Land Management, "to encourage more adopters to give a wild horse or burro a good home."

Under the "Adoption Incentive Program," qualified adopters are eligible to receive $500 within 60 days of adopting an untrained wild horse and burro, and another $500 within 60 days of titling the animal.

The incentive is available for all untrained animals that are eligible for adoption, including animals at BLM facilities, off-site events and on the "Online Corral," which lists available untrained wild horses and burros online. A $25 fee applies at the time of adoption.

"The goal of the program is to reduce BLM's recurring costs to care for unadopted and untrained wild horses and burros while helping to enable the BLM to confront a growing over-population of wild horses and burros on fragile public rangelands," the organization's website states.

According to BLM, more than 4,600 wild horses and burros found good homes last year.