KBR Wild Horse and Burro News

  FT. RILEY WILD HORSE ADOPTION UPDATE
(Deanna Aikin's Progress Reports)
Story date: April, 1998

  WEBMASTER'S NOTE

Any involvement with a major Federal agency is a reality check. There are many good people wanting to help, folks at other levels who have never heard of the project being attempted and don't know how to hande it, and procedural snags. When one attempts to start something like this, it does require some perserverence. This accounting is not intended to discourage anyone from advancing new and innovative proposals, but just to have realistic expectations. The Ft. Riley proposal will be successful, but as you will see, the large agency has to have time to come to terms with the idea.

Prior to 4/28, There were missed connections and no one at BLM in charge of this proposal. Pat Shea personally stepped in to put the plan back on track. Deanna's original progress report appears HERE.

Update: 4-28-98

Here's the status as I know it to be from Sgt. Atwood... BLM Staff memebers from the DC office have been in contact with Sgt. Atwood. DC is coordinating the adoption. Sgt. Atwood did say the Ft. Riley is putting the project on hold til July when they will revisit their program budget and determine exactly the number of horses to be kept in the program and how many Mustangs will be added. Their budgetary problems should be resoved about the time the July gathers are beginning and the adoption would be taking place.

I can't comment on the status from the BLM side. My phone calls and letters remain unanswered except for the letter from Maitland (Willis has posted on the KBR pages).

(More updates to follow.)

Deanna Akin

  SPINOFF ACTIVITIES

Deanna Aikin reports:

"1st Sgt. Mark Atwood from Ft. Riley and I are going to adopt 1 to 3 older Mustangs and train them specifically for use in handicap riding programs.

"This came about from Mark's involvement with NORAD (where the retiring color guard horses are donated to) and their continual need for good horses.

"Right now, the organization's management is not keen on the idea of "wild" horses (you know the typical disinformation problem). Mark asked me to put together a presentation for them. I'm working on the written and oral parts now and will include a hands on demonstration with Nikia. Nikia works wonderfully for strangers, especially kids - she's even let a 4yr old girl work her at liberty in a 40'x60' corral. (I didn't set that one up - it happened by accident when the little girl snuck away from her parents and went into the corral with Nikia - heard a little voice calling out Back, Reverse, Walk - turned around and there was the girl standing in the center of the corral and Nikia doing everything she was told. Needless to say I was proud, angry, and scared all at the same time.) But I digress, will post more when everything is pulled together and set up.

(More updates to follow.)

Deanna Akin

Continue to Ft. Riley Adopts "Riley"

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