“When the gate shuts — and hearts stay open”

Sometimes I lie awake thinking: what happens when a beautiful, life-changing program gets turned off? What happens to mustang horses, to the people, to the hope we built together?

I read the CBS News article: the wild horse–inmate partnership in Colorado is ending. Thirty incarcerated individuals had been caring for wild mustangs—horses removed from overpopulated rangelands—through a vocational rehabilitation program. The Colorado Department of Corrections and the Bureau of Land Management are not renewing their agreement, so the program will close and those horses will need new homes. 

That news knotted my stomach.

Why this program was more than “just training horses”

Because the mustangs weren’t just beasts to break—they were bridges. Bridges between our wildness and their tameness, between incarceration and service, between brokenness and renewal.

For the horse:
A wild mustang, gathered off public lands, faces a future in holding pens, relocation, or worse. In this program, she got touch, halter time, daily care, a chance to see her name in someone’s heart. She learned to trust. She became adoptable. She became known.

For the inmate:
Picture this: you walk into a stall for the first time. There’s a furrowed brow, a fidgeting leg, a flick of the ear. The horse senses fear, hesitation. You have to calm your breath, steady your voice. You learn patience. You see what consistency means. You learn respect. You learn that your actions ripple. Somehow—miraculously—a horse gives you purpose when nothing else does.

Those thirty individuals had that. They had a daily responsibility. They had clear, measurable progress. They had stories to tell—“today, she stood quietly,” “today, she allowed me to groom her,” “today, she walked on a lead.” That’s reclamation.

For the land, the public, the future:
Wild horse herds can overgraze, hurt ecosystems, stress resources. The Bureau of Land Management removes and relocates groups periodically. Mental note: removing is easy. Managing is hard. Rehoming with training is gold.

By sending mustangs into programs, we make their transition safer—for the horse, for the adopter, for public lands. We make adoption real.

Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward

$69.00

Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program

Bring clarity to one of the most important conversations in American equine management. This book, published by the National Research Council, explores how science-based strategies can help ensure the health, welfare, and future of wild horses and burros across public lands. Whether you’re an equestrian, conservationist, or simply passionate about the humane treatment of animals, this resource offers research-driven insight and practical recommendations.

➡️ A must-read for horse lovers, policymakers, and advocates for sustainable land management.

Buy Now

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

10/26/2026 09:36 am GMT

What’s lost when the program ends

• Loss of trust — when a program ends, relationships dissolve. Horses need consistency. People need purpose.
• Loss of momentum — the transformations that were in progress may stall.
• Loss of hope — for other states or organizations watching: “If Colorado can’t keep this alive, can we?”
• Loss of community — the people linked by that work: prison staff, trainers, adopters, the BLM, volunteers. That network fractures.

The Colorado execs lament the ending, say rising costs and contractual constraints led to pulling the plug. They hope to rehome many horses rather than transport them out of state.  But when you uproot a mustang from a prison program, you risk losing the gentle transformations gained inside those brick walls.