U.S. government could pay up to $1,000 to wild horse adopters

BOISE, Idaho – The federal government could pay up to $1,000 to people who adopt wild horses thanks to a new incentive program that aims to reduce the animals’ chronic overpopulation.

The Idaho Statesman reports that a release Tuesday from the Bureau of Land Management says adopters can receive $500 within 60 days of purchasing an animal, with an additional $500 available after the animal is titled – one year after the adoption date.

The agency estimates there were about 82,000 wild horses and burros in the U.S. in 2018, more than triple the amount the 0.05 million square miles of designated rangeland can support.

The release says the incentive program applies only to the thousands of untrained animals taken from the wild.