Arizona Correctional Industries (ACI) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are working together with Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR) inmate population in a drug-free work environment. Under the guidance of experienced animal trainers, wild horses obtained from BLM are domesticated so that they can be offered for adoption. Known as our Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP), it operates in a state-of-the-art facility and employs a staff of professional horse trainers who provide horsemanship, animal husbandry and farrier skills.

BLM’s top priority is ensuring the health of the public lands so that the species depending on them – including the nation’s wild horses – can thrive. To achieve that end, the BLM’s wild horse program must be put on a sustainable course that benefits the animals, the land, and taxpayers.

After passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses Act in 1971, the BLM became the managing agency responsible for protecting the wild horse habitats on BLM land. The first wild horse gather in Arizona occurred in 1977 and was conducted near Alamo Lake in the west central portion of the state. Since that time, more than 12,000 wild horses have been captured and removed from the public rangelands in western Arizona.

Arizona is home to more wild burros than any other state. To maintain their population at about 1,600 animals (a level that the desert habitat can support) range and animal health, the BLM continues its population control program by gathering excess horses and burros and offering them to the public through the BLM’s Adopt-a-Horse Program.

Our facilities, located at the state prison in the town of Florence, Arizona, include a training center within the prison itself and the holding center open to public view where adoptions are finalized.

In the Florence Training Facility, where up to 30 wild horses and 20 wild burros are in the process of being trained at any time, inmates receive hands-on-training in the equestrian field:   Work to learn about the care and treatment of animals, while building self confidence. Learn the value of patience, warmth and respect for all living things. Gain employable skills they can use upon release. Horses and burros are fed and cared for at the Florence BLM holding facility, situated across from the prison complex about a mile from the intersection of Butte Avenue and Route 79 in Florence.

The public can view the facility from the parking area and can view animals by appointment (due to the corona virus we currently are not open to the public).

You Can Adopt a BLM Wild Horse or Burro in Arizona Year Round

Please review the adoption/sale fees and BLM requirements for adopting one of these beautiful animals. To request a tour of either facility or arrange an adoption, contact us.

This successful program has received a lot of positive media attention.