WHBTrainingPlacingMarketingProgram.docx

Wild Horse & Burro Training, Placing and Marketing Program

BACKGROUND

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (the Act) charged the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service with the protection and management of wild horses (also known as “mustangs”) and burros on public rangelands in the Western United States. Because wild horses and burros are federally protected and have virtually no natural predators, populations double every four years. Today, the BLM manages more than 82,000 horses and burros across 31.6 million acres in 10 Western states; the BLM’s target population level is approximately 27,000 horses and burros. The Act requires the BLM to manage wild horses and burros in a manner that achieves a thriving natural ecological balance. As resource conditions and other factors warrant, excess wild horses and burros are removed from the public lands and placed in private care through adoption or sales. Animals that are not adopted or sold are cared for using public funds, which is approximately $49 million annually, and currently total nearly 45,000 animals.

The BLM has made excess animals removed from the range available for adoption since 1973 and for purchase since 2005 and has placed more than 235,000 animals into private care; however, prior years of a stagnant economy and other socio-economic factors resulted in thousands of animals not being placed into private care. The Program is taking a number of steps to increase adoptions and sales, including building on successful partnerships that facilitate an increase in the number of animals trained and placed into private care. Trained horses and burros are in greater demand and are more likely than untrained animals to be adopted or purchased by the public.

One of the identified barriers to increasing numbers of animals into private care is the need for additional locations and opportunities to select trained and untrained animals within BLM staffed events. This Request for Information (RFI) seeks information on external partners that may be interested in in placing trained wild horses and burros nationwide to supplement current placement numbers at BLM events and off-range corrals, prison programs and private contractors.

SUMMARY

If a Request for Proposals is sought at a later date, the BLM will be substantially involved with any recipient of an award that meets the program’s needs. The BLM’s involvement may include, but not be limited to, the following:

· Work with the recipient by providing technical advice and guidance.

· Conduct periodic checks at the recipient’s events that place BLM wild horses and burros into private care and educate the public on the WHB Program.

· Work with the recipient to approve any programs involving potential trainers and publics interested in training and/or adopting or purchasing a trained/untrained animal and meets BLM’s requirements for safety and animal welfare are met. This includes conducting co-monitoring of the care of the horses and burros involved in recipient’s programs until they are placed into private care.

· Coordinate and assist the recipient in carrying out development of public outreach as well as joint events between the BLM and the partner to maximize animal placement and public education.

· Ensure recipient provides a core staff with the expertise needed to operate successful, professional events and programs to place wild horses and burros into private care and educate the public on the WHB program.

· Review annual business plan showing how they would place animals and cost involved in executing the plan.

QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES ARE ALL FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS WILL BE ANNOUNCED OR NEEDED AFTER REVIEWING RESPONSES TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS THAT REFER TO THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVE:

This RFI seeks information on external partners interested in placing trained animals nationwide to supplement current BLM Wild Horse and Burro (WHB) events, off-range corrals, partner coordinated events and private contractors.

1. Based on the objective listed above, what do you think is the biggest obstacle to increase private care placement of trained/untrained wild horses and burros nationwide?

2. What you think it would take to correct the obstacle you identified in question 1?

3. Have you ever trained, adopted or purchased a wild horse or burro? If so, how long ago and how many have you trained, adopted or purchased?

4. Describe your background in training and/or promoting domestic or wild equines. Please include things like number of years involved in training equines and type of experience and/or education background related to equine industry.

5. Once an animal enters a BLM Off-Range Corral, the BLM freeze marks, deworms, vaccinates and confirms a negative coggins (EIA) prior to offering the animal for adoption, purchase or training. The animal continues to receive humane health care such as vaccination boosters and hoof trimming until placed into private care or in a training program.

Knowing the animal had current vaccinations, etc., what amount would you request for training a halter-started animal? (Halter-gentled animal must be able to demonstrate the following: accept a halter and lead rope and be led; pick up all 4 feet; and load into a trailer.) What amount would you request for a training saddle-started animal? (Saddle-started animal must be able to demonstrate the following in addition to what is listed for a halter-gentled animal: can be bridled and accept a mild bit or hackamore; can be saddled; and can be ridden at a walk and trot/jog.)

6. What does it cost to feed and train an animal/day in your area and maintain an animal at a Body Condition Score of 4 or higher (Reference Henneke Body Condition Chart. Attachment 1). Please specify what state you are basing your quote on for the feed/care/training.

7. How would you ensure that the animals in training are being cared for properly and trained in a humane manner? Describe in detail the type of infrastructure and personnel you think would be needed to place a minimum of 1,000 trained animals per year? What would be your start-up cost and timeline to implement your program?

8. What markets and regions would you direct your efforts? Describe the techniques you would use to reach out to the public and educate them on the WHB Program and your events, programs and projects.

9. Describe any unique qualifications you have that would make you a good candidate for the BLM to consider investing in for the placement of trained animals, such as technical expertise, cost-sharing/fundraising ability, ability to manage training programs that benefit wild horses and burros, etc.

10. In addition to placing trained animals, how would you propose helping the BLM place additional untrained animals? How many, and what regions, would you propose you could place them per year? What amount would you request to place an untrained animal?