150 wild horses need new homes, and they’re for sale for just $1 each

If you’re looking for a horse, you could snap one up right now for just $1.

The wild horses are for sale at Devil’s Garden Horses near the town of Alturas, in northern California. According to KRCR ABC 7, the Modoc National Forest Service said the sale is aimed at trainers in the hopes that they’ll buy the wild horses, train them and sell them for a profit.

But you don’t have to be a trainer to take part in the sale, as it’s also open to regular horse owners.

Why are they practically giving the horses away? Nearly 80,000 wild horses still roam the western U.S., according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program. There are 8,700 wild horses in California, according to BLM estimates, and Nevada (Alturas is about 30 miles from the border) is teeming with nearly 47,000 wild horses. BLM is trying to manage the wild horses, which despite habitat loss are increasing in population, according to the New York Times.

Of the 348 wild horses that were kept at the Double Devil Wild Horse Corrals at Devil’s Garden Horses after they were rounded up in 2020, around 150 have already been placed in new homes, and another 150 remain, officials said.

The Double Devil Wild Horse Corrals Facebook page shared some pictures of the beautiful horses available to adopt or buy. The sale is happening under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, which allows wild horse managers to offer all horses older than 10 for adoption and sale (with certain limitations). The law also says that horses younger than 10 can be offered for sale (also with limitations), provided three adoption attempts have been made.

Adopting a horse is a big responsibility, and there are certain requirements prospective buyers have to meet to be considered. Other requirements may apply in your state, so check those out first.

If you meet the requirements and are interested in adopting a horse from Devil’s Garden, you can fill out the official adoption form and email it to SM.FS.modoc_info@usda.gov or mail it to Attn: Double Devil adoptions and sales, 225 W. 8 St. Alturas, CA 96101.