You can buy or adopt a wild horse or burro from the American West at NC event
The Bureau of Land Management is staging a wild horse and burro “placement event” in the Charlotte area, giving the region’s equestrians a rare chance to buy or adopt a bit of the Old West.
The event is Thursday through Saturday (Feb. 19-21) at the Simpson Events Center near Monroe, and will include around 120 wild horses and 30 burros, federal officials said in a news release.
“BLM has placed over 300,000 wild horses and burros into private care since 1971,” said Acting Southeastern States District Manager Shayne Banks said in a news release. “This is an opportunity to provide a good home to one of America’s Living Legends.”
Wild horses and burros featured in the Union County event originated on public lands in Colorado, Utah, California and Nevada, federal officials said.
The Bureau of Land Management “manages and protects” wild herds on 25.5 million acres across 10 Western states. The Wild Horse and Burro Program’s goal is to humanely manage the horses and burros, while easting the burden on taxpayers.
It’s estimated BLM spends $100 million annually to care for nearly 63,000 “unadopted and unsold animals in corrals and pastures,” federal officials say.
“At the same time, an estimated 73,000 wild horses and burros continue to roam public lands (as of March 2025) and reproduce at 15-20% annually,” the BLM says.
“Placing an animal into private care via adoption or sale saves taxpayers approximately $15,000 over the lifetime of each animal and helps support the BLM’s mission to manage and protect wild horses and burros on public lands.”
All the animals at the Union County event will be “available for adoption/purchase onsite” – if the interested parties meet the requirements.
For a purchase:
- “Applicants must be able to provide humane care for any animals purchased from the BLM.
- Applicants must agree they will not knowingly sell or transfer ownership of them to any person or organization that intends to resell, trade, or give away such animals for slaughter or processing into commercial products.”
To adopt
- “Applicants must be at least 18 years old with no record of animal abuse.
- Homes must have a minimum of 400 square feet of corral space per animal, with access to food, water, and shelter.
- Corral fence must meet height requirements: adult horses at 6 feet, yearlings at 5 feet and burros at 4.5 feet
- Trailers must be stock type, covered, with swing gates and sturdy walls/floors.”
Hours on Thursday and Friday (Feb. 19-20) are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday (Feb. 21), officials said. Fees start at $25 per animal for a purchase and $125 for animals available for adoption.
The Simpson Events Center is at 307 Cultivation Circle, between Monroe and Wingate, near the Union County Agricultural & Event Complex.
This story was originally published February 18, 2026 at 2:09 PM.