For the past several years, hundreds of wild-horse enthusiasts have come from various parts of Southeast Missouri and beyond to peruse the many beautiful but untamed mustangs and burros in an annual auction at Flickerwood Arena in Fruitland.

But this year, those interested in buying an unbridled equine will have to hoof it a bit farther.

The U.S. government, which is responsible for the 50,000 wild horses and burros that live on public land, recently opened a facility to hold horse and burro "adoptions" in Ewing, Ill., near Mount Vernon. The government says that means it doesn't see a need to hold an auction at Flickerwood Arena this year -- or anytime soon.

The Ewing facility will hold four adoption weekends this year, with the next one scheduled for April 24 to 25. It will be worth the drive, organizers say.

"Honestly, when we look at having these adoptions, we look at drawing from an area 150 to 200 miles away," said Terry B. Lewis, who heads the Office of External Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior. "We don't think that's an unreasonable distance for people to drive to adopt."

Besides, he pointed out, the horses are endangered because the land in the West is being depleted by drought and wildfires. The horses, he said, need good homes.

"Besides," Lewis said, "there are just way too many horses on the range, really more than the land can handle."Ewing, Ill., is about an 80-mile drive from Cape Girardeau. But Mark Boardman, who owns Flickerwood Arena, said most people will find that too far to go to buy a wild horse or a burro.

"People won't go there," Boardman said. "If you're trying to get those horses to the people, you've got to take them to the people. These are people looking to spend $125 on a horse. Now they're asking them to travel to get them. I don't think there will be anybody from this area going there."

But at least one local wild horse enthusiast will be going to Ewing to check out the new animals. Jackson teacher Tiffiney Smith has bought three wild burros and seven wild horses over the past six years, most of them at Flickerwood.

Won't the extra miles be an inconvenience?

"It will be," she said. "But due to the budget cuts, the government's not doing as many auctions. But it's worth it to me. If you want one of these, it's going to be the closest place to get one."

Financial interest

Boardman admits he has something of a financial stake. Excluding one year since 1998, he has rented the Bureau of Land Management his arena for the two-day auction in which the horses and burros -- rounded up from public land in places such as Montana and Nevada -- are sold.

"I won't say it's a big loss, but it's a loss," Boardman said. "They did hold the event in July, when I don't do very many events."

But it's not just his loss. Not having the auction here will also be something of a loss to the local economy. It's estimated that 400 to 500 more people put money into the local economy that weekend, whether it was buying gasoline or grabbing a bite to eat.

Lewis was in Cape Girardeau last week to promote the new facility and the adoption dates. He remains hopeful that people in Southeast Missouri will be interested enough in wild horses and burros to make the hour-and-45-minute drive.

"It also doesn't mean that we're never having an adoption in Cape Girardeau again," Lewis said. "We just want to focus on the Ewing facility right now."

The BLM will have more than 100 wild horses and burros available for adoption during the dates later this month at Ewing.

End of bidding

Rather than auctioned as in the past, the animals at this facility will be sold for a flat fee of $125, Lewis said. At the auctions in Flickerwood, the bidding price started at $125 and went up from there, but the average sale price was about $150.

At the Southern Illinois BLM holding facility, a lottery will be held, basically picking numbers from a hat, Lewis said. The one with the lowest number will get first choice, and so on, until the horses are gone.

People interested need to call ahead of time to (800) 370-3936 to have registration information sent to them.

Prospective buyers must be at least 18 years old, a resident of the United States and have no convictions for inhumane treatment of animals. Those who adopt must also have adequate facilities, the financial means to care for the animals, and a stock trailer will be required to transport the animals. Those who qualify can buy as many as four animals.

The process is called adoption because the government retains title to the animal for one year after the adoption, Lewis said. During that year, a BLM agent or a representative will visit each adopter to ensure the animal is being cared for and has a good home.

"We don't want to take these animals back," Lewis said. "But we also want to make sure someone isn't buying these horses and letting them starve to death."

After a year, the title is given to the buyer.

Mustangs make excellent riding stock, Lewis said, and some have gone on to become national champions in trail, endurance and jumping.

But he cautioned that at first the animals are still "very wild."

"It will take time and it will take patience," he said. At the next event, Wyoming horse trainer Steve Mantle will be conducting "gentling" -- Lewis frowned on the term for breaking a horse -- demonstrations free of charge. Mantle has trained wild horses for many years and will show adopters methods he uses to gentle horses.

Smith, the Jackson teacher, knows that gentling the horses isn't easy at first. She bought her first horse back in 1998.

"I got my first two horses, and I've been obsessed ever since," she said.

She keeps her horses and a couple of burros at her grandparents' farm between Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

"I've owned horses all my life," she said. "I sat on my first horse when I was 1 year old. But I'm a sucker for a stray animal, anything that needs a home. I looked at it from that aspect. Of course, my family said, 'Oh my God, what has she done? She's going to get herself killed.'"

Se liked the challenge of taming a wild horse. She knows it's hard. She even broke her back once, when she was thrown from the first wild mustang she bought, landed on her shoulder and compressed two of her vertebrae.

"But that was my fault," she insisted. "That was operator error. It was a mistake in my judgment. It wasn't her fault. She wasn't really ready."

She soon learned that wild horses saw her as a predator.

"They are truly wild animals," Smith said. "They think they are going to be eaten alive by everything. On the range for them, it's either fight or flight."

She learned the ways of what she calls "natural horsemanship." She read some books and watched some videos.

"It's kind of live and learn," she said. "You have to learn to watch their body language."

Smith recommends those who are interested start with a burro or a younger horse. She advises people not to get discouraged. For some of the horses, it happens more slowly than for others. Some of the animals she couldn't even touch for a month.

"You feed them, let them know I'm the one who's taking care of them," she said. "I even sat and talked to them. They learn to trust you. Pretty soon, you have their hearts."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611