The adoption of Misty by the Blaneys was the first adoption using the NMLB online notification and bidding process. Here is Lynda Blaney's report on this fine Alto filly - Misty.
Misty is coming along very nicely - she is incredibly street smart.
She has been gentled down, leads on halter, ponies alongside our mares
and picks up her feet. She loads & rides very well in trailer and I
do groundwork with her in our round pen every afternoon. Most times I
exercise her with a saddle on, which she accepts well. She has learned
patience by being tied up for extended periods of time to an inner tube.
We will train her under saddle when she is old enough to be ridden.
She
immediately settled in with my two other mares - I think she was happy
to have some horses to pal around with after being on her own for so
long. The herd comes through periodically and she could care less.
Dr.
Franklin said she was a year and 3-4 months old. She received all
vaccinations and wormed. Blood panel was negative for diseases and
coggins was negative. She will be micro-chipped as soon as the vet
comes down from Albuquerque.
The 5-day
posting & bidding process on Misty worked exactly as it was
explained by NMLB. We presented our bid to Mr. Hatfield and Mr.
Patterson. $5 per day was deducted from our winning bid for feed. Mr.
Hatfield issued proper brand and ownership documents. Don Hatfield was
completely professional, responsive, caring and pro active throughout
the entire process. When I call him, he calls me back within the hour.
Apparently,
Mr. Baca and Mr. Patterson are working with their techs to further streamline
the bidding process on the NMLB website.
Because
the Alto horse herd falls under the jurisdiction of the NMLB, the
objective is to work in concert with NMLB throughout the rescue and
adoption process. That process was tested on Misty and we can attest that it was a very smooth
and positive transaction.
There is a risk of
prosecution if an estranged member of the herd is captured, hauled off
and/or adopted out without notifying the Brand Inspector. If a
wild/feral horse is injured, the Brand Inspector should also be
contacted so proper vet care can be rendered. (Example, when we rounded
Misty up, her leg had a minor injury. Not knowing the extend of her
injury, Mr. Hatfield was ready to call in a vet at the State's expense.)
Working through NMLB on future adoptions will ensure ownership of the
horse is legal and proper brand/ownership documents are issued. Once adopted
out, the horse will be micro-chipped (at State's expense) to ensure the
horse is not left to roam or returned to the herd.
We
have offered Mr. Hatfield a section of our horse property as a holding
area for other rescued members of the Alto herd and a few other
neighbors have offered assistance in this regard. The NMLB email
notification process works very well--I receive regular notifications
when a horse is found estray.
NMLB instituted
their email notification system, lines of communication opened up and NMLB modified their online bidding process as a direct
result to our petition, Ms. Stalling's coverage
in Ruidoso News, Ms. Stewart's WHOA! blog, and our meeting with executives from NMLB. Wild Horse
caution signs have been installed on Hwy. 48 and Ski Run Road in Alto,
thanks to the efforts of Ms. Campos. We continue to thank the public for signing the petition and caring about the Wild Horse Herd of Alto.
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| Misty learning patience. |
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We are overwhelmed by your support and
overjoyed to hear from so many of you who grew up with the wild mustangs
of Alto. So many of us live in harmony with our herd and take pleasure
in their peaceful and majestic presence. 
The
horse herd are members of our community. We look forward to their
visits throughout our neighborhoods. We respect their freedom and each
creature had an enormous impact on all of us.