Trainer Ambassador Program
Join the next era of training and adoption!
To explore new opportunities for adoption, the Foundation for America’s Public Lands is piloting a new Trainer Ambassador Program (TAP) to help prepare, and match, more mustangs and burros with great homes.
Our goal is twofold:
Create and support a long-term network of committed mustang and burro trainers who can consistently offer trained mustangs and/or burros for adoption.
Share the knowledge these trainers have – about mustang and burro training, care, and adoption – with the public.
Program Basics
- The first phase of TAP is focused on helping mustangs gain on-the-ground skills to thrive in domestic life, starting with a small pilot cohort of trainer-mustang teams. In future phases, TAP may expand to include Specialty Trainers who can start gentled mustangs under saddle and train them for specific disciplines, and burro trainers.
- Each trainer works with one untrained TAP mustang at a time.
- Trainers must meet BLM’s facility and care requirements, and TAP-trained mustangs must meet a set of foundational milestones before they can be adopted.
- Trainers receive a stipend of $210/month (comparable to the cost of feed/care in a BLM facility) to help defray feed/care costs during the training process, and can set their mustang’s adoption fee to reflect market value and training time.
- Future phases may also include opportunities for trainers to create educational resources for the public on mustang/burro adoption, care, and training.
Meet the Mustangs
Our new TAP pilot is already helping horses learn the skills they need to secure forever homes.
BEAR
Age: 4 years old
Bay gelding, 15 hands high
Trained by: Laurie Capper
Midnight Stars Mustangs
Bear was born in BLM’s Bruneau Wild Horse and Burro facility in Idaho to a mare gathered from the Triple B HMA in Nevada. While he has never known what it’s like to live on the range, he is brave, friendly, and keen to learn. From December 2024 until April 2025, Bear’s trainer Laurie patiently helped him develop the skills needed to thrive in domestic life and get adopted. His adopter, Theresa, has been visiting Bear throughout his training to ensure they are a good match, gain his trust, and learn how to provide the best home for him in the long term. Specialized training programs like TAP are key to successful adoptions. By moving horses out of holding facilities, they have the time and education they need to find their way to good homes. We are thrilled to see Bear progress from a young, curious mustang to a well-mannered, gentle, and loving member of his new family.
Questions about the program or interested in supporting our work?
Please contact WHB@americaslands.org
