LIVINGSTON — Nothing quite represents the American Wild West like the wild horses and burros that roamed it. Utilized by Native Americans and early settlers, they’re an important part of our history. But as their populations continue to grow and overwhelm public rangelands, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is helping to reduce the impact.

See how wild horses are transformed into companions—watch the video

Matthew Bischof, also known as Mustang Matt, is one of the people leading the education and training portion of this weekend’s wild horse and burro adoption event.

Having adopted BLM horses himself, he says his horse, Cody, is the perfect example of how a little bit of time and effort can turn these wild horses into great pets or work animals.

"He looks very domesticated, but he was completely wild," says Bischof.

Having lived the first 6 years of his life wild, Cody was captured in Oregon. Since then, Bischof has spent several years training him into the saddle horse he is today.

"A lot of time’s horses are herd animals, so if I’m putting the first ride on a horse, or saddling, I have Cody in the pen with me, and we can work off of Cody. And they will actually start to quiet down because they see that he’s not worried, and so they feed off of that energy. He’s definitely an asset when I’m training," says Bischof.

Located at the Park County Fairgrounds in Livingston, wild horses and burros will be available from 9 am to 6 pm this Saturday and Sunday, July 7^th and 8^th.

The event is first-come, first-served. Interested parties must meet requirements to adopt.