EQUINE BE MINE HORSE LOVERS FIND WILD ONES AT AUCTION.

Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer

BURBANK - The loyal character of a wild horse has created what some at the federal Bureau of Land Management endearingly call mustang fanatics - those rare equine lovers who can always make room for one more in their stables.

There was no shortage of mustang lovers Saturday at the agency's wild horse auction, which also open today at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank.

``There's a froufrou crowd and then there's the mustang crowd,'' said Steve Boyle, a stuntman and admitted fanatic who lives in Sunland.

The mustang crowd understands these wild animals, many descendants of herds brought over by 18th-century Spanish missionaries.

These horses are keener than the average Mr. Ed, said Boyle, who conceded to having an eye on one dark-haired beauty.

``There is a bond. You can go jogging with one of these horses without even roping them,'' he said. ``You get these dressage-trained horses, but those horses have no personality.''

The auction, which is held by the bureau monthly at various locations throughout the state, closed Saturday morning with one third of the 82 wild horses and 20 burros sold.

The remaining equines, which hail from vast government-owned lands in the West, range in age from 1 to 5 years old and can be purchased for $125 on a first-come, first-serve basis.

``It's not buying a cheap horse to ride out into the sunset with,'' warned Phil West, a longtime trainer who led a demonstration on how to gentle a horse. ``The biggest investment is your time.''

None of the 1,000 mares and stallions the BLM corrals yearly along the deserts and mountains of California have had intimate human contact. Instead, they ran wild, grazing on the land.

It can easily take a year to tame a horse that at first appearance looks ungroomed and skittish, West said. But once tamed, the horse offers loyalty and companionship.

``It take a lot of dedication,'' said Laurie Fadness as she awaited the homecoming of horse No. 5896.

``They are a thrill. They are a one-person horse,'' said the 31-year-old Sylmar resident, who already owns five mustangs.

The auction is part of the bureau's three-decade effort to stem overpopulation of the the nearly 38,000 wild animals roaming government-owned plains and hills in the Southwest.

Because of recent wildfires and droughts in the eleven Western states the agency has stepped up corralling efforts, with more than 15,000 wild mustangs gathered over the last three years, said Doran Sanchez, a spokesman for BLM.

But in Nevada, where the majority of the herds hail from, the BLM has come under fire for allegedly mismanaging rangeland by failing to reign in the wild mustangs population.

Last week, Nevada's Wildlife Commission voted to recommend the state's attorney general sue the agency for degradation of the state's land in part brought on by allowing the horses to proliferate and destroy precious resources.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Rachel Uranga, [phone]

rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) Some of the wild horses and burros being auctioned by the Bureau of Land Management mill about the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank on Saturday morning. The auction is open again today.

(2) The horses and burros, which are reined in by the Bureau of Land Management from vast government-owned lands throughout the West, range in age from 1 to 5 years old and can be purchased for $125.

(3) Seven-year-old Chris Lopez of Lake View Terrace takes a peek at a horse through a fence next to the silent bid sheet posted on its pen.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer