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Screengrab - Inmate Benjamin Terry stands with Sierra, a mustang he trains as part of the Wild Horse and Inmate Program at the Cañon City Correctional Complex on March 17, 2010 in Cañon City, Colorado. © Dana Romanoff

This is a great photo essay, simply because it is a great story. Unexpected.

Dana Romanoff documents efforts by The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to round up wild horses and consequently tame them and offer them up for adoption.

“There exist approximately 63,000 wild horses under BLM management. The BLM currently has more than 36,000 horses in captivity in short term corrals and long term pastures. In 2009, the BLM removed 6,300 horses from the wild and in 2010; the BLM plans to remove nearly 13,000 more.”

“A few thousand of the rounded up horses temporarily live at the Cañon City Correctional Facility, Colorado. Under the Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP) inmates care for, train and ready selected horses for adoption by the public. Some say the Wild Horse Inmate Program “takes the wild out of both the man and the mustang.” Often an inmate has one horse that he works with and gets to name. Inmates learn a trade and the responsibility of having a job while horses are taught to trust humans, and be saddle and bridal trained. Both a bit spooked at first, the tattooed and muscled inmate and the scared and wild horse learn to trust each other form a bond.”

Who knew?

Well, probably many if they follow Getty Reportage, who are now also on Twitter at @GettyImagesRPTG.

See the prisoner-stereotype-busting images of ‘Wild No More’ here.

BLM

As a footnote, if you go ever go camping in the West do so on BLM land. It is well run, sparsely occupied and has fewer restrictions than any other government run land. For camping, conditions are perfect.

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Who Knew? UPDATE (07.06.10)

Matt Slaby has also covered this story in the past.

BLM UPDATE (07.06.10)

While I’m yapping on about the quality of undisturbed camping, Ellen Rennard is bringing more serious questions to the table about BLM’s relationship with environment-killing big business. (See comments/sources below). Thanks Ellen!