Inmates trained a wild mustang for the US Border Patrol. Now he’s retiring in Texas
The longest-serving horse in the U.S. Border Patrol is retiring to a life of peace on a Texas ranch, officials say.
Once a wild mustang, he was trained by prisoners in Kansas.
Bob joined the Border Patrol in 2011 and rode with agents during a seven-year career, according to the U.S. Humane Society. That’s a record for horses in the unit.
Bob was considered to be a trusty horse, often pairing up with the newest agents because he was “dependable and safe,” officials say.
“This exceptional horse never needed a medical or behavioral break,” according to the news release. “He routinely served at busy border crossings amongst crowds and cars.”
Now he’ll run with other horses in retirement at Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison, Texas. The 1,400-acre ranch has about 800 animals “rescued from near-death situations such as slaughterhouses, biomedical research laboratories and trophy hunting ranches,” according to its website.
“We are honored to provide a home where Bob can live out his retirement grazing on hundreds of acres, enjoying sunshine on his back, roaming with a herd, running and kicking up his heels,” Noelle Almrud, director of Black Beauty Ranch, said in a news release.
Inmates at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility in Kansas trained Bob when he was still a wild mustang, the U.S. Humane Society says. The program partners the prison with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to respond to overpopulation of wild horses on federal land in the West, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
“Left unchecked, the horses can multiply to the extent that the land would not sustain their numbers, resulting in starvation and other problems for these animals,” according to the corrections website.
Bob will be the first retired government horse to live at Black Beauty Ranch, officials said.
“Since he was accustomed to humans in his work, our devoted caregivers are more than happy to give him all of the attention — and treats — that he desires and deserves,” Almrud said.