Inmates train wild horses for public auction

[Liberal_in_LA]

Wild horses, inmates learn from each other
Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Inmate Robert Railey leads other prisoners riding the horses they have trained for about four months in a parade before the public auction begins in a corral in Carson City, Nev.

(03-07) 04:00 PST Carson City, Nev. --

Before Guapo went to his new home in Oroville, he belonged to Juan Medina, a Nevada state inmate who's serving five to 15 years in prison for drug trafficking.

Medina, a rodeo veteran, is among the most experienced and talented horse trainers at the Northern Nevada Correctional Facility. So instead of spending his days playing cards or mopping floors, Medina is part of a unique program in which inmates tame mustangs before the horses are auctioned to the public.

"For us, it makes the time go easy," said Medina, who grew up in the ranch country outside Santa Ynez (Santa Barbara County). "The days go by fast. It's almost like being at home."
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Robert Railey, who's serving his third stint in prison, had little experience with horses when he volunteered for the program.

He's learned much more than saddles and harnesses, he said.

"I'm a criminal. I want it now," he said. "But I've learned not to have that mentality any more. With horses you have to have patience."

The hardest part is auction day, when the inmates say goodbye to the horses they've tamed and bonded with.

"It's their parole day," Railey said. "My tough con side says I can let them go, but for my human side it's really hard."

Medina wept when his favorite horse, Pepito, was brought back to the prison after his owner returned him.

The horse recognized Medina's voice and immediately trotted to him. He's now arranging for his family to adopt Pepito.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/07/MN6H1C2H8U.DTL#ixzz0hiHSokw2

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

1. I wonder how many kilos of gange Medina can rustle across the border on Pepito's back?

n/t

[Orrex]

2. Is it stable work?

[Edweird]

3. I support the rehab potential this has for the inmates. However, auctioning horses

when people can't give them away may not get the best results. (For the horses)

[joeybee12]

4. Yeah, do reps from glue factories go to these auctions? n/t