Sewing said he's seen wild horses figure out the latches on their corrals and let themselves out. Once while hunting in Chloride Canyon near Cedar City he ran across an isolated herd that has developed blindness through inbreeding. The horses ran from him in single file because the blind ones were following "buddies."

"Don't let anyone tell you they're not smart," he said.

Mustangs are also tough. They usually win long-distance stamina races and have better hooves than quarter horses.

They're also loyal and very teachable, Craig Linnen said. After three years he decided to take his mares back to where they were captured for a visit. He said they shook with excitement and recognition at being home, but never tried to bolt and didn't fight getting back in their trailer.

Rising fuel and feed costs are discouraging many people from owning horses, Warr said, driving down the price of domestic horses. Wild horses are no longer a great bargain, making it hard for him to find adopters. He's hoping that events such as this one will show people how much fun these animals can be and will highlight the need for people passionate about mustangs to get involved and help care for them.

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E-mail: akirk@desnews.com