The Wild Horse Program Began in 1988

In the fall of 1987 Joe Crofts and Vance Everett, staff members at the Wyoming Honor Farm (WHF), were searching for a horse program to use within the facility. They met Don Glenn with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Mr. Glenn was the Wyoming State Horse “Lead” based out of Cheyenne. Mr. Everett and Mr. Crofts spoke with Mr. Glenn about establishing a horse program in the corrections setting.

Mr. Crofts and Mr. Everett then visited the facility at Canon City, Colorado, and saw that a horse program was a viable option. They approached Don Boyer, the Executive Secretary of the Wyoming Board of Charities & Reform (the umbrella agency at that time for the Wyoming Honor Farm), to ask about implementing a horse program. He told them that if they could get it to work for one year then he would approve the hiring of a horse supervisor. Mr. Crofts was supervising other areas at the WHF but believed that this program was viable. They made the commitment and in the fall of 1987 worked out a cooperative agreement with the BLM. The first horses arrived on site in February 1988. There was a crew of 8 to 10 inmates that began working with the horses. The first adoption was held in May 1988.

The Horse Supervisors

At the one-year point, the WHF was able to hire Billy Eppler as Horse Supervisor. Mr. Eppler worked in this capacity until 1995. At that time Mike Buchanan was hired to be the Horse Supervisor. Mr. Buchanan worked as the Horse Supervisor until January 2008 when he retired from the Wyoming Department of Corrections. 

The current supervisor is Jeff Martin. As of May 2009, he will have worked for the Department of Corrections for 20 years.