As the year-old horse Yucatan relaxes in the shade of a corral, enjoys a hug from foster caretaker Dora Bensch and submits to petting by visitors, it’s hard to believe he lived the first half of his young life in the wild in the Book Cliffs that rise just across the desert from Bensch’s property in the Grand Junction area.

Yucatan may have been born a wild horse, but with his calm manner it appears he’d be an easygoing addition to the family of anyone looking to adopt an animal from the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range in an upcoming event in Grand Junction later this month.

“He’s so sweet. I can pretty much do anything with him,” Bensch said.

About 70 wild horses, the majority of them removed from the Little Book Cliffs herd last September in an effort by the Bureau of Land Manageme

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