Name: Program that let Colorado prisoners work with wild horses to end
Uploaded: 2025-12-08T02:13:30.263Z
Duration: 2 min 41 s
Description: The end is near for a decades-long program that allowed incarcerated men in Colorado the chance to care for mustangs rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management. Kati Weis has more.

The end is near for a decades-long program that allowed incarcerated men in Colorado the chance to care for mustangs rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management. Kati Weis has more.

Cañon City

A decades-old program at a Colorado prison that allowed incarcerated men to rehabilitate wild horses is ending after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced it would not renew its 30-year partnership due to budget cuts. Over 2,000 wild horses have been shipped to private facilities in Wyoming and Utah, which will receive higher payments per horse than the Colorado facility did.

The Colorado Department of Correction expressed regret over the closure and is seeking new rehabilitation opportunities for inmates. Four similar prison programs nationwide have received contract extensions, but their future remains uncertain as the BLM evaluates how to best manage wild herds in the West.

Program that let Colorado prisoners work with wild horses to end

Tonight, it is the end of an era for a decades old program to rehabilitate incarcerated men in Colorado. As CBS' Katie Weiss reports from Canyon City, they found hope in wild horses. And this is where my horses that were getting trained. Inside this Colorado prison, Matthew Kervink is closing a chapter, cleaning out corrals that once housed thousands of wild horses. I can't say enough on how much personal growth this has done for me. After you. Thank you. Kervink and Justin Leonard are serving time for aggravated robbery. These are our trimming tools here, hoof picks and hoof knives and nips. Every day for the last year and a half, their work has been caring for Mustangs, rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management. Leonard says the horses cared for him too. What it's taught me is most of our relationships in life are dependent on you being able to understand their perspective and where they're coming from and same thing with horses. But in September, the BLM announced it would end its 30-year partnership with the prison, citing budget cuts. In a statement, the Colorado Department of Correction says it regrets the closure and is working to create new opportunities for rehabilitation. When you think of this program shutting down, what goes through your mind? The future incarcerated individuals that are losing the opportunity to maybe get the personal growth. This fall, more than 2,000 wild horses were shipped from these fields to facilities in Wyoming and Utah at the taxpayers' expense. A CBS News analysis of federal spending records shows each of those two private facilities stand to make about $800 more per horse than the Colorado facility made this past year. Nationwide, there are four other prison programs that house wild horses. Their contracts expire next year. The BLM tells CBS News it's issued them contract extensions but is evaluating next steps to best manage wild herds in the West. For now, every wild horse rounded up in Colorado will be transported out of state. At a recent adoption event, we found that's not sitting well with some locals. We want them to stay in Colorado. It's a shame that we're losing that program. But at least one horse will stay in Colorado. I adopted a horse, his name's Hollywood. As the program was closing down, I didn't want to see him go to an unknown. A reminder of a partnership that gave horses and humans a second chance. Katie Weiss, CBS News, Canyon City, Colorado.

Chinese and Japanese ties came under further strain after a Chinese fighter aircraft trained fire-control radar on Japanese military jets for the first time.

Okinawa

Chinese fighter jet locks radar on Japan planes

A military coup declared in Benin on Sunday has failed, the country’s interior minister said, just hours after soldiers took over state television to announce the dissolution of government.

Porto-Novo

Benin coup attempt thwarted by soldiers loyal to Republic

Hong Kong's citizens were voting on Sunday in an election where the focus is on turnout, with residents grieving and traumatized after the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years and the authorities scrambling to avoid a broader public backlash.

Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong holds tightly guarded election amid anger over deadly fire

A U.S. envoy says territorial claims remain a sticking point in a proposed peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. The U.S.-led meetings have ended; meanwhile, Russia launched a massive strike on central Ukraine early Sunday.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

U.S.-led peace talks wrap as Russia launches strike on Ukraine

Russia targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure overnight, meaning another winter of power outages for Ukrainians as Vladimir Putin tries to crush their resolve. Holly Williams reports.

Moscow

Russia targets Ukraine's energy infrastructure

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth doubled down on U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats, saying President Trump can take decisive military action as he sees fit. Willie James Inman reports on the latest.

Washington

Pete Hegseth on boat strikes: "We will find you and we will sink you"

To crackdown on so-called “narcoterrorists”, the US has slowly but steadily been building up its military presence in the Caribbean. 15,000 troops are now stationed in the area, many in Puerto Rico.

Ponce

U.S boosts military presence in Puerto Rico amid Venezuela tensions

Residents in the Indonesian region of Aceh Tamiang have been struggling to get aid while mourning the loss of their loved ones, as the death toll from floods and landslides that hit Sumatra island this month rose to more than 900 people.

Jakarta

Indonesian families mourn loved ones as flood deaths pass 900

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that he had had a long and "substantive" phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Zelenskyy says he had 'substantive' phone call with U.S's Witkoff

Netflix is set to buy Warner Bros. in a deal valued at $72 billion, but the announcement has sparked concern among industry workers.

Hollywood

Netflix acquisition of Warner Bros. sparks industry concern

The man suspected of placing pipe bombs around Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021, had his first court appearance on Friday after he was arrested Thursday following a five-year manhunt. A judge ordered the suspect to remain in jail pending future hearings.

Judge orders D.C pipe bomb suspect to remain in jail

A 22-year-old woman who says she was born and raised in the United States tells "CBS Saturday Morning" about being chased down the street by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents as the Trump administration's New Orleans immigration crackdown ramps up.

New Orleans

ICE crackdown in New Orleans ramps up

One of the world's most influential architects Frank Gehry has died at the age of 96. Known for his whimsical, unpredictable style, he rose to fame with his titanium design for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

Bilbao

Influential architect Frank Gehry dies, 96

At least eleven people are dead after a mass shooting at a shebeen (an unlicensed bar), in Saulsville, a township just west of South Africa's administrative capital Pretoria.

Saulsville

Several killed in mass shooting west of South Africa's capital

The United States is warning its NATO allies that Europe must take on more of its own defence, and fast. According to an exclusive Reuters report, the Pentagon has set an ambitious 2027 deadline for European nations to assume most of the alliance’s conventional military capabilities.

U.S. threatens NATO withdrawal if Europe doesn't take lead by 2027

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide the legality of President Donald Trump's directive to restrict birthright citizenship in the United States, a contentious part of his efforts to curb immigration and a step that would alter how a 19th century constitutional provision has long been understood.

U.S. Supreme Court takes up birthright citizenship case

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory panel voted to change the recommendation for when children should get their first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. Meg Oliver has more.

Shift in decades-long guidance on hepatitis B vaccine

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday at an annual summit and agreed to diversify mutual economic ties, as the United States presses India to revise its decades-old partnership with Russia.

Delhi

Russia-India sign trade agreements despite pressure from the West

It's a deal described as the beginning of a new path to peace. Leaders from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have signed an agreement aiming to end the long-running conflict in eastern DRC. U.S. President Donald Trump hosted the leaders in Washington, DC.

DR Congo-Rwanda peace deal: Leaders sign accord alongside U.S.

The Pentagon announced another strike against an alleged drug-carrying boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This comes as lawmakers react to a classified briefing on the controversial Sept. 2 strikes targeting a vessel near Venezuela.

Pentagon announces new boat strike

New evidence was presented in court in connection with the case against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. CBS News' Katrina Kaufman reports.

Manhattan

New evidence shared in Luigi Mangione's pre-trial hearing

Israel has been cleared for the 2026 Eurovision song contest after the European Broadcasting Union said most members did not want a vote on participation, prompting four countries — the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain and Slovenia — to boycott the competition over the war in Gaza.

Israel’s Eurovision participation triggers boycotts

Honduran presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla said U.S. President Donald Trump’s last-minute support for rival Nasry Asfura hurt his chances in the country’s closely fought election.

Tegucigalpa

Honduras' Nasralla: Trump's influence damaged my election chances

A northern Virginia man was arrested and accused of placing two pipe bombs outside the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters on the eve of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Scott MacFarlane has details.

FBI arrests suspect in 2021 D.C. pipe bomb case

A grand jury has rejected the Department of Justice's attempt to re-indict New York Attorney General Letitia James. CBS News legal contributor Jessica Levinson has reaction.

Grand jury rejects DOJ's attempt to re-indict Letitia James

The New York Times has sued the U.S. Defence Department and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in an effort to force the Pentagon to abandon its restrictive new press policy. The Times alleges that the policy, rejected by at least 30 news organizations, violates its rights to free speech and due process.

New York

New York Times sues Pentagon, Hegseth over press restrictions

President Trump weighed in on Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with his envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. CBS News' Ramy Inocencio has more.

Trump insists Putin wants to end Ukraine war after Witkoff's trip

Democrats have released never-before-seen images in the Jeffrey Epstein case. They were taken at his private island estate. It comes as the Trump administration faces a deadline to release the full Epstein case files in two weeks.

Newly released images and videos show Epstein's private island estate

Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, more than five times more than the United States.

Caracas

Maduro accuses U.S. of pushing for regime change to get Venezuela’s oil

Australia starts enforcing a landmark ban requiring social media platforms to take down accounts belonging to under-16s

Breakdown