NATCHEZ &045; Since she was a teenager, Sarah Pickens dreamed of having a wild horse, or mustang.

About eight months ago her dream came true when she adopted Legend, a mustang born in Wyoming through the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Adoption program.

In the beginning, however, it was far from a dream come true for Pickens. When she would approach the horse, &uot;Legend would rear up&uot; on his back legs, she said.

Day after day, Pickens would try to befriend the horse without success. &uot;I didn’t know what to do,&uot; she said. Just when she thought she would have to give him back to BLM, she met a man who would help change both her and Legend forever.

Outside the business that backs up to Pickens’ home, Charles Green, 27, was quietly working one day.

Through the fence, Green’s co-worker saw Pickens struggling with Legend. The co-worker yelled to Pickens that Green could help her. After work, Green agreed to take Legend to his own farm in an effort to break, or domesticate, him.

Like a horse whisperer, Green won’t say what he did to bring Legend around. But only hours after Legend arrived at Green’s home, he was allowing Green to ride him.

&uot;There’s an answer for every problem (horses) give you, you just have to watch the signs,&uot; Green said.

Pickens, who now claims Legend as part of her family, can laugh about the pessimists who told her that Legend would never be domesticated saying Green proved them all wrong.

Now, Legend thrives in the ring next to Pickens home. He and Missy, a mare that Pickens has had for about two years, are inseparable.

But Legend hasn’t forgotten his roots. &uot;In the mornings when I come out to feed him, he will be standing on top of that hill over there pawing at the ground,&uot; reminding Pickens of his intrinsic independence, she said.

From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and from 8 a.m. to noon Sunday, about 150 wild horses and a handful of burros, or wild donkeys, will be available for adoption at the Mississippi Fairgrounds in Jackson. Bids for the horses start at $125 and adopters must meet the BLM’s requirements for adoption.