Shane Weigand came to New Mexico from Montana with zero stock experience, tried to get a llama, met a llama, and bought a burro off Craigslist instead — and then, ten years later, found himself the unlikely guardian of one of the most distinctive subcultures in the American West. As the founder of New Mexico Pack Burros, Shane guides multi-day wilderness packing trips into the Pecos Wilderness, directs five races on the Southwest pack burro racing circuit, and works to bring a working tradition back to the backcountry that has been largely absent for fifty-plus years. This episode covers the history and wild energy of pack burro racing — a sport that has been running continuously since 1949 in Fairplay, Colorado — the case for the burro as the most practical and underrated backcountry companion available, and Shane's proudest moment in the sport: 150 miles of the Colorado Trail with a wild-adopted burro named Comet, followed by a race finish in Leadville that told him the burro was family for life. Hollywood says the horse won the West. Shane's version of history is more specific: the burros built it. The full interview with Shane drops Wednesday in two parts on the Hiker Trash Radio feed.

Show Notes

About the Guest


Shane Weigand is the founder of New Mexico Pack Burros, based outside Albuquerque, New Mexico. A former wildland firefighter and wildlife biologist who spent his career managing public lands, Shane picked up his first burro off Craigslist about ten years ago and has since built a community-driven business around backcountry packing trips, wilderness clinics, pack burro racing, and the book Backcountry Burro: Your Guide to Packing Burros and Donkeys in the Backcountry. He currently owns six burros of all three size classes — miniature, standard, and mammoth — and directs five races on the Southwest pack burro racing circuit. New Mexico Pack Burros is in its first year of guided multi-day expeditions in the Pecos Wilderness.

Episode Highlights


The Craigslist Burro

Donkey, Burro, Mule — The Definitive Guide


Why Burros — The Practical Case


Pack Burro Racing


The Guided Expedition


The History the Horse Didn't Write


The Water Stories


Comet — He's Family


Links & Resources



  • New Mexico Pack Burros — Website: https://www.newmexicopackburros.com

  • New Mexico Pack Burros — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newmexicopackburros

  • BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro

  • Backcountry Burro: Your Guide to Packing Burros and Donkeys in the Backcountry — Shane's book. Available on Amazon or order signed with a sticker from newmexicopackburros.com.

  • Unbranded — Adventure documentary following a group of men who trained wild mustangs and rode from Mexico to Canada. Available free on YouTube. Shane's media recommendation. Strong cinematography and a fair treatment of the wild horse and burro issue on public lands.


Pack Burro Racing — Key Events



  • Fairplay, Colorado — Birthplace of pack burro racing, 1949. Annual race to the top of Mosquito Pass. Part of Burro Days festival.

  • Leadville, Colorado — Flagship race. Centerpiece of Boom Days. Shane completed 150 miles of the Colorado Trail before racing here with Comet.

  • Tombstone, Arizona — One of Shane's favorite venues on the circuit.

  • Ruidoso and Silver City, New Mexico — Fall circuit races.

  • Full circuit — 20 to 30 races annually across the Southwest. Season runs January through fall. A race ran in France two years ago.


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