Litchfield Wild Horse and Burro Facility
Established in the fall of 1976 the Litchfield Corral was the first facility opened in California. The facility covers approximately 80 acres with numerous pastures and corrals. Today the Litchfield Corral serves as the regional preparation center for wild horses and burros gathered from public lands in northern California and northwestern Nevada. At maximum capacity, the facility can hold over 1000 horses. Supporting 14 of California’s 22 Herd Management Areas keeps the professional wranglers at this facility busy all year round. The crew conducts gathers when needed to maintain the appropriate management levels for each herd, thus sustaining the thriving ecological balance with other natural resources. Captured animals are prepared for adoption at the Litchfield Corral by receiving vaccinations, worming, blood tests and freeze branding. The average stay for horses and burros is 30 to 45 days which gives the animal time to become acclimated to domestic grown hay.
Some of the wild horses of this region trace their ancestry to horses raised on the range that were used as mounts for the U.S. Calvary. Some herds in the region exhibit draft horse characteristics. Some of the Herd Management Areas supported by this facility are known for producing good-sized horses, including animals well-suited for endurance riding.
Adoption Details: Adoptions are by appointment only, please call (530) 254-6575. Facility hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm and closed on federal holidays. Information is available 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-545-4256.
Directions: Facility is located 21 miles east of Susanville, CA on US Highway 395.
Horses on the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area of Eagle Lake Field Office
showing ranch horse and calvary remount influence
Wild Burros in the Lower Smoke Creek area of the Eagle Lake Field Office
BLM California News.bytes articles
"Mustangs and a mule take to the rocky trail" (News.bytes Extra)
Mustangs have a reputation for endurance and Mark Montgomery thinks they’ve earned it. From July 8 to August 1, he took a pack string with five mustangs and one mule from Yosemite National Park to Horseshoe Meadows southeast of Mount Whitney, a 240-mile trip, without incident. “We were on a real rocky trail each day from 8,000 to 13,000 feet,” he said.
The Full News.bytes Article
"BLM mustangs on "The Fearful Crossing" (News.bytes Extra)
"Dry, dusty, with no potable water and very little game -- 'The Forty-Mile Desert' was the most deadly and feared stretch of the Old California Trail. Historians estimate that for every 17 feet of this stretch of trail, there is one buried human or horse, mule, or ox. And it is actually 65 miles long." Volunteers with BLM California's wild horse and burro program, and "four-and-a-half" mustangs adopted from the BLM, take part in an annual re-enactment of the crossing ( without the death and starvation part!).
The Full News.bytes Article
"Enduring ride" (News.bytes Extra)
Endurance riders, a tough and hardy group of equestrians, found just the place to put themselves and their mounts to the test recently, when the Spanish Springs Express Endurance Ride was held in the rugged public land mountains of eastern Lassen County. The ride attracted 46 riders and a variety of horse breeds including a mustang cross. Riders competed in two days of events, including a 100-mile ride spread over two days.
The Full News.bytes Article
"Students visit wild horses at the Litchfield Corrals" (News.bytes Extra)
Wild horses are a big part of the heritage in the high deserts of northeast California, and every year Lassen County elementary students learn more about it by visiting the Bureau of Land Management's Litchfield Corrals near Susanville. A highlight was a chance to pet Blue, a young gelding being gentled and trained for work as a BLM saddle horse.
The Full News.bytes Article
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