The Little Book Cliffs Horse Range FAQs

The 1971 Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act provides for the management, protection and control of all unbranded and unclaimed horses and burros on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Although horse herds live in many parts of the western United States, The Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range near Grand Junction, Colorado, is one of only three areas in the United States specifically set aside for wild horses.

Just 8 miles northeast of Grand Junction, the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range encompasses more than 36,000 acres of rugged canyons and plateaus. Cliffs and canyons are natural barries, supplemented with fencing to define the area and control horse movement.

At this time (Aug 2009), the Range is supporting 130 horses that roam the pinyon-juniper covered hills and the sagebrush parks that make up most of the area. Of the 130, 69 are female, 60 are male, and one is unknown. The mustang herd is comprised of smaller bands of horses. The "harem" band is made up of the harem stallion (male), 1-3 mares (female), and their offspring. Currently there are 27 harem bands on the range. The "bachelor" band consists of young stallions who have been kicked out of their "harem" or "family" band, generally between the ages of 1 and 6. Stallions usually gain their mares by the time they are age 6.

The mustangs of the Little Bookcliffs are named shortly after birth for tracking purposes. As a result, no two horses will ever bear the same name.

When hiking or riding on Little Book Cliffs, one may notice that the horses share their land with other animals such as deer, elk, mountain lion, bear, and big horn sheep. Also noteworthy are the stud "piles", left by stallions to "mark" their territory.