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 Cliff Wild Horse Range encompasses more than 36,000 acres of rugged canyons and plateaus. Cliffs and canyons are natural barriers, supplemented with fencing to define the area and control horse movement.

At this time (Jan. 2011), the Range is supporting approximately 130 horses that roam the pinyon-juniper covered hills and the sagebrush parks that make up most of the area.  The "harem" band is made up of the harem stallion (male), 1-3 mares (female), and their offspring. 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 Book Cliffs 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 as a "calling card", just checking to see what other horses in the area.