KBR Wild Horse and Burro News

Living the book that they will publish

  SWEDISH JOURNALISTS GO WILD
Part Nine


The Litchfield Corrals (Saturday, Sept. 26)

Willy and Torsten wanted to visit the Litchfield Corrals near Susanville, CA, and we decided to go on Saturday, Sept. 26, which was National Adoption Day. Because of this event, the corrals would be open on Saturday and a number of horses would be separated from the main corrals for easier viewing by potential adopters.

Videll and the BLM volunteers associated with the corrals made everyone feel welcome. In addition to the horses available for immediate adoption, the holding areas had an incredible selection of horses, including some well built horses from Army remount herds such as Twin Peaks, and colorful Carter Reservoir horses. There were even a few horses that were supposed to have standardbred lineage, and the way that they were built and trotted effortlessly lent credence to that theory.

Lots of horses, lots of color.
82 year old Bill Phillips, a walking encyclopedia and the region's recognized historian of the BLM herds, provided background on the origins of many of the original herds, and how they were influenced by the great ranches, Indians and military. (We really need to find someone to sit down with Bill for a day with a roll of maps and bring the herd histories up to date.)
Bill Phillips.
Videll explaining the adoption paperwork.
A potential adopter checking out the horses.
Filling out the paperwork to take a horse home.


Post Script

At the corrals was a 6 year old black mare named "Merry Legs." She had been adopted, saddle trained, and from the pictures that BLM showed, had been ridden quite a bit. It turns out that her adopter never applied for title, then gave the horse to another person who, upon learning that a new adoption application and year's maintenance and care were required, turned the horse back to BLM. This saddle trained horse is available for the $125.00 base fee. For more information or to adopt Merry Legs, please contact Videll Retterath at 530-254-6575.

(Merry Legs is standing on the camera side of the mule.)

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