A landscape of sagebrush and grasses on a gentle hill. Photo by Amy Dumas/BLM

Coppersmith HMA

This area contains horses thought to originate from Spanish stock diluted with ranch stock and US Cavalry remounts prior to and during World War I. Many of the horses in this area have characteristics common to Morgans, Thoroughbreds, and Quarter Horses.  The horses come in common solid colors such as bay, black, and chestnut.  These horses can range from 14 hands to more than 16 hands and weigh in starting at 900 pounds.

Location: The Coppersmith Herd Management Area is located 30 miles southeast of Cedarville, CA in Lassen County, CA and Washoe County, NV.

Size: 73,422 acres

Topography/Vegetation: The topography consists of rough and steep rocky tablelands. Dominant vegetation includes Juniper, bitterbrush, big and low sage with bluegrass and an understory of squirreltail, Idaho fescue and needlegrasses.  Elevations in the HMA range from 5,000 to 8,000 feet.

Wildlife: Charismatic wildlife in the area includes pronghorn, mule deer, sage grouse, chukar and quail.

AML:  50-75

A liver chestnut mare named Nyota standing saddled in a shedrow at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. Photo by Amy Dumas/BLM.