A little background

The extreme mustang makeover is a program created by the BLM to promote the mustang breed and make the horses more adoptable to the general public. I had to fill out a detailed application as well as provide two references. I was chosen as one of the 30 trainers to compete in the competition on may 18-20 in Norco, California. The trainers have 90 days to completely train the mustang, from halter breaking to being ridden under saddle. The competition requires that the horses learn to walk, trot, and canter under saddle, perform lead changes and turn on the forehand. There is also a body condition score as well as a score for catching the mustang in a round pen. The top ten finishers after this competition move on to the finals and perform a freestyle competition. Each horse and rider combo has 5 minutes to show off their horse to music. Check out mustang magic 2012 on you tube for some great videos of the past competitions. The day after the freestyle competition, all of the horses are auctioned off and it is time for the trainers to say goodbye and the mustangs will go home with new owners. For more information check out extreme mustang makeovers website or Facebook page. We would also like to say a big thank you to Toni Venza for picking up Dinah all the way from Ridgecrest, CA near Death Valley and donating her time and trailer for a very long trip!! Thank you so much Toni!!! Darby and I decided to take on this challenge as a fun way to continue to enhance our learning, grow in our horsemanship skill set, and challenge ourselves in different ways with horses. We are enjoying the relationship with Dinah Shore so far!