Mustang Hail Yeah Fetches $50,000 Adoption Fee
at Extreme Mustang Makeover
Adoption of 75 American Mustangs nets nearly a quarter million
Fort Worth, Texas, September 23
-- When trainer Ray Ariss went off pattern during the "horse
course" of the Extreme Mustang Makeover, giving him a zero
for that portion of the competition, his hopes for
representing his hometown of Norco, Calif., and displaying
the talents of his American Mustang Hail Yeah were dashed,
or so he thought. That was until Hail Yeah was adopted for
$50,000 during the Extreme Mustang Makeover adoption
process, taking the high-adopted horse of the adoption and
the highest-adopting Mustang in the history of the Bureau of
Land Management's adoption program.
"It was totally my fault that I missed the pattern," said
Ariss, who, in only 100 days, had conditioned three-year-old
Hail Yeah to perform at dressage, pull a cart and in mounted
shooting. "I hated that I didn't have the opportunity to
show the judges what this horse could really do. I've been
in a lot of competitions and this one was different because
it was definitely not about me. I knew there was some really
good horsemen here and that I would need to step up and
compete." But the gelding's adopters knew the horse's
abilities, so offering the adoption fee was, well, a no
brainer. Partnering on the fee was the City of Norco,
Calif., represented by Mayor Harvey Sullivan and the Mustang
Heritage Foundation (MHF).
Ariss had a lot riding on the exhibition of his horse.
Sullivan had seen the first episode of the Extreme Mustang
Makeover on RFD TV and approached Ray about representing
Norco in its marketing focus as Horsetown USA. "I thought
this competition was so unique and Ray is an outstanding
trainer," said Sullivan, who traveled to Fort Worth to
support Ariss and Hail Yeah. "When I return to Norco, we
will be naming Hail Yeah the official mascot of the city and
he will represent our message as Horsetown USA."
Norco registered Horsetown USA as a trademark to introduce
and encourage specific types of businesses and vendors to
the city that in turn will support and compliment the
community's animal-keeping lifestyle and values.
"With this partnership, Hail Yeah will serve as an
incredible example of what the American Mustang is and can
be to people interested in owning a great horse," said MHF
Executive Director Patti Colbert. "The city of Norco doesn't
just call itself Horsetown USA, it is Horsetown USA, and
having Hail Yeah there in Norco and traveling the country
with Ray Ariss will do so much to raise the awareness of the
value of Mustangs."
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BLM
Chief of the Wild Horses and Burro Division Don Glenn was almost
speechless with the success of the adoption.
"I'm having a hard time putting into words what this event has
done for the wild horse and burro program," he said. "This event
has brought more attention to what we are doing to preserve the
American Mustang than any other program in my 30 years with the
division. I have to give a tremendous amount of credit to the
trainers who took these Mustangs and shaped them into marketable
horses. Without them, there is no way this event would have been
successful. Equal credit has to go to Patti Colbert, who
developed and managed the event. The BLM is truly grateful for
all she has done."
The second highest adopting horse was a Calico Mountain Mustang
named Larry, trained by Dave Schaffner. Schaffner tragically
suffered a serious riding accident on another horse shortly
before the competition and was not able to compete. As a result,
Larry was shown by Shaffner's son Tyler and was adopted for
$10,000 by Mustangs Forever Inc.'s Randy Olson of Kerrville,
Texas who was also the high-money adopter purchasing two horses
for a total of $13,100. The after fee funds received for Larry
will be donated to the Schaffner family to assist with medical
bills.
The September 23 adoption took place following an exciting day
of competition September 22 at the Will Rogers Equestrian Center
in Fort Worth, Texas, with Guy Woods of Pilot Point taking the
championship on Max and a first-place prize of $10,000. Woods
was also the successful adopter of Max during the adoption, a
spirit that continued throughout the event as many trainers
successfully adopted their mounts.
Seventy-five Mustangs were adopted for a total of $233,100 for a
sale average of $3,108. The Bureau of Land Management received
$125 per head as the minimum adoption fee while the remainder
was allocated for the development and programs of the Mustang
Heritage Foundation. Trainers also received a 15 percent
adoption commission for any horse adopted for a fee higher than
$250.
The Extreme Mustang Makeover will also become a six-episode
series on RFD Television's Wide World of Horses through December
2007. The show will share the stories of the mustangs and
trainers as they learn to trust in one another and gain
competitive confidence. The show will air future episodes
September 24, October 22, November 19, December 17 and December
31. Airtimes for the series will be Mondays at 10:30 p.m., with
additional airings on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. and Mondays at 4:30
p.m. All times are Eastern. RFD-TV can be found on Direct TV
channel 379 and Dish Network channels 231 or 9049. |
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About the Mustang Heritage Foundation
The mission of the
Mustang Heritage Foundation
and the goal of the Extreme Mustang Makeover is to increase
the adoption of mustangs across the country. The Mustang
Heritage Foundation created the Extreme Mustang Makeover
event to showcase the recognized value of mustangs through a
national training competition.
About the Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for
managing 258 million acres of public lands, located mostly
in the West. Wild horses and burros roaming public
rangelands are managed in a manner consistent with BLM's
overall multiple-use mission, as set forth in the Federal
Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. Since 1973, the BLM
has placed more than 216,000 horses and burros into private
care through adoption. For more information, visit
wildhorseandburro.blm.gov
or call 866-4MUSTANGS.
The Save the Mustangs Fund,
established in May 2005 by Ford Motor Company in
collaboration with the BLM and Take Pride in America, builds
public
awareness and support for wild horses. In less than a year,
the Fund generated more than $200,000 in contributions,
including Ford's financial support for 2,000 horses, and has
educated more than one million visitors through an
informational website,
savethemustangs.org.
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