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Extreme Mustang Makeover |
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100 Trainers, 100 Mustangs, 100 Days
$25,000
America's Wild Horses featured in Extreme
Mustang Makeover
Bertram, Texas, June 13, 2007 -
The image is one often seen in the movies,
but this time, it's for real.
The
Mustang Heritage
Foundation
and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are
bringing together America's passion for its
iconic mustangs and the challenge of
training wild horses to a unique
competition, the Extreme Mustang Makeover.
The Mustang Heritage Foundation created the
Extreme Mustang Makeover event to highlight
the recognized value of mustangs through a
national training competition. The event
will give the public a unique opportunity to
see the results of wild horses becoming
trained mounts and then participate in a
competitive bidding process to adopt one of
these treasured animals.
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Fort Worth
hosts September 22 competition
 A
total of 100 trainers (click
here for list)
from 30 states were selected from among 220
applicants in May during a painstaking process.
Trainers then claimed their Nevada mustangs June
6-9 at BLM facilities in Nevada and Oklahoma.
Trainers will compete in the Extreme Mustang
Makeover competition for $25,000 Saturday,
September 22, at the Will Rogers Equestrian
Center in Fort Worth. The trained mustangs will
be judged on conditioning, groundwork, and a
"Horse Course" that requires maneuvers and
includes obstacles found in trail and
recreational riding situations. Sunday,
September 23, the competing mustangs will be
available for adoption through an oral bidding
adoption at the Will Rogers Center.
The purpose of the competition is to showcase
the beauty, versatility, and trainability of
these rugged horses that roam freely on public
lands throughout the West, where they are
protected by the Bureau of Land Management under
Federal law. The BLM periodically removes excess
animals from the range to ensure herd health and
protect rangeland resources. Thousands of
removed animals are then made available each
year to the public for adoption. All of the
animals involved in the "Makeover" competition
will be available for adoption at the Fort Worth
event in September.
Adoption fees will be set by competitive bid
with initial fees being determined by the level
and quality of training each horse has received.
To qualify to adopt, one must be at least 18,
with no record of animal abuse. In addition,
adopters must have suitable facilities and can
adopt no more than four animals. Adoption
applications may be obtained and approved on the
spot. For complete requirements,
click
here,
or go to
www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov/requirements.htm.
The Extreme Mustang Makeover will also become a
six-episode series on RFD Television's Wide
World of Horses from August - 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. |
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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
www.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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Bureau of Land Management
Tom Gorey
(202) 452-5137
Paul McGuire
(405) 790-1009 |
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