I trained a Wild Mustang in the TN Extreme Mustang Makeover. This is what the competition is all about!!

First you have to pick up your mustang at a holding facility. In Jacuzzi’s case his holding facility was in Fallon Nevada. All the mustangs for the competition are picked by random draw. So you don’t get to chose which mustang you will train. Then when you go to pick up your mustang you have to back your trailer up into a cattle shoot. Then two guys are standing up on top of either side of the shoot and they give you a choice whether or not you want a halter on your mustang. If you do they will very quickly and carefully slip the halter over the mustangs nose while he is in the shoot and tie the halter really quick. It’s very hard to do because the mustang is wild and doesn’t want you to touch him at all!

After that, you can bring your wild mustang home. After a couple of days you can start your mustang and by that time you should have a name for your little cutie! From the day you bring him/her home you have exactly 100 days to train him/her. If you have a yearling you just have to do an in-hand course, but if you make the top ten you have to do a freestyle on the ground also. If you have a mustang over 3 years old you have to do an in-hand and a riding portion and then again if you make the top ten you have to do a freestyle under saddle too. So before you even go to the challenge you should have a freestyle planned out.

After you are done training your now broke and loving mustang you haul your horse to the competition. They can be all over the country. In Jacuzzi’s case his was held in Murfreesboro TN. Then you have a trainer’s meeting the day that you haul in and when you are at the trainers meeting you get your pattern for the in-hand and/or and riding course. The next day is the competition. After the in-hand course you get your scores and have another meeting to find out who is going to the top ten. I was a top ten finalist, so the next day I got to do my freestyle with Jacuzzi. After the freestyle they place the winners of the competition. The next day there is an award ceremony and you get rewarded for your placing with prizes. I got Reserve Grand Champion, out of 57 competitors, so I received a framed picture of mustangs and a $1000.00 check! Now I can spend it on my three horses Jacuzzi, Apple Gray, and Jamie!

Finally, the last day, there is a live auction and you can buy your mustang back if you want. I very much wanted my mustang, Jacuzzi and I was the first one that weekend to adopt my very own mustang. But the one great advantage of being in the youth competition, is that they allowed the youth to buy their mustang before the live action for the price of a wild mustang which is a fee of $125.00. So I handed over my cash right away! Because they didn’t know what they had with Jacuzzi! Now I’m doing Hunter Jumper Competitions and Reining with my little Cuzie Meister Boy!

So that is what the competition is all about!! But Having a mustang is so much more.

~Brooke Myers