One hundred trainers, one hundred feral mustangs, and one hundred days. The call came for horse trainers throughout the nation to test their skills in the first Extreme Mustang Makeover.
The program, organized by the Mustang Heritage Foundation, put Bureau of Land Management Mustangs into the capable hands of horse trainers who would work with the horses (all geldings) and then compete in a horse show designed to test their results. The trainers would vie for prize money and the chance to test their horsemanship skills with a wild horse.
The competition, held in Fort Worth, included an in-hand obstacle course testing the horses' obedience and trust of their human handlers. The riding portion, which included a reining pattern with speed control, gait changes, and turns, showed the horses' skills as saddle mounts. In the end, an adoption auction helped find homes for the horses and raised money for the Mustang Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the Mustang.
Eight Lyons certified trainers answered the call and joined the competition. Here are their stories.
Susan Kirk & Mac
Rochester, Washington
Susan Kirk had a decision to make. She'd spent 90 days training her Mustang, Mac, and she had hauled him halfway across the country from Washington state to Texas. And yet, the big gelding was telling her what she already knew in her heart. His body hurt. He couldn't complete the contest.
It was a hard decision for Susan who, from the start, had been in it to win. Getting such a great horse just confirmed her initial intentions.
Right away, Susan had made physical contact with Mac, and he quickly started trusting her as his caretaker and trainer.
"They bond extremely strong with the first person who trains them," Susan says of her experience with Mustangs. When the gelding suffered a life-threatening bee sting, she began to realize how important he was to her.
From the start, Mac expressed his strong, curious personality. Even when he was afraid of something, he would turn and face it. "He wanted to take a good, long, hard look before making a decision," she says.
He also had excellent social skills and got along with any horse Susan introduced him to at her farm.
Mac's in-hand training went smoothly. With trust in Susan, he faced whatever obstacle she came up with. He crossed tarps, bridges, and poles, and could serpentine through cones. Soon, he was following her around like a puppy dog and working bridleless. Their saddle work was advancing quickly, too. That was, until it came time to canter.
