EXTREME MUSTANG MAKEOVER More than 75 Mustangs competed By Jennifer K. Hancock, Mustang Heritage Foundation The Extreme Mustang Makeover returned to the Tennessee Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, October 22-24. Trainers picked up their Wild American Mustangs from a Bureau of Land Management adoption facility in July. The Mustangs had been untouched by human hands and trainers had 100 days to prepare them for the competition. The trainers used natural horsemanship techniques with their Mustangs. At the competition, trainers were judged on their Mustangs’ overall body condition and several “in hand” maneuvers, such as grooming, loading in a trailer, and negotiating obstacle courses. Following the “in hand” classes, the trainers mounted their Mustangs to complete the “horse course,” which required the pair to ride successfully through obstacles similar to those found on a trail ride. In addition to the more than 50 adult trainers competing at the event, 25 youth demonstrated their horsemanship skills in the Extreme Mustang Makeover Yearling Edition. On Sunday following the competition, all the Mustangs were available for adoption through a competitive bid process. Adopters had to be preapproved by the Bureau of Land Management. The Mustang Heritage Foundation in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management created the Extreme Mustang Makeover to highlight the value of Mustangs through a national training competition. Since the inception of the Extreme Mustang Makeover event in 2007, the Mustang Heritage Foundation has placed nearly 2,000 Mustangs, and an estimated 100,000 fans have attended events held across the United States. For more information on the event, visit www.extrememustangmakeover.com/emmtennessee.php.