Extreme Mustang Makeover coming to Virginia Horse Center

The Extreme Mustang Makeover is scheduled at the Virginia Horse Center on August 26-28.

This wild horse training competition will offer two divisions: Youth, ages 8-17, will compete with a mustang in-hand and adults, ages 18 and over, will ride their assigned mustang in preliminary classes to compete for a spot in the top 10 freestyle finals.

After being selected to compete at an Extreme Mustang Makeover event, a trainer picks up a Mustang that has been virtually untouched by humans. With approximately 100 days to gentle, halter break and saddle train the Mustang before the competition.

Horse and rider teams compete in preliminary classes that include evaluating the horse’s ability to maneuver through patterns and/or trail courses.

After the preliminary scores are tallied, the highest-placing horses are chosen to compete in the finals. Trainers have 4 minutes to present a freestyle performance to showcase their Mustangs’ abilities and talents.

The event will award $25,000 in cash and prizes. All adult mustangs will be available for adoption via auction. Bureau of Land Management representatives will be on site to approve interested adopters.

The entry deadline is March 28. Mustangs will be picked up April 29-30 in  Knoxville, TN

A Mustang Makeover competition was held last year at the Virginia Horse Festival at The Meadow Event Park in Doswell, Virginia.

The Mustang Makeover competition’s is an effort by the the Mustang Heritage Foundation to promote the Mustang’s versatility, trainability, and worth as an equine companion. Over 5,000 American Mustangs have been adopted through the Mustang Heritage Foundation since 2007. The foundation will hold 10 Extreme Mustang Makeover competitions this year.