The Fort Dodge Extreme Mustang Makeover returns to Fort Worth, Texas September 18-21 and with it comes more than 300 formerly wild American Mustangs and more than 200 trainers hoping to capture their share of the $70,000 purse.

Trainers, who range from age 9 to 64, come from 38 states across the nation and will have 100 days to gentle their wild horses for the competition, featuring yearling fillies and geldings trained at halter and three and four year old geldings trained under saddle.

The 2008 competition will also offer reserved seat tickets to the top 15 finals September 20 in Will Rogers Coliseum.  Advance tickets for box and stadium seating is $20 and $15, respectively. All other seating at the finals is free on a first come first served basis. Go round and adoption events are also free.

“The finals this year will undoubtedly top last year’s finals based on what we’ve seen at our other Mustang Challenge events this year,” said Mustang Heritage Foundation (MHF) Executive Director and event manager Patti Colbert.  “The real attraction is that people can adopt these animals after having seen them compete, unlike any other event in the world. This program has proved that Mustangs are marketable and trainable, so we have every confidence we’ll be able to provide the public with quality animals during the September 21 adoption and even more importantly, provide more homes for more horses.”

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. Yearling Edition trainers will have the same 100 days but will only be required to have their Mustangs trained to lead, maneuver simple obstacles, load in a trailer and lift their feet when asked. 

“The Yearling Edition is pretty exciting as it allows us to include families and youth,” said Colbert. “Youth are eligible for the lion’s share of that division with $10,000 and we’ve split adults into two age categories at $5,000 each.” 

Judging the competition will be former AQHA Professional Horsewoman of the Year Suzy Jeane of Valley View, TX, as well as well-known clinicians and horsemen John Lyons of Parachute, Colo., Ken McNabb of Clark, Wyo., and Chris Cox of Mineral Wells, Tex. Also joining the judging line-up is 2007 Extreme Mustang Makeover champion and NCHA Hall of Famer Guy Woods of Pilot Point, Tex., along with Texas AgriLife Extension Specialists Pete Gibbs of College Station and Ken Johnson of Fort Worth.

Makeover competition has been divided into three divisions, based on the ability of the handler and the Mustang, with each division increasing in difficulty. Trainers can enter any level and increase their difficulty, but cannot decrease the level of difficulty once they’ve entered.

“These trainers know best how well their Mustangs will perform. We emphasize that these horses need a solid foundation without the competitive pressure moving them faster than necessary,” said Colbert. “With leveled competition, horses that are working well on the ground and under saddle, but still challenged by obstacles, have an opportunity to compete with others of the same ability, while those who have excelled and have all the bells and whistles can really show their stuff in another level.”

All horses competing in the Makeover will be made available for adoption. Potential adopters apply for the opportunity to be included in the competitive bidding process at the event with BLM personnel available to review and approve the application on site. Information about the adoption process is available by calling 866-4MUSTANGS or going to wildhorseandburro.blm.gov.

The MHF in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management 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.

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 the Bureau of Land Management protects them 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.