It was the first foray for the Mustang Heritage Foundation into the Southeast, so far from what many see as "cowboy country," but Florida proved it was the home of great horsemen and women during the Gatorland Extreme Mustang Makeover April 3-5.

Held during Lynn Palm's Women Luv Horses in Ocala, the Gatorland brought a new facet to the legendary Ocala area, replete with million dollar Thoroughbred racehorses and hunter jumpers. Hosting 34 trainers from throughout the Southeast, among them was Jesse Peters, a northern transplant from Astonia, Ohio, who came to Florida to work as an instructor with Pat Parelli.

A lanky 6' 7" horseman, Peters was paired with a bay mare that barely stood over 13 hands tall he named Aspire.  Like all the trainers who compete in Extreme Mustang Makeover events, Peters' horse was selected by a draw before he ever arrived at the Marianna, Florida, facility in January to pick her up for 70 days of training, the shortest period ever in Extreme Mustang Makeover competition.

"When Pat saw the horse for the first time, he asked me why I didn't choose another one, and I told him I didn't choose her, but when you're a horseman, you work with what you've got," he said.

Work with her, indeed. Peters proved that even with a scant 70 days of training, with the first few of those focused on just getting the horse to allow the touch of a human hand, the American mustang is a trainable creature, which is, of course, the purpose of the whole competition.

"The Extreme Mustang Makeover has gotten the reputation of being one of the best and most original equine competitions in the industry," said Patti Colbert, executive director of the Mustang Heritage Foundation (MHF) that produces the event in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). "The facts are, however, that the competition has absolutely no meaning if at the end of the day the horses are not adopted to good homes. So, it's very important that the public have the opportunity to see how willing these horses become in the right hands."

After the preliminary go-rounds, which included a body conditioning score, an in-hand trail obstacle course and an under saddle obstacle course, 12 finalists were invited back for a freestyle performance. Working fourth in the order, Peters made it an original entrance, backing an enormous trailer into the entry gate and releasing a large green ball, with Aspire bounding out of the trailer after it. Working through a number of obstacles, familiar to any Parelli fan, Peters made his exit just as dramatic, standing in the saddle, and then dropping to take the horse into a lope and leaping back into the trailer.

Judges Heidi Cecil, Margo Ball and Suzy Jeane were clearly impressed, giving the pair scores of 9 to 9.5 on horsemanship and perfect 10s on artistic impression for the routine.

Peters took home a check for $3,500 as well as a $500 Mercedes boot gift certificate and other prizes courtesy of Lynn Palm's Women LUV Horses and its sponsors.

Coming in second, after tying for the position, were Mary Berlauk of Tallahassee, Florida, and the black mustang pony, Tiramisu. With a light step and a natural snap to her knees, "Tira" showed a natural ability that judge Heidi Cecil said could not be taught. That pair earned $2,000 of the $10,000 purse.

With an appreciative crowd in attendance for the finals performance, it was only natural that another large crowd would gather for the adoption taking place April 5. Maintaining it's 100 percent adoption rate, all horses in the competition were placed for adoption by the Foundation, with Aspire taking the top spot at $3,000, while Tiramisu was adopted for $1,825. The second highest adopted horse went to Kit, trained by Katie Williams of Ocala, who was adopted by $2,000 by a generous benefactor who transferred the adoption to Katie.

"With the tough economic condition the country is in right now, we feel truly blessed that all of the horses were placed for adoption and at prices that helps the Foundation continue it works," said Colbert.

Gatorland Extreme Mustang Makeover Results
Placing, Name, City, State, Horse Name, Earnings

1.    Aspire, shown by Jesse Peters, Ocala, Florida, earning $3,500
2.    Tiramisu, shown by Mary Berlauk, Tallahassee, Florida, earning $2,000
3.    Mona Lisa, shown by Joe Williams, Reddick, Florida, earning $1,500
4.    Serendipity, shown by Betsy Moles, Woodstock, Georgia, earning $1,000
5.    Onyx, shown by Marsha Harford-Sapp, Tallahassee, Florida, earning $750
6.    Kit, shown by Katie Williams, Ocala, Florida, earning $500
7.    Mustang Sally, shown by Keri Ann Davidson, Adairsville, Georgia, earning $275
8.    Doc Desert Diamond, shown by Cohn Livingston, Florence, Mississippi, earning $200
9.    Jessie Jane, shown by Marc Chancey, Waynesboro, Georgia, earning $150
10.    Liza, shown by Steve Hayden, Griffin, Georgia, earning $100