Did you know there is a competition where equestrians tame wild horses? I may not own a horse but I do know how difficult it must be to train a wild mustang. We write a lot about wild horses and the various adoption programs there are throughout the U.S. These horses are nothing short of amazing.
Courtney Wexler and her horse Kayah won the 2019 Extreme Makeover Competition. The wild horses are given to trainers at random and this small mustang was given to Wexler to train over a period of 100 days. The mustangs that competed in the Extreme Mustang Makeover for adults were wild mares 3-6 years old that have been living in Bureau of Land Management (BLM) off-range corrals.
The press release on the Extreme Makeover Competition's site praises Wexler's ability to win as a first-time competitor!
"This may have been Courtney Wexler's first Extreme Mustang Makeover event, but she did not waiver under pressure. She and her 4-year-old bay mustang mare, Kayah, placed consistently throughout the adult preliminary competition, earning them a spot in the Top 10 Freestyle Finals. At the end of the day, the duo claimed the Championship title."
Wexler picked up Kayah in Lebanon, Tennessee, and she knew she did not want a little bay mustang! But that's what she ended up getting for the competition!
"She was the tiniest of the bays, which is the last thing I wanted," said Wexler about Kayah, who was gathered from Fox-Lake Range, Nevada. "But after watching her, I realized how smart she was. She was scared, but she was also just very cautious. That's also what led us to her name. On the ride home, we were on a website just looking at names and ran across Kayah which means small but wise. That couldn't have been more fitting for her."
Wexler bought Kayah at the auction following the competition. She won $4,000 as part of the championship.
Her goals prior to the competition were to expose Kayah to everything including swimming! Obviously, the training techniques Wexler used worked and won her the championship.
The next competition will be in Ft. Worth, Texas in January 2020. Wexler plans to be there competing.
All adult horses were available for purchase via public competitive bid. All 38 adult horses were placed into adoptive homes with the highest selling mustangs going for $4,000.
This competition is a partnership between the Mustang Heritage Foundation and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
What do you think of this Mustang competition? Please let us know in the comments below!
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