Hope horse trainer selected for mustang-taming competition
HOPE — Wendy Harvey of Hope has been selected to compete in the Topsfield, Mass., Extreme Mustang Makeover held Aug. 7 - 8 at the Topsfield Fair Facility. Trainers will have approximately 100 days to gentle a randomly assigned wild horse they will pick up in mid April, and compete for an estimated purse of $20,000 in prize money as well as a custom made Gist belt buckle.
Harvey is the owner and operator of Equine Connections, a horse stable in Hope. Equine Connections offers boarding, training and riding lessons. Harvey believes that horses have a way of connecting people to their true selves in a way that no other therapy can.
Although Harvey has trained many horses she has never tamed a wild mustang. This is an adventure that she has been working towards for several years. Harvey uses natural horsemanship methods in her training and believes that horses should be gentled not broken.
The mustangs in the Extreme Mustang Makeover challenge are geldings, virtually untouched prior to the April pick up, will compete in Topsfield in August. The trainers and Mustangs will compete in a series of classes that will showcase their new skills. The horses will compete in handling and conditioning, a pattern class and a combined leading and riding class.
The top 10 competitors will then compete in the freestyle finals.
Tickets and event information about the Topsfield Extreme Mustang Makeover are available at extrememustangmakeover.com/exterememustangmakeovermassachusetts/.
Mustangs competing in the Extreme Mustang Makeover will be available for adoption through an auction on August 8. Auction fees will be set by competitive bid. To qualify to adopt, individuals must be 18 with no record of animal abuse. In addition, adopters must have suitable facilities and can adopt no more than four animals. Adoption applications can be approved on site by the Bureau of Land Management during the event.
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 they are protected by the BLM under federal law. The BLM periodically removes excess animals from the range to ensure herd health and protect rangeland resources. Thousands of the removed animals are then made available each year for public adoption. Nearly 5,500 Mustangs have been adopted through the Mustang Heritage Foundation events and programs since 2007, according to a news release.
The Extreme Mustang Makeovers are made possible through partenership with the Bureau of Land Management and the generosity of sponsors Ram Rodeo, Western Horseman, Vetricyn, Gist Silversmiths, Martin Saddlery, Classic Equine, the North American Mustang Association and Registry, Roper Apparel and Footwear, RIDE TV and Smith Brothers.
About the Mustang Heritage Foundation
The mission of the Mustang Heritage Foundation and the goal of the Extreme Mustang Makeover events are to increase the adoption of mustangs across the country. The Mustang Heritage Foundation created the Extreme Mustang Makeover to showcase the recognized value of Mustangs through a national training competition. For more information, visit www.mustangheritagefoundation.org.
About the Bureau of Land Management
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any federal agency. This land known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate throughout the nation.
The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple use and sustained yield. In fiscal year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands. Visit blm.gov or call 8664mustangs for more information.
2015 Extreme Mustang Makeover Events
Date Event Location
March 27 - 28 Doswell, VA
April 24 - 25 Queen Creek, AZ
May 15 - 16 Norco, CA
May 29 - 30 Loveland, CO
June 20 - 21 Reno, NV
July 10 - 11 St. Louis, MO
July 24 - 25 Nampa, ID
August 7 - 8 Topsfield, MA
August 21 - 22 Gainesville, GA
Sept. 10 - 11 Fort Worth, TX
