The Extreme Mustang Makeover (EMM) will return to the Will Rogers Equestrian Center in Fort Worth in September 2017. The competition will feature a new, exciting format called Player’s Choice. Eligible adult trainers will be allowed to bid on the mustang of their choosing for use in competition from a selection of 200 mares and geldings and compete for their share of $130,000.
Adult Division
Available horses will be catalogued by video through Superior Auction Services and displayed at extrememustangmakeover.com in February for viewing. Mustangs will be available for competitive bid through a mustang selection event held at the Fort Worth Stockyards on April 8. Approved and selected trainers will be allowed to bid in person, online or through call in. Trainers will pick up their horses on May 12-13 and bring them back for competition September 14-16. Trainer entry application deadline is March 1. Interested persons can apply online at extrememustangmakeover.com.
Incentives will also be added in trainer payout and prize money. The top-10 trainers will split a purse of over $100,000, with the champion receiving $50,000. Preliminary classes will also have added money totaling $30,000. Competing mustangs will be placed in an adoption auction at the conclusion of the event with trainers receiving 50 percent commission of the adoption price of their animal.
The revised format was developed in order to increase participation by allowing trainers the chance to bid on the right to train the horse they wish for competition. Pending Bureau of Land Management facility approval, trainers will be allowed to bid on a maximum of two horses though only one horse may be used for the EMM competition. After a horse is declared for competition, the trainer must place the remaining animal into the Trainer Incentive Program (TIP) and find a suitable adopter within 90 days in order to be eligible for the program’s $1,000 incentive.
Holding with original EMM competitions, mustangs and trainers will continue to compete in preliminary classes for a chance to be selected as one of the top-10 trainers who will participate in the Freestyle Finals performance scheduled for Saturday, September 16th.
Youth Division
Selected youth trainers, ages 8-17, will be assigned an 18-24 month old mustang to be trained for competition. Youth will also continue to compete in traditional EMM event format with preliminary classes, including a freestyle performance, in order to determine a champion. The top three trainers will split a purse of $9,000, with the champion receiving $3,000.
About the Mustang Heritage Foundation
The mission of the Mustang Heritage Foundation is to create and promote programs and activities that provide information and education about wild horses, elevate their image and desirability, provide opportunities to become involved in the wild horse experience and secure adequate numbers of caring homes for excess horses. Working in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management, the Mustang Heritage Foundation is passionate about the successful placement of mustangs into private care so future generations can enjoy this distinctive feature of our American heritage. The Mustang Heritage Foundation has placed over 7,500 mustangs into private care since 2007.
About the Bureau of Land Management
The BLM offers wild horses and burros that were removed from the range for adoption into private care. Since 1971, the BLM has adopted out more than 235,000 wild horses and burros nationwide. Potential adopters can attend an offsite adoption event, visit a BLM adoption facility, or participate in an Internet Adoption event. For general questions on adopting a wild horse or burro, visit the Frequently Asked Questions page. 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 sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2015, the BLM generated $4.1 billion in receipts from activities occurring on public lands.
