A long-time staple of the Extreme Mustang Makeover history, Fort Worth, TX has played host to an EMM event almost yearly since Mustang Heritage Foundation’s inception. Following the cancellation of several events over the last few years, the MHF team was thrilled to return to the Will Rogers Equestrian Center in September.
On September 8th, 55 adult trainers and 42 youth trainers arrived in Fort Worth to showcase what they’d been able to accomplish with their randomly assigned horse over the last 100 days.
And it was nothing short of amazing.
Thursday morning, adults took to the John Justin Arena to show off their horse’s groundwork in the Handling & Conditioning class while youth competitors started things off with a bang in the W.R. Watt Arena with the Trail class. That afternoon, youth competitors completed their Handling & Conditioning class followed by the adult competitors returning to the John Justin Arena under saddle to complete the Mustang Maneuvers class.
That evening following Mustang Maneuvers, the public had their first official chance to “Meet the Mustangs” as trainers remained in the arena to answer questions and talk horses with potential bidders.
Friday started early as the 55 horses competing in the adult division took their turn at a difficult, real-world trail course in the John Justin Arena. Following the adult Trail class, the youth returned to center stage and wowed the crowd with creative and original Freestyle routines of their own design.
Late Friday afternoon, the public was invited to the “Meet the Mustangs Social,” a unique event that included a chance to meet the trainers and their mustangs in the stall area, along with cold drinks and great music from award winning musicians, Leah and David Sawyer.
Friday night following the youth Freestyle, all of the trainers gathered in the John Justin Arena along with an impressive crowd for youth awards and the announcement of the adult Top 10.
On Saturday, guests had the pleasure of starting their day with a liberty demonstration from Mary Kitzmiller Horsemanship and her mustang, Remington. Remi was recently appointed as an ambassador for America’s Mustang, MHF’s educational initiative, and joined the America’s Mustang crew Saturday evening along with two youth ambassadors and their mustangs as they welcomed VIP ticket holders to the event. You can read about Remi’s story in the September issue of Northwest Horse Source.
Following the demo, potential bidders had their final chance to preview the available, non-finalist horses one-by-one, as the trainers were asked to describe and showcase their horse in the John Justin Arena. Afterward, the non-finalist horses were offered for adoption, with a high-selling price of $15,000 and an average of $2,500. You can view all adoption results here.
Saturday evening, we kicked off the Finals with a VIP event featuring several of our mustang elite for meet-and-greet and photo opportunities, as well as appetizers, drinks and music from Leah and David Sawyer. Over 3,100 people joined us in the Will Rogers Coliseum at 6pm for event kickoff with music from Mary Kaye Holt and Leah Sawyer, before the Top 10 entered the arena to complete a Compulsory Maneuvers class highlighting their mustang’s handiness in the ring.
Immediately following the class, competitors rolled into their incredible Freestyle routines. They wowed the crowd with theme, music, creativity and ingenuity, all to showcase the hard work they put in over the last 100 days and partnership they gained with their horse. But, as always, there can be only one!
Congratulations to your 2022 Fort Worth Extreme Mustang Makeover Champion, Camille McCutchon!
Camille and Vienna’s Freestyle routine along with the entirety of the Finals, can be found on Cowboy Channel+! View all of the EMM placings here.
The Top 10 adoption followed the Freestyle Finals in the Will Rogers Coliseum with the Champion selling for an incredible $35,000 and an average selling price of $10,000. View all adoption results here.
Congratulations to all of our truly spectacular field of competitors this year. Each of you exemplified our mission, displayed professionalism and produced amazing horses that will go on to be ambassadors for this underserved breed.
In addition to the EMM classes, we were proud to have the BLM on-site with 50 untrained wild horses for adoption – some of which went home with our Mustang Magic trainers.
Up next…Mustang Magic Trainer’s Challenge & Mustang Magic Celebrity Freestyle, January 19-21, 2023! Tickets are on sale now through the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo!
