Extreme Mustang Makeover!

Tracey Westbury and a mustang named 'Steve Holt!' make the journey to Albany's extreme mustang event

It was raining. Again. The clay soil beneath the horse’s feet was turning to a thick, slick, "quickmud"--the kind of stuff that sucks the boots right off your feet. Not my idea of ideal training weather or footing. Yet there I was, making last minute preparations to bring home a horse that would be with me for the next three months in the nastiest of Northwest weather.

The first weekend in December, I took my daughter, Katie, and a friend to Burns, Oregon, where I would be picking up a wild horse for training. I was about to compete in the Northwest Extreme Mustang Makeover, an event sponsored by the Mustang Heritage Foundation. The event partners qualified individuals with a wild mustang for roughly 90 days of gentling and training. 

The Mustang Challenge

This was my second go-'round with a Makeover horse. Last year I competed during the Western States Mustang Challenge in Sacramento, CA. I’d never had a deadline looming while working with a mustang before, and must admit I was shaking in my boots. It can put a certain level of stress on you when you’re up against the clock for any competition, let alone one where you’ve got just 90 days to take a completely wild animal and turn it into a passive, green broke horse that’s capable of walking through throngs of people anxious to see what a wild horse looks like. In Sacramento, more people turned out to watch the finals of the Mustang Makeover than for the Magnificent 7…talk about pressure! 

Trainers have no say in which horse they come home with; the horses are assigned and you get what you get. If a trainer decides the horse isn’t working out as planned, it’s his or her responsibility to return the horse to the nearest BLM holding facility. Expenses, by and large, are the responsibility of the trainers, from pick-up to care to returning to the competition. It can be an expensive journey and takes some dedication on the part of the trainers, whether they’re in it for the personal challenge, a little self-promotion, or for the welfare of the mustangs.

People often wonder just how wild a wild horse is. They’ve become so accustomed to our gentled domestics that it’s hard to wrap their heads around the concept. My answer is typically this: “Have you ever caught a wild rabbit before? If you did, how long were you able to hold onto it? Now put all that fight and energy into something the size of an elk, and you’ve got a wild horse.” With that in mind, people then become curious as to how on earth you get into the horse's space and make that first contact, and good golly, is it even possible to be on a mustang and riding in 90 days? 

Training the Trainer

I must admit I’m just a regular person: horse crazy since birth, but with no special training that comes from years of clinicians. I’m in no way certified by anyone in particular, nor do I spend much time sitting in front of the television watching RFD TV for tips and hints on how to get my horse to do this or that. Before I took on the mustang for last year’s competition, I called an old friend, Curt Storbakken, and asked him if he’d give me some colt starting lessons. I’d ridden with his wife, Linda, 20 years earlier, but had taken a 15-year break from the horse world while raising my family. Jumping back in with both feet, not only to tackle an unbroke horse, but to put it together in this time frame, required a little bit of back up and reassurance that I was on the right track. Curt threw me up on a couple of his green horses. My body had to relearn a lot of what it had lost over the years, and my mind needed to pick up new things that related to getting a horse started rather than just being a pretty passenger. 

It was a lot of work for my soft body, and I went home sore more than once. The help I received was worth it and has paid off in a big way with my challenge mustang, 'Steve Holt!' The fire that had been in this mighty steed in December was down to a glowing ember as he became accustomed to me moving in and out of his personal space, trusting me as I placed my hands upon his body. By the beginning of the second week, he accepted the saddle. By the end of the fourth week I was on his back and testing the skills I’d learned the year before.

At the Event

There will be all sorts of training levels represented once we get to the Expo. Some trainers will have realized their mustangs are very reactive and need a bit more time before they’re ready to be ridden. Others will have perfected flying changes and be doing reined cow horse work to a standing ovation from the crowd. Most of us will be able to navigate a simple trail course pattern. 

The competition itself is broken down into three phases: Body Conditioning, In Hand Obstacle, and the Riding Course. Our horses must look their best; although trainers have the option of clipping or leaving the horses natural, the mustangs should be of good weight and have a nice shine to their coats. The horses' mannerisms are taken into account as well. The In Hand Obstacle portion features trainers showing how easily their horses will load into a trailer, pick up all four feet, and lead obediently over obstacles such as poles and a bridge, as well as trotting around cones. The last phase is the Riding Course, which counts for half of the trainer’s score. This is a basic trail course, typically with a bridge, turnarounds, sidepassing, backing and just about anything else you might find in a typical green horse course, including the need to perform at all three gaits.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a horse that isn't struck by stage fright and if you’ve done your job well, you may just end up one of the top ten point earners and win yourself a trip to the finals. All previous scores are thrown out at this point, and each contestant starts fresh. The finals is an "anything goes" event, and spectators are wowed by everything from horses climbing onto flatbed trailers as they cross the arena to others jumping through rings of fire. You may see simple reining patterns or find yourself amazed at the cow sense of a spunky little mustang as her trainer sends her after a calf.

Back to the Horse

But what does it take to get that wild, fire-breathing monster to this point? Patience and dedication. A willingness to think outside the box, to give up all your preconceived ideas on what a mustang can or cannot do. The ability to take one day at a time and build upon each day in a positive manner. It’s all about the relationship between horse and trainer; if you set the foundation early on and let the horse know you’re a trustworthy leader, it will do everything it's physically able to do in order to keep you happy.

As I’m typing this, a little ticker on my blog tells me I’ve got 22 days until the Northwest Extreme Mustang Makeover at the Northwest Horse Fair and Expo in Oregon. Twenty-two days…an eternity…and so close at the same time. Twenty rides left before we compete. Will we have what it takes to make the finals once we get there? I don’t know. I’m hoping so. 

Whether or not we make the finals, we’ve won. 'Steve Holt!' is comfortable wearing his domestic horse clothing. He enjoys human company. He’s great up on the trails and not afraid to work in the arena. Rather than being lost in a sea of bay horses at a long term holding facility for the rest of his life, he now has an opportunity to show the world that a mustang is quite capable of becoming someone’s partner and companion. 

On the third day of the competition--after the finals are finished and the awards have been presented--comes the hour of heartbreak for many trainers. All mustangs that competed will be placed up for adoption by the general public. At this point, after three long months, trainers have fallen in love with their mustangs. Some will adopt them back. Some won’t be able to afford them, and nearly all of us will be shedding a tear or two as we watch our hearts being carted away in someone else’s horse trailer.

Check out Tracey's blog at http://mustangdiaries.blogspot.com to keep up to date on her mustang activities!

About the Author:

Tracey Westbury was born and raised in Whatcom County where she learned to ride on the back of an ill tempered Welsh pony (it was either that or walk home).  While she's had no formal training, she's started several young horses over the years and always dreamed of taking on the challenge of training a wild horse.