Run by the Mustang Heritage Foundation, the “makeover challenge,” as it’s known by many, launched in 2007 in Fort Worth, Texas. Since then, more than 16,000 Mustangs have been trained, adopted, and auctioned off to individuals across the country.

In 2019, Courtney Jo Wexler, a 28-year-old horse trainer and North Carolina native, won the Extreme Mustang Makeover in Lexington, Ky., and found a whole new life in the process.

Also Read: Norco Extreme Mustang Trail Challenge Raises the Bar

Ready for a New Challenge

Wexler has been on the back of a horse since she was 3 years old. A certified riding instructor through the American Riding Instructors Association, she’s also been training horses for the last 15 years and has done numerous equestrian disciplines.

For the past five years, she has managed a small barn in Williamston, a town near Raleigh, N.C., where she grew up. There, she led a riding lesson program for kids. Despite the satisfying work, Wexler was burned out and felt lost.

When her best friend, Carey Stewart, first said she was participating in the 2019 EMM and suggested they do it together, Wexler refused. But after careful research, she submitted her application to compete—just one hour before the deadline.

Her assigned mount was one of the youngest horses in the competition. Kayah seemed gentle and easygoing, although territorial. After picking her up, Wexler convinced herself that she wouldn’t get attached to Kayah. She’d compete in the makeover, her Mustang would be auctioned off, and they’d say goodbye.

The next morning, Wexler groomed Kayah’s mane and described how they would compete in the makeover in June. As she told Kayah about the auction at the end of the event, Kayah exhaled deeply and nuzzled Wexler. She started to cry.

100 Days of Training

“Some trainers felt comfortable enough to put first rides on their Mustangs early,” says Wexler. “I wanted to develop a deeper connection and understanding between Kayah and myself before I got on her back.”

On the fourth day, Kayah got a bath. As Wexler washed the mud from her body, Kayah nickered toward her and nuzzled her nose into Wexler’s neck. Wexler helped relax Kayah’s muscles using pulsed electromagnetic field therapy.

Ten days into training, a saddle was placed on Kayah for her first ride. A week later, on Kayah’s fourth ride, the pair participated in their first horse show, put on by the Inter-County Saddle Club in Edenton, N.C. When they were named champions of the ranch division, Wexler thought they might have something special.

“At this point, I became dead set on putting everything I had into this horse,” Wexler recalls. “For the next three months, Kayah and I participated in every event I could find. We were together every weekend for horse shows, trail rides, or clinics.”

She and Jesse Chase, an accomplished reining trainer who has worked with Mustangs before, helped them fine-tune Kayah’s circles, spins and steering.

“As Kayah became more gentled, I let kids touch her at training camps,” says Wexler. “We also visited barns to discuss the Mustang breed and the makeover challenge with the public.”

Competing in the Makeover

After hundreds of hours of training, Wexler, Stewart, and 33 out of the original 70 trainers arrived in Lexington, Ky., for the EMM. After two days of competing, Wexler had won 9th in ground handling and conditioning, 2nd in maneuvers, and 1st in trail.

She had the most points of any competitor in their first Mustang event, so she also won Rookie of the Year. Stewart placed 12th and joined Wexler’s friends in the stands to watch the freestyle routines.

When Wexler made it to the top 10, she realized that she hadn’t prepared a freestyle performance. She had no props, song or outfit. Competitors rushed in to help. One of the volunteers was named Justin. He had come to watch the competition with his father, who owned and trained Mustangs.

“Justin and his dad were so kind,” says Wexler. “Justin held himself so well and that drew me in. He also had one of the best smiles, and every time he looked at me, it caught my breath.”

Impromptu Freestyle

Wexler choreographed her freestyle routine only two hours before the performance. Her routine had none of the tricks that other riders had built into their routines.

To start the routine, Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” blared through the speakers.
Wexler and Kayah, who was wearing a large tarp, walked toward the center of the arena. Wexler stripped off the tarp and mounted Kayah as the crowd cheered. Kayah traversed a bridge and then sidepassed poles.

Wexler used a pole to pick up another tarp and dragged it behind Kayah. Then the pair maneuvered around a 3-foot inflatable ball, followed by a 5-foot ball, which Kayah then pushed around with her nose. They trotted over a final jump and sprinted to the center as the song ended. It was enough to secure the win.

But Kayah was scheduled to be the first horse auctioned off.

“Not even five minutes after I had won the makeover, I was holding a paddle in the air and bidding on Kayah,” says Wexler, who used the $4,000 she’d won as the makeover champion to buy her horse back.

Finding Two Loves

A few weeks later, she and Justin began dating. In 2020, Wexler moved to central North Carolina to be closer to her family before moving to Louisiana to live with Justin.

She completed her bachelor’s in business administration—the first in her family to earn a college degree—and now runs her business, Absolute Pulse Therapy, which offers PEMF to speed recovery in injured horses and people.

Kayah and Wexler have been giving lessons and offering demos to promote the American Mustang, which Wexler calls “America’s horse.”

“Competing in the Makeover Challenge was my destiny,” says Wexler. “I was supposed to take part in it. I was supposed to find Kayah. To meet Justin. The real star in this story is Kayah, though. I wish she could tell everyone her side of the story.”

This article about one Extreme Mustang Makeover trainer’s experience originally appeared in the September 2021 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Each was asked to reflect on what shaped their life’s trajectory and what encouragement they would offer to keep all of us riding forward.

Stacy Westfall

Cowgirl Hall of Famer, first woman to win the Road to the Horse

In 2006, Westfall was the first and only woman invited to compete in (and win) the Road to the Horse Colt Starting competition. That same year, she dedicated her bareback and bridleless win in the Quarter Horse Congress reining freestyle to her late father and, as more of her performances became viral sensations, she won the hearts of general audiences and appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Today, as a renowned female equestrian, she continues showing people how to build clearer lines of communication.

Career choices: I never fit in except when I was with horses. The more you try to fit in, the less you will be YOU. The point of life is to figure out what you bring to the mix.
Advice to younger self: Your ideas are only half-grown. Some dreams are horses that stand up and run right after they’re born. Others are caterpillars that need a chrysalis before their butterfly. Just because people don’t understand doesn’t make a bad idea. You just need time.

Trailblazing lesson: My favorite book growing up, The Black Stallion, starts with a horse, a sinking ship and getting stranded on a desert island, and ends with a horse and green grass. Stop thinking that when you “get it right,” it will all be green grass. Sometimes you don’t appreciate the grass until you’ve been stranded on the island.

Patricia E. Kelly

Founder, Ebony Horsewomen, Inc. (EHI)

Since 1984, EHI has provided culturally competent, Eagala-style equine-assisted therapy and psychotherapy to veterans and urban families; a Junior Mounted Patrol Unit, Park Rangers and community ambassadors; and a Saturday Saddle Club in partnership with the University of Connecticut.

Kelly is an inductee into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame and the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum Hall of Fame, and a CNN Top 10 Hero. This female equestrian has also appeared on The Queen Latifah Show and The Dr. Oz Show.

Then and now: There have always been African Americans in the horse industry; however, they (we) were not recognized. Today, I see more competing, and hope our involvement demonstrates our ability, and right, to be recognized. At EHI, we emphasize culturally competent equine therapy, because it’s crucial to recognize some issues require specificity. People from different backgrounds often deal with traumas that cross many intersections.

2020 hindsight: I see the start of a change and willingness to take a hard look at diversity and inclusion. The horse industry is largely dictated by money, which is a social construct, with built-in racial exclusions and biases. I’ve seen false starts at equality fizzle out. So we shall see.

Temple Grandin, Ph.D.

Author, animal behaviorist, neurodiversity activist; American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow; Time Magazine 100 Heroes; and an inductee into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Hall of Great Westerners.

Grandin is perhaps best known as a designer and proponent of humane livestock handling facilities and a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, but she is equally passionate about promoting greater understanding of those on the autism and neurodiversity spectrums. This female equestrian trailblazer was the focus of the semi-biographical HBO film Temple Grandin starring Claire Danes, which won seven Emmys, including “Outstanding TV Movie.”

Career choices: I was always interested in science. My grandfather was the co-inventor of the autopilot for airplanes. When I was little, he answered endless science questions. My mother nurtured my interest in art and encouraged me to try new things.

Advice to younger self: Work hard and become good at a specialized skill that other people need and value. I learned to work hard when I cleaned horse stalls in high school.

Then and now: At my age (73), one of the most important things I can do is to encourage students. Many students are really interested in animal behavior, and they want to improve the treatment of pets, horses and farm animals.

Anne Kursinski

Five-time Olympian and two-time silver medalist, U.S. Olympic Committee Female Equestrian Athlete of the Year, two-time Pan American Games gold medalist, two-time American Horse Show Association Horsewoman of the Year, Show Jumping Hall of Fame inductee, and the 2018 Women in Sports Coach of the Year

Yes, Kursinski has won nearly every major equestrian competition there is to win, but mentorship, not medal winning, found her at the forefront of the #metoo movement as a clear voice for female equestrian athlete advocacy.

Then and now: When you’re successful, it’s inevitable to be seen as a role model. I hope I’ve been a good one. Rider head injuries in the 1980s made me one of the first to wear a chin strap. Before it was cool to worry about TBI [traumatic brain injury], I spoke up about head protection.

Then, even though I was OK with my life and past, when I heard the news [about the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal], a voice inside said I had to speak up. Times have changed.

2020 hindsight: In a weird way, the last year has been good for us. A lot of sports totally closed down, but horses allowed us to stay grounded.

Patti Colbert

Creator of the Extreme Mustang Makeover, American Horse Publications Equine Industry Vision Award winner, National Cowgirl Hall of Fame Sawyer Award recipient

Blending equine tradition with innovative engagement, the Extreme Mustang Makeover, presented by the Mustang Heritage Foundation, gives approved trainers 100-120 days to take unhandled horses “from wild to mild.” They are then available for adoption or purchase via public bid.

Career choices: I do what I do because it’s so freaking fun to come up with something that flips everyone out.

Then and now: My favorite TV show was Extreme Home Makeover, which took a home with no value, a family with a story, and some professional builders, and changed lives. I thought we could do that with Mustangs, and holy s**t, it worked! Close to 7,000 wild horses were adopted during my time with the Mustang Heritage Foundation.

2020 hindsight: With people or horses, if you move your feet, the activity stimulates your brain, and you feel better. In 2020, I reminded myself daily to move my feet.

Lynn Palm

Trainer of four American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Superhorses, AQHA Professional Horsewoman of the Year, Women’s Sports Foundation Equestrian of the Year

The world fell in love with Palm’s bridleless exhibitions on the legendary Rugged Lark, including at the 1996 Olympics, and few can match this female equestrian’s record as an all-around trainer, showman, exhibitor and entrepreneur.

On career choices: I’m blessed to make a living with horses. I do what I do because I love horses and their wellbeing. I train for the longevity of the horse.

Then and now: I am on a mission with AQHA to reward registered Quarter Horses competing in U.S. Eventing Association-recognized events with AQHA points, the same way they do with registered Quarter Horses in U.S. Dressage Federation-approved competitions.

Trailblazing advice: My mother recognized my passion and talents and always supported me. My mentor, Ms. Steele, gave me a special gift for my high school graduation and signed the card, “To a future great star, with admiration.” That took me to my dreams.

Linda Tellington-Jones, Ph.D.(H)

Founder of Tellington TTouch Training, Massage Therapy Hall of Fame inductee, American Riding Instructor Association Lifetime Achievement Award

This female equestrian’s forward-thinking approach, “Change the Posture, Change the Behavior,” has always been ahead of its time. Tellington-Jones has written 23 books on TTouch, and was recognized by The Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run as a Torch-Bearer (a global relay since 1987 embodying a universal aspiration for peace) for her devotion to a heart-based method that nurtures a peaceful connection between animals and people.

Career choices: On my 30th birthday in 1967 (I’m 83 and happy to share my age because we all need role models), I got an astrological psychoanalysis, one of the first on a computer, and it predicted my destiny was to develop a form of communication that would spread around the world. Communication is the heart-to-heart connection using TTouch.

I have spent a lifetime avoiding the label of guru. I just show up and listen and do my best to make a difference in a positive way. I’ve been cited as a pioneer in interspecies communication; interspecies connection is how I see it.

Then and now: My grandfather, Will Caywood, trained racehorses in Russia and in 1905, accepted the prestigious Tsar Nicholas award as leading trainer. He never entered a horse in a race unless it told him it was feeling fit enough to win. And we think of animal communication as something new!

Debbie Roberts Loucks

CEO, Monty & Pat Roberts Inc. (MPRI)

Home is where the horse is for the daughter of world famous “horse whisperer” Monty Roberts. Since 2002, Roberts Loucks’ marketing and business acumen have grown her father’s brand into a global leadership organization. She launched the first-of-its-kind Equus Online University and the international symposium on the transformative nature of horses known as The Movement. Now, this female equestrian works on the Monty Roberts Mustang & Transition Horse Program, identifying how horses have multiple careers over their lifetime, and reframing “rescue” as transition.

Career choices: I was blessed with the aptitude to understand and interpret for horses (and for Monty Roberts). The last 20 years have been invested in the future of concepts in non-violent training that work with the nature of flight animals rather than using force.
Then and now: In 2002, when we self-published From My Hands to Yours, it was unheard of to retain rights to media and distribution. Media was the future. It could empower people to study techniques they felt were right for their horse. By 2004, we began a video library to teach Join-Up training. The trouble was the internet was not fast or widely used enough yet to launch it. In 2009, technology advanced enough to build our first interactive site, Monty’s Online University.

In 2013, HorsemanshipRadio.com, our podcast on the Horse Radio Network, offered a new way to deliver conversations with industry leaders that was different from video because you could pop in ear buds and listen while driving or working. We knew this was an underserved audience. Now, with a few awards under our belt, we’re learning how to stay even better connected.

Bernice Ende

Author, Lady Long Rider: Alone Across America; subject of the film, Lady Long Rider: How far one woman went to find herself

Four of the reasons Ende rides are to encourage female leadership, to discover, to learn and to grow. After 30,000 miles and nearly two decades traversing America on horseback, this female equestrian was inducted into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame in November 2020. The Long Riders Guild recognizes her as an “outstanding ambassador for long-distance exploration on horseback” and hails her as the first person to ride coast-to-coast and back again in a single trek.

Career choices: I’ve never experienced life without a horse. I think I came out from my mother’s belly loving horses.

Advice: Life without fear is freedom.

Then and now: I’d like to think we are developing a higher consciousness. Look at where we are with gender equality. Look at the progress made by women of color. They are the ones changing everything. Holy cow, I am so encouraged by it all!

Trailblazing mentorship: My mom had a love of the horizon, as did my Aunt Linda, who loved horses and traveled the world. She made it so interesting to me to hear about different languages and ideas.

Jean Abernethy

Equestrian artist, Western Writers of America and American Horse Publictations award recipient

This female equestrian and talented illustrator is the creator of Fergus the Horse, her hooved protagonist with a wry sensibility who has been winning fans among riders and readers for two decades.

Career choices: If you’re going to make a living doing something, find something you’re good at, something you enjoy. Then at least one person will be pleased.

Advice to your younger self: Travel more. Don’t be so hesitant to explore.

Then and now: I drew generic horses in my first years cartooning. When I created Fergus, I had to speak through him to develop his character. Then he needed pasture mates for conversation. Twenty years ago, this played into our deepening understanding of equine language, psychology and complexity.

2020 hindsight: We know that WWII started in 1941 and ended in 1945, but in 1943, people didn’t know that. Have faith that change will come. And exercise your abs with a good laugh as often as you can.

Laura Hillenbrand

Best-selling author; myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) advocate

Even non-horse people fell in love with the hero of Hillenbrand’s first bestseller, Seabiscuit: An American Legend. The film adaptation, Seabiscuit, was nominated for Best Picture of 2003 at the 76th Academy Awards.

At 19, this female equestrian was stricken with chronic fatigue syndrome, yet persevered as an author and advocate for what is understood today as myalgic encephalomyelitis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identify ME/CFS as a disabling and complex illness whose sufferers experience overwhelming fatigue that is not improved by rest and can include problems with thinking and concentrating, pain and dizziness.

Trailblazing advice: The closest thing I had as a female role model was the character of Margaret Houlihan, played by Loretta Swit on the television show M*A*S*H. It began airing when I was 2 or so and stayed on the air until I entered my teens. In my girlhood, females were not always applauded for wanting to pursue careers. My mother was a journalist of great skill, but when she got pregnant with her first child, she was fired. She could do nothing about it, because back then, it was perfectly legal to fire a woman for getting pregnant. Journalism was still largely a man’s world.

Margaret Houlihan was not a journalist, but she was so moving to me. She was a military officer pursuing a career in a world completely dominated by men who could not see beyond her sexuality. Yet she persevered, and she was very strong and very, very good at what she did.

I grew up wanting to be like Margaret—certain of my worth, dauntless, devoted. For her, sexism was the supreme struggle; for me, it turned out to be my health. As I fought to have a career in spite of shattered health, perhaps something of her was in me. A few years ago, Loretta and I became friends. She is very much like Margaret, and she is so full of wisdom. It was such a joy to be able to tell her how her role had informed my life.

In remembrance: Jane Savoie

Rider, author, Olympic coach

Savoie was in the process of scheduling an interview for this article when, on January 4, 2021, she lost her five-year battle with multiple myeloma. This three-time National Dressage Freestyle Champion danced through life in the ballroom as well as on the dressage court and invited us along.

This female equestrian found her truest calling in teaching, from coaching Olympic teams and instructing amateurs to presenting motivational talks. She published her first book, That Winning Feeling! in 1992. Her last, Dressage Between the Jumps, was released in 2020, the same year she released her first novel, Second Chances.

Savoie, who knew she had been recognized among our trailblazers, once said “there’s no expiration date on a dream.”

Thank you, female equestrians, for choosing to be what no one has seen before.

This article female equestrian trailblazers appeared in the May 2021 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Trailblazing Female Equestrians appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Lloyd Hayden, who is a double amputee, has been able to ride his Percheron-Friesian cross gelding, Bo, in the fields around his farm. For Cathy Florman, riding Heffner’s Mustang, Grace, gave her a wonderful escape from debilitating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) symptoms.

Building a Foundation

Heffner grew up on a horse training farm in New Jersey. Passionate about horses, she started taking lessons at age 7 and got her first horse at age 9.

“I would ride all summer and learn how to ride all different types of horses,” says Heffner. “That was probably the best education I could have gotten—learning that every horse is different.”

Heffner learned from Dottie Orzechowski how to ride in a variety of disciplines, “learning something well before you skip to the next thing.” She’s done everything from western and English pleasure to barrel racing, pole bending, team penning and other events—many of them on her horse, Clay.

“I try to stay really well-rounded,” Heffner says.

When she moved to Indiana in 1996 at age 20, she immediately got plugged in with horse people, starting with a woman named Sandy Blackburn. Blackburn was pregnant and needed someone to get her horses ready for a youth to show at the local 4-H fair. Heffner was able to get the horse prepared, and it was the start of a great training relationship, as well as friendship.

Blackburn helped Heffner buy her first small property, and the former massage therapist soon started her horse training business. She has since moved to a bigger equine facility, called Double H Horse Farm.

Mustang Makeovers

In 2008, Heffner learned about Extreme Mustang Makeover events. Horsemen take an untrained Mustang, and within 100 days, train the horse to ride, go over trail courses, and load in a trailer. The top 10 finishers also perform reining maneuvers and a freestyle. Heffner was intrigued and saw it as a great way to promote her colt-starting training.

Heffner has now done three Mustang Makeovers. The mare she worked with for her second event in 2012 was Grace, who placed fourth. Thanks to the mare’s talent and temperament, Heffner says Grace is her training ambassador.

“She does all kinds of tricks,” Heffner says. “She’s done western, English, barrels and poles. She has been in my house—she’s just amazing. I trust her with a lot of things. She performs at liberty, too. She’s taught me a lot.”

Special Training Leads to Healing with Horses

Drawing on skills she gained as a massage therapist, Heffner’s intuition has helped her sense when a human or an animal is in pain—and help them find healing together.

“With horses, I can look in their eye or see the way they’re moving and try to fill in the holes of their backstory,” she says. “I can see when something isn’t right. It’s been a learning process. I used to think training maneuvers had to work if done right; now I know a horse has to be able to do them physically, just like we can’t all be gymnasts.”

Heffner believes groundwork and a good foundation set a horse up for success under saddle. Grace is a great example of the kinds of horses Heffner enjoys bringing along in her program.

“The horse has to be kind and forgiving, and gentle,” she says. “I’m not saying my Mustang doesn’t make mistakes, but if she knows that I’m calm too, she’ll stay that way.”

Because of her experiences with the Extreme Mustang Makeover, Heffner also trains Mustangs and burros for the Bureau of Land Management.

“Through the makeovers, I saw what great horses the Mustangs really are, and how they need their stories to be told,” she adds.

Back in the Saddle

Lloyd Hayden has ridden horses and farmed all his life. After retiring from ironworking, for the last decade, he has managed his farm in Thornton, Ind. 

In October 2018, he lost both his legs below the knees in a combine harvester accident. But the loss has not kept Hayden from caring for his land—or from riding. He’s able to walk on his knees and use track vehicles around the farm. And by the following spring, he was back in the saddle, regularly trail riding in his fields or nearby state parks with his wife, Sue.

The Haydens raise Friesians and Friesian crosses. Four-year-old Percheron/Friesian Bo was bred and raised on their farm, and the couple trained him to ride prior to Hayden’s accident. He’s been able to ride Bo, but would need to get on from the bed of a truck, and it was difficult.

Knowing she’d taught Grace to lie down on command during the Extreme Mustang Makeover, Heffner was approached about training Bo to do the same thing. Because every horse is different, Heffner did not give a timeline and said the maneuver couldn’t be forced. 

It was a challenge for both horse and rider over 30 days of consistent training. Bo went home with the Haydens as they continued to practice, trying to get the mechanics right. Heffner worked with Bo a few more days, and finally, he was ready. She says the key is doing the maneuver in soft arena dirt.

“It’s a very vulnerable position for a horse to be in,” Heffner says. 

Heffner began training horses to lie down on command after watching John Lyons training videos; he told a story of how he taught his horse to lie down after breaking his leg on the trail when he couldn’t get back on. She thought it would be a neat trick—she didn’t realize it would be so helpful in allowing healing with horses.

“I always remember that story and how this skill may come in handy,” says Heffner. “Lying down has been mostly a novelty until now.”

Hayden says Bo’s new skill has made riding much more convenient.

“We’re thankful she did that for us, and we really enjoy riding,” he says. “[Bo lying down on command] really makes things easier for me.”

Amazing Grace 

Cathy Florman grew up on a farm and owned her own horse as a teenager. She got back into horses when her daughter, Rachel Griffin, became interested as a child, and last rode about six years ago. Griffin is a lifetime horsewoman and has taken lessons from Heffner in the past. 

When Florman began declining after her diagnosis with ALS—a progressive disease affecting the nervous system—Allison Sherrill, a Florman family friend and Heffner’s best friend, suggested a riding opportunity for Florman. Talking through mobility challenges (ALS depletes muscle strength and other important functions), Heffner knew that Grace’s ability to lie down and stand up on command would be essential.

“We made sure that [Cathy’s] head was safe, and we were supporting her,” Heffner says. “Once she was on, she couldn’t believe how much more mobile she felt than when she was walking on the ground. She had the greatest time.”

With Grace able to lay down, the last barrier to Florman being able to ride was removed.

“It was a great joy to go to the barn and see the horses,” says Florman. “It was so precious to me to be able to ride. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know I would be able to do it, and I didn’t know how wonderful it would be to ride.”

Once in the saddle, Florman remembered her years of riding and felt renewed, despite her debilitating illness.

“She just had that easy, familiar rhythm from walking,” Florman says of riding Grace. “There’s nothing that moves your body so naturally like moving with a horse. Before I got sick, one of my greatest pleasures was riding a horse. So being back [in the saddle], it felt normal. Like I wasn’t sick anymore. I could sit up taller. I could do it, just like I used to.”

Florman says her experience was truly life-changing.

“Something happens when you get on the back of a horse,” she continues. “Anybody that rides knows this. If you’ve had a bad day and you go ride, it transports you away from those problems. It’s just you and the horse at the rhythm of the walk. There’s something transformative about that.”

While she was on Grace, with Heffner and Sherrill beside her, Griffin rode another horse, and mother and daughter enjoyed each other’s company as they rode together.

“It was really nice to be above the ground, above my problems, riding beside Rachel, just walking and talking,” Florman says. “It was like life was how I wanted it to be.”

Dismounting was also a challenge, but Grace was up for it. Florman says Heffner’s calm personality helped her feel safe during the process. 

Florman also says training a horse to perform these maneuvers is an incredible gift for a disabled rider that can enable healing with horses.

“Teaching your horse to do this is one of the most loving and kind things you can do—it’s very much appreciated,” Florman adds. “There was no other way for me to be able to get on the horse. I am so grateful.”

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The Mustang Heritage Foundation (MHF)’s virtual 2021 Kentucky Extreme Mustang Makeover concluded on Sunday, June 27, after five days of exciting performances and a successful auction. Originally slated to be held in Lexington, Ky., the event’s virtual format brought the action-packed excitement to Mustang fans and horse lovers from around the world.

Adult and youth competitors showed the trust they had built with previously untouched wild horses in approximately 100 days of training by submitting videos of their performances. Complete class videos, which are available to view online free of charge, were scored by a panel of judges to determine who would take home top honors and more than $40,000 in cash and prizes.

Katie Ketterhagen of May, Texas, earned the 2021 KY Extreme Mustang Makeover Champion title for her work with Like a Champ, a 4-year-old gelding gathered from Little Owyhee. Ketterhagen and Champ also received the horsemanship award for highest combined score in the preliminary classes and the overall champion title.

Isidro Espinoza of Concho, Ariz., claimed the reserve champion title with Pelos, a 4-year-old gelding gathered from Devil’s Garden Plateau, and Cat Zimmerman of Archer, Florida, earned the horsemanship reserve placing with Stitch, a 4-year-old gelding gathered from Paisley Desert.

In the Youth portion of the event, Dixie Marrese of Munfordville, Ky., took top honors as the Youth Champion with her 2-year-old gelding Smudge, who was gathered from Frisco. Receiving the youth reserve champion title was Maleah Redmann of Athens, Wisc., who trained Tally Mark, a 2-year-old mare gathered from Antelope Valley.

Find complete results and watch class videos online at www.mustangheritagefoundation.org/watch-ky.

In addition to the competition in the 2021 Kentucky Extreme Mustang Makeover, competing adult horses were available to approved bidders in an online auction hosted by Champion Horse Sales. The high seller, a 4-year-old bay gelding named Pelos, sold for more than $22,000, and the sale average was more than $9,000 per lot. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each horse goes back to the horse’s trainer, while the rest helps the Mustang Heritage Foundation achieve its mission of helping Mustangs find loving, permanent homes through events like this Extreme Mustang Makeover.

Extreme Mustang Makeover events are produced by the Mustang Heritage Foundation, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse & Burro Program, to showcase the versatility and trainability of the American Mustang. The Mustang Heritage Foundation is dedicated to facilitating successful placements for America’s excess wild Mustangs and burros through innovative programs, events and education. For more information, visit www.mustangheritagefoundation.org.

The BLM removes wild horses and burros from public lands to ensure a healthy balance of land and animals. Since 1971, the BLM has placed more than 250,000 wild horses and burros into good homes nationwide. Partnerships, like the Mustang Heritage Foundation, provide the BLM with additional opportunities to place animals into good homes. Interested applicants can attend BLM offsite adoption/sales event, visit a BLM Off-Range Corral, or participate in an online adoption/sales event to apply to take a wild horse or burro home! To learn more about the Wild Horse and Burro Program, please call 866-468-7826 or visit www.BLM.GOV/whb.

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