Horse Illustrated Magazine

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.