Horse Illustrated Magazine

America’s wild horses are protected today because of a campaign by Wild Horse Annie and thousands of American school children that raised awareness of their plight. The Mustang Heritage Foundation is inviting youth between the ages of 8-17 to change the life of a wild Mustang yearling through adoption and training at Mustang Million. The new training competition will take place at the Will Rogers Equestrian Center in Fort Worth, Texas, September 16-21.

The youth division is open to horse enthusiasts between the ages of 8-17 as of the entry deadline on July 15. The youth will be competing for $50,000 in prize money. The top 10 youth finalists will be competing for more than $31,000 with the youth champion being awarded $10,000. An additional $3,000 will be distributed to the top 10 exhibitors in each of two age divisions – 8-12 and 13-17 as of time of entry. Also, $2,500 will be distributed to the top-five placing youth in each of three classes. Youth will train and compete with yearling Mustangs. The yearlings are shown in-hand and are not ridden during the competition.

In addition to the youth division, an adult division and 12 specialty classes will be offered for adults at Mustang Million. The winner of the Legends division will drive away in a new 2014 Ram Truck and also receive a $200,000 check. The specialty classes will offer something for everyone – from western to English and the choice of riding or showing in-hand.

With the larger purse available, the Mustang Million event follows a different format than other Extreme Mustang Makeovers, and Mustangs are adopted prior to the competition. The Mustangs, who are virtually untouched by humans, will be available at eight live adoption events. Adoption auctions will be held in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 26, April 28, May 10 and May 12; Burns, Oregon, on April 27; Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on May 4; Norco, California, on May 5; and Elm Creek, Nebraska, on May 11. An adult, 18 years old or older, must adopt the yearling for the youth to show.

The trainers have to gain the Mustangs’ trust before they can make the first steps toward preparing for competition. The youth and yearlings will compete in three preliminary classes – a handling and conditioning class, a pattern class and a trail class. The top-10 from the preliminary classes will compete in a clean slate finals which will consist of a compulsories class and a freestyle. Visit www.mustangmillion.com for the latest Mustang Million information.

With more than 40,000 American Mustangs waiting to be adopted in BLM facilities, the Mustang Heritage Foundation is stepping up its efforts to help these American legends find adoptive homes. The Mustang Heritage Foundation’s Extreme Mustang Makeover events continue to showcase the talents of the American Mustang.

Since the first Extreme Mustang Makeover event was held in 2007, the Mustang Heritage Foundation has facilitated the adoptions of more than 3,500 gentled American Mustangs. In 2012, the Foundation in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management will continue to increase its efforts to raise awareness of adoptions of America’s Mustangs. Visit www.mustangheritagefoundation.org for more information about the Mustang Heritage Foundation’s adoption programs.