There are less than 100 days from the Wildest Richest Rodeo in the West, the Reno Rodeo, and there is already a competition underway. The Extreme Mustang Makeover sponsored by the Mustang Heritage Foundation and the Bureau of Land Management helps with the overpopulation of wild horses in Nevada and works to get those animals into good homes.
Horse trainers Matt and Stacie Zimmerman met their latest projects at the BLM’s Palomino Valley Corrals last week - mustangs from the untamed Nevada desert.
"It's like a box of chocolates,” said Stacie. “You literally don't know 'til you start working with the horse what you have."
They are two of over 40 horse trainers who are getting 100 days to gentle, halter break and saddle train a mustang. It's no easy task says the Zimmermans. They are working with horses virtually untouched by humans.
“Every trainer here that picks up has the same horse, clean slate, same amount of time, it’s a very uniform competition,” said Matt.
Trainers compete the last weekend of the Reno Rodeo showing off all they taught the horses, from showcasing their handling ability to highlighting a routine set to music and props.
Matt won the competition in 2015 where he used a Colt 45 pistol and shot at balloons. He likes to think outside of the box to show what mustangs are capable of.
“I like to get them to the point where they can do really extreme things," said Matt.
After the competition, the horses are sold to the highest bidder. This is something the BLM and the Mustang Heritage Foundation says not only shows people the versatility and trainability of mustangs, but also ensures they get into good, permanent homes.
“The adopters out there need a good horse and you want to showcase them to the fullest of what they can do so the adopters can see that,” said Stacie.
The Extreme Mustang Makeover competition is the last weekend of the Reno Rodeo, June 23 – 24, 2017.
