Top Horsemen Tapped as Judges For Extreme Mustang Makeover

Competition Provides Trained Wild Horses for Adoption

Three of the nation's top horsemen have been named as judges of the first Extreme Mustang Makeover, produced by the Mustang Heritage Foundation in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro program. Judges include Pete Kyle of Whitesboro, Texas, Suzy Jeane of Valley View, Texas and J.D. Yates of Pueblo, Colorado.

One hundred individuals, who claimed the former Nevada-based mustangs for training June 6-9 at BLM facilities in Oklahoma and Nevada, will compete for $25,000 and demonstrate their mounts' abilities during competition September 22 at Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The trained mustangs will be judged on conditioning, groundwork, and a "Horse Course" that requires maneuvers and includes obstacles found in trail and recreational riding situations A BLM-sponsored wild horse adoption will take place at Will Rogers September 23 where adoption fees will be set through competitive bidding.

The Mustang Heritage Foundation created the Extreme Mustang Makeover event to highlight the recognized value of mustangs through a national training competition. The event will give the public a unique opportunity to see the results of wild horses becoming trained mounts and then participate in a competitive bidding process to adopt one of these treasured animals. The purpose of the competition is to showcase the beauty, versatility, and trainability of these rugged horses that roam freely on public lands throughout the West, where they are protected by the Bureau of Land Management under Federal law

The Extreme Mustang Makeover will also become a six-episode series on RFD Television's Wide World of Horses from August - December 2007. The show will share the stories of the mustangs and trainers as they learn to trust in one another and gain competitive confidence.

Judges

Suzy Jeane is an American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA) judge, who's judging credits include the Youth, Amateur, and Open AQHA World Champion Horse Shows and the Quarter Horse Congress. Suzy was the first woman elected president of the NSBA. The AQHA 2004 Professional Horsewoman of the Year is currently an AQHA Texas director and a member of its youth committee. She and husband Joe operate Down The Rail Performances Prospects, a breeding and training facility in Valley View, Texas, where they stand six top pleasure stallions. Suzy and Joe have a son, T. Joe, also an avid Quarter Horse exhibitor.

Pete Kyle is an AQHA Professional Horseman of the Year, and has been highly successful, with AQHA World Championship titles to his credit. He won the 2001 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Open World Championship on Dun It The Hard Way. Kyle serves on the AQHA Board of Directors, where he also chairs the AQHA judges committee, and is on the Board of the National Reining Breeders Classic. He also chairs the United States Equestrian Team Active Riders Committee for Reining Pete and his wife, Tamra, stand their stallion, Tejons Peppy Doc, a successful reining and reined cow horse sire.

J.D. Yates was born into a rodeo family and grew up riding horses and roping. His most impressive credentials include being the youngest cowboy ever to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR), multiple Mountain States Circuit Championships. Being the thirty-fifth member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) million-dollar club, along with qualifying many times for the NFR in team roping and steer roping. He is also active in many disciplines in the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and the American Paint Horse Association (APHA). These disciplines include western pleasure, cutting, halter, and reining.

The Mustang Heritage Foundation works in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management to ensure healthy wild horses and burros through the successful placement of excess animals so future generations can enjoy this distinctive feature of our American heritage. For more information on how you can provide support or volunteer contact Patti Colbert, Executive Director at 512-355-3225 or plcolbert@aol.com.