Taking It To The Extreme by Jeff Cook


Five trainers from Arizona competed in the Extreme Mustang Makeover Player’s Choice, the mustang world’s premier event last week in Fort Worth Texas and did us proud.


In April, 125 trainers from around the country, bid on the horse of their choice and won the right to train and show that horse at this pres- tigious event. The horses were picked up in mid-May and started training for the show just 110 days from then. The horses were all wild, untouched animals from all over the west. All of us picked up horses on the same weekend from various holding facilities around the U.S.


As soon as the horses unloaded, the adventure began. Training these wild creatures is definitely no easy feat, but mustang trainers are a tough bunch. Three months of blood, sweat and tears later, the horses and trainers were ready to compete and show their horses against the toughest trainers in the business. In this business, the trainers take complete responsibility for the care and feeding of their horse as well as the cost of getting the horses and themselves to the show, nearly 1000 miles from home.


Finally, the day arrived when we all converged on The Will Rogers event center in Ft. Worth Texas. Out of the original 125, only 61 trainers and horses made it to the show. From Arizona, the 5 trainers were: Isidro Espinoza with his horse Corazon, Jesse Yniguez on Rosie, Craig Moore on Brandy, Christan Milhon on Gracie and me, Jeff Cook riding Bonny Sioux. For Craig, Jesse and Christan, it was their first makeover. Isidro and


20 OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018 I HORSE & AG MAGAZINE


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