OklahomaHorses Magazine July 2021

18 OklahomaHorses • July/August 2021 “We’re extremely excited to bring the Extreme Mustang Makeover to Oklahoma City,” shared MHF Executive Director Alex Kappert. “Spectators can expect to see riveting action from start to finish as youth and adult competitors showcase the trust they’ve built with previously untouched wild horses.” The adult trainers and their horses will compete in three classes during the event: handling and conditioning, trail, and ma- neuvers. Then the top 10 competitors will go on to compete in the freestyle show- down to decide who will be the champion. Forty thousand dollars in cash and prizes is up for grabs, and, after the competition is over, all of the adult horses will be up for auction to the highest bidder. As Kappert noted, the Extreme Mustang Makeover also includes a youth competition, where kids ages 8 to 17 can participate with a yearling or 2-year-old mustang. The youth contestants will compete in similar classes to the adult portion, only with their horses in-hand instead of under saddle. There will also be an MHF Open Show for Bureau of Land Management-branded mustangs and burros held in conjunction with the Extreme Mustang Makeover. “The MHF Open Show will allow mus- tang and burro owners to showcase their animals by competing in several divisions and classes,” Kappert said. “With $5,000 in added money and various prizes up for grabs, this show is sure to attract some of the best mustangs and burros to compete.” As part of their ongoing efforts to raise awareness about America’s wild horses, MHF hosts Extreme Mustang Makeover events in various locations around the U.S. each year. The first competition of this kind was held in Fort Worth in 2007, but thanks to the event’s success, Extreme Mustang Makeover competitions have continued to gain popularity over the years. Matt and Stacie Zimmerman, husband and wife and full-time trainers from Idaho, will be competing in the OKC Extreme Mustang Makeover with mustang geldings from Paisley Desert in Oregon. Matt got his start competing in Extreme Mustang Makeover competitions after spotting an ad in a Western Horseman magazine back in 2007. Now, both Matt and Stacie have been competing for a number of years, traveling all over the U.S., including California, Texas and Nevada for EMM events. Aside from competing in the Extreme Mustang Makeover competitions, they have several mustangs of their own, which they show as well. Matt relayed that his favorite part of the Extreme Mustang Makeover is the three- and-a-half-minute freestyle event, and he’s hoping to make it to that part of the competition again in OKC. “I’ve done mounted shooting, dragged a sled with a flag and parachute on it, had my horse lay down and worked cattle in this event before,” he said. During the 100 days that they get to work with their mustangs prior to the com-