REMBRANDT’S PICTURE PERFECT PERFORMANCE WINS THE 2009 EXTREME MUSTANG MAKEOVER LEGENDS CHAMPIONSHIP

High Adopting Horse Goes to T. Boone and Madeleine Pickens for $9,000

American mustang Rembrandt and trainer Wylene Wilson of Queen Creek, Ariz., delivered a picture perfect performance to capture the hearts of fans, $5,000, and the 2009 Extreme Mustang Makeover Legend division championship September 20 in Fort Worth, Tex. Rembrandt and Wilson’s victory was made sweeter still by the fact that Wilson’s daughter was in the crowd, fully recovered from a serious head injury that occurred the same day they got Rembrandt.

“It’s still so surreal that we won, she’s okay and she got to see it,” said Wilson. “I didn’t even have a routine planned, but I wanted to bring that element of horsemanship to my performance; so, I just went out there and rode.”

While Rembrandt and Wilson will hold the champion title as Legend champions, Surplus and Careen Hammock of College Station, Texas, took home the Idol championship and $3,000. And, yearling mustang Sweet Sugar Jack and trainer Jake Lundahl, 17, of Wakefield, Neb., were the Mission :008 Youth champions and won $1,500 in prize money. Wylene and all of the mustang trainers at this year’s event are helping paint a new picture of the American mustang-one in which horsemen and women nationwide can see the versatility and trainability of these American icons.

Additionally, as a new edition to the Extreme Mustang Makeover, the crowd in the Will Rogers Coliseum saw the first ever champion named in the Extreme Mutt Makeover-Tess, a black lab mix, and her trainer Karen Deeds. As she accepted her award and $500 prize, a tearful Deeds told the story of who would be taking the big hearted Tess home.

“He came up to me and said that after losing his wife he was looking for his soulmate, and I said, ‘So is she.'”

All 92 horses participating in the competition were placed for adoption with the high-adopting horse adopting for a fee of $9,000 to well-known mustang advocates T. Boone and Madeleine Pickens of Dallas, Tex., who phoned in their bid. Adopting top-ten finisher El Compadre, trained by Jesus Jauregi of Bailey’s Harbor, Wis., along with another mustang, the Pickens plan to have the horses become a part of the Southern Methodist University Mustangs equestrian team.

Known for its ability to transform wild horses into willing partners, the Extreme Mustang Makeover collaborated with the Humane Society of North Texas (HSNT) to bring this new dimension to the animal adoption world to highlight the time-honored partnership of man with dogs and horses. All of the dogs from the Humane Society of North Texas that participated in the event were adopted, following their performances.

The MHF in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 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. Adoption of all horses will take place September 20 with BLM personnel on hand to answer questions and assist adopters with the application process.

About the Mustang Heritage Foundation The mission of the Mustang Heritage Foundation and the goal of the Extreme Mustang Makeover are to increase the adoption of mustangs across the country. The Mustang Heritage Foundation created the Extreme Mustang Makeover event to showcase the recognized value of mustangs through a national training competition.

About the Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for managing 258 million acres of public lands, located mostly in the West. Wild horses and burros roaming public rangelands are managed in a manner consistent with BLM’s overall multiple-use mission, as set forth in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. Since 1973, the BLM has placed more than 219,000 horses and burros into private care through adoption. For more information, visit www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov or call 866-4MUSTANGS.