THE BOYS TAKE THE REINS IN THE MISSION :008 YOUTH COMPETITION AT THE 2009 EXTREME MUSTANG MAKEOVER

SEPTEMBER 19, 2009, FORT WORTH, TEXAS – Last night, yearling mustang April and youth trainer Jason Farrington, 18, of Navasota, dazzled the competition with an incredible performance, taking the lead in the Mission :008 Youth Competition with the highest combined score for body conditioning and in hand performance. Followed by mustang SwiftRay and Edwin Gaffney, 17, of Aurora, Colo., in second and Sweet Sugar Jack and Jake Lundahl, 17, of Wakefield, Neb., the only three boy trainers in the youth competition will lead the pack into the first finals of the 2009 Extreme Mustang Makeover.

Youth trainers, ages 10 to 18, competed in an in hand competition last night to demonstrate the overall health and condition of their mustang as well as their own ability to lead their mustang through an obstacle course of basic maneuvers. The top three mustang trainer pairs will be joined by the seven other highest scoring yearling trainer combinations for the Mission :008 Youth Top 10 Finals today to compete for a cash prize of $1,500. Youth trainers in the finals will complete an in hand freestyle course to demonstrate the skills they’ve taught their mustangs in the last 100 days. Finals competitors include: Persephone and Brandy Bennett, 16, of Grandview, Texas; Miss Unique and Miranda Dobbins, 16, of Nauvoo, Ala. Nova and Alexis Fastle, 12, of Boerne, Texas; Tuff E Nuff and Kristin Koehler, 15, of Seguin, Texas; Nippy and Shay Mullins, 14, of Elysian Fields, Texas; My Little Chocolate Moonpie and Amanda Rivera, 16, of Sugar Land, Texas; and Sawyer and Lauren Young, 15, of Houston, Texas.

The Youth Finals will be the first finals competition of the 2009 Extreme Mustang Makeover at 2:00 p.m. in the John Justin Arena. The general public is encouraged to attend this competition, and all of the yearlings, as well as all of the mustangs at this year’s makeover, will be available for adoption on Sunday, September 20, 2009.

The Mustang Heritage Foundation (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.

All events are free with the exception of the Legends Finals September 19. Tickets are on sale now through www.extrememustangmakeover.com for this entertaining and heartfelt event.

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