Adoption of 75 American Mustangs Nets Nearly a Quarter Million Dollars
Mustang “Hail Yeah” Fetches $50,000 Adoption Fee at Extreme Mustang Makeover
Fort Worth, Texas, September 23 - When trainer Ray Ariss went off pattern during the “horse course” of the Extreme Mustang Makeover, giving him a zero for that portion of the competition, his hopes for representing his hometown of Norco, Calif., and displaying the talents of his American Mustang “Hail Yeah” were dashed, or so he thought. That was until Hail Yeah was adopted for $50,000 during the Extreme Mustang Makeover adoption process, taking the high-adopted horse of the adoption and the highest-adopting Mustang in the history of the Bureau of Land Management’s adoption program.
“It was totally my fault that I missed the pattern,” said Ariss, who, in only 100 days, had conditioned three-year-old Hail Yeah to perform at dressage, pull a cart and in mounted shooting. “I hated that I didn’t have the opportunity to show the judges what this horse could really do. I’ve been in a lot of competitions and this one was different because it was definitely not about me. I knew there was some really good horsemen here and that I would need to step up and compete.” But the gelding’s adopters knew the horse’s abilities, so offering the adoption fee was, well, a no brainer. Partnering on the fee was the City of Norco, Calif., represented by Mayor Harvey Sullivan and the Mustang Heritage Foundation (MHF).
Ariss had a lot riding on the exhibition of his horse. Sullivan had seen the first episode of the Extreme Mustang Makeover on RFD TV and approached Ray about representing Norco in its marketing focus as Horsetown USA. “I thought this competition was so unique and Ray is an outstanding trainer,” said Sullivan, who traveled to Fort Worth to support Ariss and Hail Yeah. “When I return to Norco, we will be naming Hail Yeah the official mascot of the city and he will represent our message as Horsetown USA.”
Norco registered Horsetown USA as a trademark to introduce and encourage specific types of businesses and vendors to the city that in turn will support and compliment the community’s animal-keeping lifestyle and values.
“With this partnership, Hail Yeah will serve as an incredible example of what the American Mustang is and can be to people interested in owning a great horse,” said MHF Executive Director Patti Colbert. “The city of Norco doesn’t just call itself Horsetown USA, it is Horsetown USA, and having Hail Yeah there in Norco and traveling the country with Ray Ariss will do so much to raise the awareness of the value of Mustangs.”
Other co-sponsers of the event included Fort Dodge, Western Horseman, Smith Brothers, Roper, Daily72 and WW Livestock Systems.
BLM Chief of the Wild Horses and Burro Division Don Glenn was almost speechless with the success of the adoption.
“I’m having a hard time putting into words what this event has done for the wild horse and burro program,” he said. “This event has brought more attention to what we are doing to preserve the American Mustang than any other program in my 30 years with the division. I have to give a tremendous amount of credit to the trainers who took these Mustangs and shaped them into marketable horses. Without them, there is no way this event would have been successful. Equal credit has to go to Patti Colbert, who developed and managed the event. The BLM is truly grateful for all she has done.”
The second highest adopting horse was a Calico Mountain Mustang named Larry, trained by Dave Schaffner. Schaffner tragically suffered a serious riding accident on another horse shortly before the competition and was not able to compete. As a result, Larry was shown by Shaffner’s son Tyler and was adopted for $10,000 by Mustangs Forever Inc.’s Randy Olson of Kerrville, Texas who was also the high-money adopter purchasing two horses for a total of $13,100. The after fee funds received for Larry will be donated to the Schaffner family to assist with medical bills.
The September 23 adoption took place following an exciting day of competition September 22 at the Will Rogers Equestrian Center in Fort Worth, Texas, with Guy Woods of Pilot Point taking the championship on Max and a first-place prize of $10,000. Woods was also the successful adopter of Max during the adoption, a spirit that continued throughout the event as many trainers successfully adopted their mounts.
Seventy-five Mustangs were adopted for a total of $233,100 for a sale average of $3,108. The Bureau of Land Management received $125 per head as the minimum adoption fee while the remainder was allocated for the development and programs of the Mustang Heritage Foundation. Trainers also received a 15 percent adoption commission for any horse adopted for a fee higher than $250.
The Extreme Mustang Makeover will also become a six-episode series on RFD Television’s Wide World of Horses through 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. The show will air future episodes September 24, October 22, November 19, December 17 and December 31. Airtimes for the series will be Mondays at 10:30 p.m., with additional airings on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. and Mondays at 4:30 p.m. All times are Eastern. RFD-TV can be found on Direct TV channel 379 and Dish Network channels 231 or 9049.
About the Mustang Heritage Foundation
The mission of the Mustang Heritage Foundation and the goal of the Extreme Mustang Makeover is 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 216,000 wild horses and burros into private care through adoption. For more information, visit wildhorseandburro.blm.gov or call 866-4MUSTANGS.
Save the Mustangs Fund
The Save the Mustangs Fund, established in May 2005 by Ford Motor Company in collaboration with the BLM and Take Pride in America, builds public awareness and support for wild horses. In less than a year, the Fund generated more than $200,000 in contributions, including Ford’s financial support for 2,000 horses, and has educated more than one million visitors through an informational website, savethemustangs.org.
Source: BLM
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