MEDIA
Trainers sought to compete in Meeker Mustang Makeover
February 2nd, 2024 | Grand Junction Daily Sentinel | Dennis Webb
FIFTH ANNUAL EVENT: WATCH THE EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY OF BUILDING TRUST WITH A WILD HORSE DURING THE MEEKER MUSTANG MAKEOVER
August 11th, 2023 | Wyoming Livestock Roundup
Kate Logan and her husband Bruce, have purchased four mustangs – Peaches, Gus, Jackpot and Maloca – over the past several years at the Meeker Mustang Makeover. When asked why, Kate noted they bought the mustangs because they love horses and they like to rescue animals. “The wild horse population is a problem with so many in holding pens, so we thought, let’s do something to help with the problem, rather than going out and buying a registered horse,” she said. “We want to be part of the solution, and these animals need a permanent home.”Kate said, “Confident and beautiful, other than size they are very similar to my quarter horses. I’ve never had to shoe my mustangs thanks to their strong feet. When I do take them through rocky trails and through trees they are very sure footed. They can both follow or lead, they are confident, sturdy horses.”
The Meeker Mustang Makeover started by a group of citizens from small town Meeker, Colo. five years ago, this event has grown every year, adding more horses, including a youth division with 10 yearlings. Horses compete through an obstacle course, moving cows and in a freestyle event, in which each trainer uses their own creativity – a highlight of the event.Each youth participant who completes the obstacle course receives a $500 scholarship check. All trainers receive one-half of the proceeds of their sale, with the remainder going to the next year’s event. Two clinics are provided for each set of trainers to help them through the challenges of training a wild horse in only 120 days.
Steve Mantle of Mantle Ranches, one of the most experienced mustang trainers in the West, stated, “I have been and still am involved in a lot of mustang training events, and the reason I think this one is so special is everyone is in it for the horse. A long time ago a friend of mine told me as long as it’s about the horse everything will be okay.” Steve’s clinics are very popular, and he helps trainers overcome big, early obstacles like haltering and loading. He is known to take up to two hours with a trainer to help them through these important first steps.
The Meeker Mustang Makeover is committed to helping its trainers throughout, and the clinics are designed to help when they need it. Trainers are encouraged to reach out to family, friends and professionals for maximum success for themselves and their horse.
This year, the event will take place Aug. 26 and will include activities for all ages, including face painting; pony rides; photo ops with an authentic, old stagecoach; roping stations to learn to rope and local historical society volunteers sporting costumes from the 1800s. The Mustang Mingle, where trainers, bidders and the public can get together to visit, features “Mustang Margaritas,” invented by the local Lions Club, with Western dancing, music and a competition for the best Western outfit.
All events are open to the public. Trainers of all walks of life come from all over the West. This year, Lucia Vanoplinus, a 16-year-old from Boulder, is training a sorrel yearling mustang named Cedar. She trained her first mustang when she was 14. “I love working with mustangs,” she shared. “They are good at so many things, and working with an untouched mustang is so special.” In the past, the event has drawn a remarkable 20,000 views on the auction site, attracting 67 buyers. Those interested in this year’s event can sign up now to bid for their own started mustang.
Longhorn Video Auctions Owners Kail Mantle and Denise Dodge will be this year’s auctioneers, and livestream is provided by Level Head Audio with Cimarron Communications, so the public can watch the event and bid on the horses. The livestream helps the event reach viewers and bidders from around the world, and horses have sold from $150 to $10,000, giving every buyer a chance to take home a horse with 120 days of training. Transportation can be arranged for buyers who are unable to attend the event, but buyers must register in advance.
Deirdre Macnab is the president of the Meeker Mustang Makeover and can be reached at deirdremacnab@gmail.com.
Young trainer in Meeker Mustang Makeover to show horse to public June 24
Routt County’s sole competitor in the Meeker Mustang Makeover, Jakob James, will show his mustang Lightning from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. June 24 at Elk River Pet and Ranch just off Elk River Road.
James is a South Routt resident, and at 12 years old, he is the youngest participant in the annual horse training competition.
James picked up his horse April 29 at Rio Blanco County Fairgrounds in Meeker and has been tasked with training the horse for 120 days before competing in the Makeover for prize money and scholarships Aug. 26.
Once the horses are shown off by their trainers, they will go up for auction.
Saturday’s showing is free, and visitors of all ages are welcome to witness the connection James and Lightning have formed over the past two months.
Bureau of Land Management-Colorado Video Recap of Meeker Mustang Makeover 2022
FOURTH ANNUAL MEEKER MUSTANG MAKEOVER
September 1, 2022 | Special to Herald Times | Rio Blanco Herald Times
Champions were crowned for the third annual Meeker Mustang Makeover Saturday, Aug. 27. This year’s under saddle grand champion was Doreen from the Swasey HMA in Utah, trained by Eric Pflueger of Nunn, Colorado (top). Doreen went for a record-breaking $9,250 in the auction. Reserve champion Rosalita (second from top) was trained by Rangely resident Clay Allred and hailed from the Sulphur HMA, Utah. Grand champion yearling Nova (third from top) was from the Divide Basin HMA in Wyoming and was trained by Kristina Mitchell of Steamboat Springs. Reserve champion went to Cheeto of the White Mountain HMA in Wyoming and trainer Nina Bradley of Steamboat Springs.
You can watch a recording of the full event, which was live streamed by the HT, along with recaps and trainer interviews on the Meeker Mustang Makeover Facebook page @meekermustangmakeover
Top left, spectators couldn’t help but fall in love with Bear Emlyn’s Elvis-themed freestyle act. Center, Chance Allred of Rangely was Mr. Flintstone with his yearling Pebbles. Right, Kari Rippy was a returning competitor this year. | KIM EKSTROM PHOTOS
Left, undersaddle reserve champion Clay Allred and Rosalita. Center, Kendra Thorpe performed an Alice in Wonderland-themed freestyle. Right, Meeker’s Jericho Stallings was a new competitor this year. | KIM EKSTROM PHOTOS
Left, undersaddle champion Eric Pflueger performs his freestyle with horse Doreen. Center, all ages took part in stick horse races, a new activity this year.
Yearling champion Kristina Mitchell and reserve champion Nina Bradley perform their freestyles. | KIM EKSTROM PHOTOS
MORE MUSTANG MAKEOVER
MAY 12, 2022 | Special to Herald Times | Rio Blanco Herald Times
Mustang trainers picked up their horses for the third annual Meeker Mustang Makeover last weekend. New and returning faces include (from left), Abigail Davidson, 16, of Pueblo; Jade Messano, 15, of Montrose and Brynn and Bear Emlynn, 13 and 10, of Snowmass; Kaleb Karschner, 11, of Craig; Kristina Mitchell, 17, and Morgan Yeiser, 16, both of Steamboat Springs; Jericho Stallings, 16, of Meeker. You can follow along with the progress of these and the rest of the trainers on the Meeker Mustang Makeover Facebook page @meekermustangmakeover. The event is set for Saturday, Aug. 27 at the RBC Fairgrounds.
HOLD YER HORSES…
May 4, 2022 | Caitlin Walker | Rio Blanco Herald Times
The third annual Meeker Mustang Makeover kicked off this weekend. Participating trainers picked up their mustangs and learned from experienced trainer Steve Mantle (above) in two separate clinics.
The 2022 event was set to feature Sand Wash basin horses, but due to an equine flu outbreak resulting in more than 100 horse deaths the subsequent quarantine at the Cañon City BLM facility, this year’s Makeover event will now feature horses hailing from Utah. | CAITLIN WALKER PHOTOS
Third Meeker Mustang Makeover event nets $37K
September 9, 2021 Special to the Herald Times County
RBC I Sporting a wide grin, Rangely horse trainer Wade Allred received a $3,000 check, along with a red, white and blue ribbon to put around mustang Windy Bob’s neck, a bridle made by saddlemaker Mike Brennan and a basket brimming with Curicyn horse care products as he accepted the champion award at this year’s Meeker Mustang Makeover.
The event offered a full day of competition as horses and trainers navigated obstacle courses, performed cow work and kept the audience on the edge of their seat with creative freestyles.
“I knew I had a good chance to win this year because I drew a good horse,” champion Wade Allred said. He enjoyed the well-organized community event and said he and the rest of the extended Allred clan had a great time working on a family project as four Allreds competed with their own horses–Wade, his 17 year old daughter Rylee and two nephews, Chance (11) and Clay (14).
Wade named his horse Windy Bill for all the snorting in the early days of training, saying he started with a belligerent attitude. Wade noted the horse quickly “decided to be my buddy and then we could do anything with him from there, including fly fishing on horseback up in the Flat Tops.” Wade noted mustangs make great trail riding horses. Bruce and Kate Logan of Oak Creek purchased Windy Bill for $6,000.
The bidding was fierce for the top-selling horse, Peach, who also found a home with the Logans for $8,500. Peach was trained by Cosette McLaughlin of Steamboat Springs. Cosette also trained last year’s top selling horse, Finnegan.
Auction proceeds totaled $37,250 with event auctioneer Kail Mantle of Longhorn Video Auctions. The average sale price for the 3-year-old’s with 120 days of training was $5,100, and the average for the junior yearling division (trained by kids under 18) was $980. The two yearlings in the senior division sold for a combined amount of $3,275.
Half of the proceeds from the sale of each horse go back to their trainers. Trainers also received a total of $12,000 in prize money and each junior trainer in the yearling contest received a $500 scholarship from sponsors.
This year’s winning junior trainer was 15-year-old Vivian Jade Messano from Montrose with her yearling Jake. He sold for $1,925 and showed a firm foundation. Second in the juniors was Brynn Emlyn, age 12, from Snowmass with her horse Hawk. Her freestyle was a family affair with three kids in troll costumes running noisy leaf blowers and other equipment to show the calmness of the horse.
Brynn found out about the Makeover from a friend at her ranch in Snowmass. She’s always loved mustangs and started riding one when she was two. When she picked up Hawk, she said, “the journey began.” There are a lot of hawks flying in the valley where she lives. Brynn said her dad, Ricky, is her inspiration.
Ricky said Brynn grew up on a Crow Indian reservation in Wyola, Montana, where she started riding mustangs. They have always used mustangs. “Once you get a mustang to trust, respect and latch on, it’s an intimate deal, those mustangs look after your kids. They are affordable, have great health and are careful with their feet, have great endurance, they are bred to survive.” He added, “Our mustangs have always looked after our kids, and my kids are still riding high from the event.”
The town saw increased business at area hotels and campgrounds with the Blue Spruce reporting a sold-out number of rooms and sponsor White River Inn reporting significant increased business. The stands stayed full throughout event day, with the Lions Club selling out of their inaugural Meeker Mustang Margarita.
Judges for the event were Meeker native and professional mustang trainer Steve Mantle of Mantle Ranch, Wheatland Wyoming; Bridget Strang of Strang Ranch, Carbondale, and Wayne Tachera, Assistant Facility Manager of the BLM Wild Horses at Canon City.
The increasingly dry and fragile range in the West has seen a rapid overpopulation as wild horse herds typically double in size every four to five years. With more than 50,000 horses waiting in holding pens, events like these are critical to provide a useful and healthy life for these animals.
The Meeker Mustang Makeover is unique in that the event encourages trainers to expose their horse to as many people, animals and stimuli as possible to help the horse adapt successfully to their new homes and future lives. The Meeker Mustang Makeover is an all volunteer local community based event, with its success hinging on our many community sponsors and the partnership with the local White River Bureau of Land Management office and under the umbrella of the Rio Blanco Historical Society. The event was live streamed by the Herald Times
PRESS RELEASE | Special to the Herald Times
Renowned wild horse trainer leads Meeker Mustang Makeover clinic
Steamboat Pilot & Today staff reportApril 28, 2021
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — One of the best mustang and wild horse trainers in the region, Steve Mantle of Mantle Ranch in Wheatland, Wyoming, will hold two clinics for the Meeker Mustang Makeover trainers on May 1 at the Rio Blanco Fairgrounds in Meeker, and the public is invited to attend.
Starting at 9:30 a.m., Mantle will hold his “Starting a Yearling” clinic, which is a two-hour clinic using a yearling mustang. The clinic will include watching Mantle gain the mustang’s trust and taking it through its first steps for the 10 trainers who will be picking up their yearling mustangs. Then starting at 1:30 p.m., Mantle will hold his “Starting a Three Year Old” Clinic, where he will start a 3-year-old mustang and work through the early first steps to get the horse ready for saddle breaking.
Mantle has contracted with the Bureau of Land Management for the past 20 years and has started a lot of mustangs in that time frame with his sons at their ranch in Wyoming.
The public is invited to audit the clinic for $10, and kids 12 and younger are free. Refreshments and snacks will be available for sale.
This year, the Meeker Mustang Makeover has expanded to 20 trainers from across Colorado and Wyoming who will pick up their randomly selected, never-before-touched wild horses on the day of the clinics and start their 120-day journey until the final culmination at the competitive event and auction and adoption Aug. 28.
This year’s group of trainers includes several from Routt County.
Visit MeekerMustangMakeover.org for more information.