The Wrap-Up

The Extreme Mustang Makeover '08 has been over now for almost a week, and I'm finally getting a chance to fill in "the rest of the story." So much happened so fast, and the weekend was so incredibly busy. I've spent much of this week just recovering from it all.

After our somewhat disappointing performance in our under saddle class, the pressure on Eli and I was off, and I spent a lot of time trying to ease some of his stress. Spending 24/7 in a stall with constant activity all around him was making Eli a little bonkers. He'd paw at his door as soon as he saw me, and was really pushy on the lead line when I'd take him for walks. On Saturday, I put his halter on, and we went hunting for a place where I could let him loose to blow off some steam. We found our quiet paradise in an empty show arena, and I sat on the gate for about a half an hour, watching Eli roll, buck and run in the darkened space. I could see the tension slowly leaving his body, and he was a new man on our walk back to the stall.

Saturday evening were the finals competitions for the Idols and Legends divisions and potential adopters were milling around the stall areas, scoping out the horses that they might bid on the next day. I sent the boys off for dinner with Jace and his parents and stayed near Eli's stall to answer questions from potential adopters. I spoke to one couple who was very interested in Eli, but it was hard to guage how many bidders would be out there the next day. And I was still having a hard time making a decision on whether or not to bid on him myself.

The finals for the Legends division were spectacular. It is truly mind-blowing what folks were able to do with their horses in 100 days - dressage and reining demos, flying changes, sidepassing, jumping through rings of fire, shooting balloons that exploded into fireballs, stepping onto platforms and pickup trucks, working cattle and roping displays...AMAZING!!!! There should be no doubt left in anyone's mind as to mustangs' trainability and versatility. I had goosebumps on several occasions throughout the evening.

I had a hard time sleeping that night. I knew that I had to make a decision on whether or not to keep Eli, and in my heart, I knew what I should do. It was time to let Eli go. A good endurance horse has a certain feel to them when they're out on a ride, like they can't wait to see what's down that next mile of trail. Eli is a good boy, and has the potential to be good at a lot of things, but he never gave me the vibe that he really WANTED to be an endurance horse. He was nice to ride on trail, and had great metabolics, but the motivation just wasn't there. He needed to find a home where someone would give him a job that was more suited to his personality. I just hoped that the right person would adopt him and understand what a special horse they were getting.

The auction was sort of a blur. Hurry up and wait outside the auction ring, then into the ring, where I showed off a somewhat more relaxed Eli under saddle, working him at the walk and trot. In the end, he sold for $750 to a man from LaGrange who will use him as a pleasure and family horse. I got a good feeling from this guy right away, that he'd adore Eli and treat him right, so loading Eli up to go to his new home was somewhat less painful than I'd feared. I'd cried all my tears earlier in the day, and I kept a smile as I said my goodbyes and wished Eli a wonderful life with his new owner.

The auction overall was interesting to me. I was curious to see how much the horses would sell for. On one hand, a lot of this year's horses were quite far along in their training, and might command some good prices. On the other hand, the economy is in a slump, the market for horses in general is way down, and it was unknown to me how much interest there was in purchasing these horses. Well, lemme tell ya, there were some bargains to be had! Some really well trained horses were having trouble selling. There were some high bids, especially on the competition winners, but the overall selling prices were quite low. Good for those trainers who wanted to buy their horses, but somewhat disappointing, considering the quality of horses for sale.

The 200 yearlings that had competed in in-hand classes were having an even tougher time selling. Many went home with their trainers, and many others found homes, but as the day went on, there were still quite a few yearlings left over. There was talk that some of these horses would end up going back to a holding facility. So here's where the rest of my story unfolds...

I am a sucker...I'm the first to admit this, and it is a quality that will likely never change. I have found somewhat of a calling with these mustangs, and hope that my skills can be put to good work in helping their cause from here on out. Jace and I discussed things and decided that we were in a good position to be able to take one of the yearlings home. We had the trailer on site, empty, and Ranger could really use a buddy on our new 5 acres when we move to California. So we went shopping. The result - Cleopatra - a tall, leggy, bay (with a little roaning) filly, with enough attitude to hold her own with the herd here in Tx and to steal Ranger's heart. He's in love, and she's my new project. I will let her grow, start her under saddle and teach her to be a good riding horse, then see if I can find her a good home. By the way, in the end, all of the EMM yearlings and 3-4 year olds were adopted.

So this is the end of my EMM '08 story, but not the end of my mustang saga. I'll post more pictures when I have access to a computer that lets me upload them faster than one per hour. I had such an amazing time, and met so many incredible people. I saw some stunning displays of generosity, including a donation that covered the adoption fee for anyone who would take home one of the unadopted yearlings, and a couple who paid the auction price for a mustang whose trainer wanted to take him home but couldn't afford to bid that high. It was evident that the trainers in this event were truly committed to doing their best for these horses, and I saw some incredible bonds between human and horse. Seeing so many people with such compassion and respect for mustangs gives me high hopes for their future, even with all the controversy that surrounds their management right now. I am so proud to have been a small part of this effort, and I hope to return next year.