LINCOLN, Neb. – Scott Stinemetz of Great Bend and his horse Diego turned in a championship performance to win the 2010 Extreme Mustang Makeover last Saturday in Lincoln, Neb. The pair earned $2,500 for their performance. Stinemetz and Diego wowed the crowd and the judges – scoring an 86 in the finals out of a possible 90 points.
They were ranked third coming into the finals. The pair finished fifth in the in-hand class and second in the horse course. Given the opportunity to show their best in the freestyle finals, the pair shined. Demonstrating total trust between horse and rider, Stinemetz blindfolded Diego and asked the willing gelding to walk on a see-sawing bridge. Diego patiently felt with his hoof and stepped onto the wobbling bridge.
Twenty-eight Mustangs competed at the Lincoln event. The American Mustangs were previously untouched by humans before training began June 11 for the competition. In the designated time, the trainers have worked with their Mustangs using natural horsemanship techniques in order to show the talents of their Mustangs at the Extreme Mustang Makeover. Stinemetz, 28, is a full-time horse trainer and president of Healing Hearts Ranch Inc. Diego is a 6-year-old bay gelding, who was gathered from Three Sisters, Calif.
During the competition, the trainers were judged on their Mustangs’ overall body composition as well as "in hand" maneuvers such as grooming, loading in a trailer and obstacle courses. Following the "in hand" class, the trainers completed the "horse course" which requires the teams to ride successfully through obstacles designed to simulate a trail ride.
Travis Anderson of Wilber, Nebraska, and his Mustang Ranger finished as reserve champions with a score of 80. The remaining top-10 in order were: Stacie Poessnecker and The Road Runner; Jesus Jauregui and Amigo; Jake Lundahl and Custom Clyde; Dana Kesselring and Gypsy Boone; Cody Keller and Thunder; Carissa Kent and Noble Patriot; Lisa Sink and Noche; and Steve Peterson and Obsidian.
In addition to the 28 adult trainers competing at the event, 11 youth demonstrated their horsemanship skills with Mustang yearlings.
Luke Lundahl and Chester impressed the judges with their finals performance. The pair was one point away from a perfect score. In addition to winning the custom Gist belt buckle, Lundahl earned $750. They also won the Extreme Cowboy Race’s Youth Mustang division and earned an additional Gist belt buckle.
The complete order of finish for the Yearling Edition of the Extreme Mustang Makeover was: Luke Lundahl and Chester, Stephanie Linsley and Renaissance; Shayla Enright and Wildfire; Jessi Huston and Steens Valero; Juan Jauregui and El Lobo; Abby Brown and Jackpot; Brooke Brockel and Apache; Kalyn Dixon and Upendi Bay; Andrea Skarphol and Dreamer; Travis Enright and Ace; and Theodore Gerstenschlager and Babe.
The Mustang Heritage Foundation in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management created the Extreme Mustang Makeover event to highlight the recognized value of Mustangs through a national training competition. The events give the public a unique opportunity to see the results of wild horses becoming trained mounts and then have the opportunity through the competitive bidding process to adopt one of these treasured animals. For more information on the Mustang Heritage Foundation or the Extreme Mustang Makeover, visit www.mustangheritagefoundation.org. For More information on the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program, visit www.blm.gov.
Since the inception of the Extreme Mustang Makeover event in 2007, the Mustang Heritage Foundation has placed nearly 2,000 Mustangs, and an estimated 100,000 fans have filled the stands and walked the barns of events held across the United States. For more information on the Extreme Mustang Makeover event at the Lancaster Event Center in Lincoln, Neb., visit www.extrememustangmakeover.com/emmnebraska.php. The final stop on the 2010 Extreme Mustang Makeover schedule will be October 22-24 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
