Wylene Wilson

“This horse is just awesome,” said Wilson, Queen Creek, Ariz. “ He’s amazing and smart. I just wanted to show this horse.”

This was Wilson’s third trip to Fort Worth for the EMM. She also won the Western Horseman Photo Contest.

The Fort Dodge Extreme Mustang Makeover, in addition to the Mission:008 Yearling Edition, returned to Fort Worth Sept. 18-20 at Will Rogers Equestrian Center. A total of 125 formerly wild horses, with three levels of competition, featuring 3- and 4-year-old geldings were on display and put up for adoption. In addition, the all-new Extreme Mutt Makeover, with a total of 10 shelter dogs matched with 10 dog trainers, was an added bonus to the show.

Wilson says she has loved handling horses as long as she can remember. She began riding at age 6, learning Monte Foreman balance riding techniques from her mother who worked with Mr. Foreman for nearly 20 years. By age 17, Wilson had fully trained her first horse, which led her to a lifetime career commitment.

The MHF in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management created the Extreme Mustang Makeover event to highlight the value of mustangs through a national training competition. The event gives 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.

The high-selling Mustang at this year’s event was El Compadre, who sold for $9,000 to T. Boone and Madeleine Pickens.