Hannah is the author and in trainer in our Extreme Mustang Makeover Series. Hannah is a long time horse enthusiast but did not get her first horse Levi until the age of twelve. Levi was an old grade quarter horse who was the perfect childhood friend as Hannah learned basics on horse ownership. Hannah went on to eventually acquire and show a few miniature horses, earning year end titles. In 2012 Hannah's dream of working with wild horses came true and was accepted into her first mustang makeover with two yearlings in the youth division. Out of sixty other youth competitors, Hannah placed fourth and twelfth over all.
In 2013 Hannah started her first horse under saddle, a four year old palomino mustang from Nevada. She entered her mare into the toughest division of the most prestige mustang makeover, the Mustang Million, where $1,000,000 of purse was at stake. Out of the 200 entries in her division, Hannah and her mustang placed in the top third. The following year, she trained one of her mustangs for a national all breed competition called the American Horsewoman’s Challenge which was judged based on three elements, Liberty, Extreme Cowboy Race, and Cowboy Dressage. Hannah and her horse made the finals where they stole the hearts of the crowd in a bridleless and liberty performance which earned them the title of Reserved Champion and Fan Favorite.
Over the years Hannah has had the opportunity to gentle and tame seven mustangs. In 2015 she sold all but one of her dearly beloved equine partners so she could travel as a working student and focus on interning at established barns. This year when the head trainer and one of her assistants entered the makeover, Hannah could not help but join in for yet another once in a life time experience with the Extreme Mustang Makeover. Her methods focus on Liberty and trick training which she supplements into her training to help create a happy and willing horse.
Final Freestyle at the American Horsewoman’s Challenge
Last ride with her mustangs Ace and Sitara, bareback and bridleless
Follow the journey of two wild mustangs from the selection process, to the auction, pick up day, day 1, first touch, all the way up to the $75,000 youth division competition in Fort Worth, Texas. Share the experience of a life tim ...
I’d just hit the three weeks of training mark with my wild Extreme Mustang Makeover horse, when things really got rocky. Something was going on... either the way I trained was not working on this mustang in particular or there is ...
Hannah is the author and in trainer in our Extreme Mustang Makeover Series. Hannah is a long time horse enthusiast but did not get her first horse Levi until the age of twelve. Levi was an old grade quarter horse who was the perfe ...
The second week with my Extreme Mustang Makeover mare, Leela was full of ups and downs. Progress always comes with steps forward as well as steps back. Now that she has been accustom to living in a stall and walking to the round p ...
In a makeover, trainers are typically randomly assigned a wild, unhandled BLM mustang between the ages of four and seven and allotted about 100 days to completely transform their untrained and untamed horse into a willing partner. ...
This week we set up a mock trail class to practice putting our mustang makeover mares through. Since one of the three preliminary classes is a trail class, getting Leela confident over various obstacles is critical. Trainers compe ...
Leela is starting to show great potential as a future trail horse. This week most of our highlights involved going out and seeing new sights on a ‘trail walk’ where she and a fellow competitor’s mustang were walked in hand out on ...
This week my mustang, Leela, was becoming more and more proficient at her walk, trot, and canter in the arenas. Not only is she transitioning between gaits well but she’s also learning to hold straight lines and circles. ...
Many equestrian events have been cancelled, but with some ingenuity, others have made an attempt to carry on safely despite COVID-19. Each year, the Extreme Mustang Makeover offers a chance for young trainers to prove their horse ...
Sam VanFleet is a twenty-year-old former A-circuit jumper competitor who has found her passion in gentling Mustangs and PMU foals. She has been posting videos of her latest project, a mustang mare she is training for the Player’s ...
This week we set up a mock trail class to practice putting our mustang makeover mares through. Since one of the three preliminary classes is a trail class, getting Leela confident over various obstacles is critical. Trainers compe ...
This week my mustang, Leela, was becoming more and more proficient at her walk, trot, and canter in the arenas. Not only is she transitioning between gaits well but she’s also learning to hold straight lines and circles. ...
Leela is starting to show great potential as a future trail horse. This week most of our highlights involved going out and seeing new sights on a ‘trail walk’ where she and a fellow competitor’s mustang were walked in hand out on ...
I’d just hit the three weeks of training mark with my wild Extreme Mustang Makeover horse, when things really got rocky. Something was going on... either the way I trained was not working on this mustang in particular or there is ...
The second week with my Extreme Mustang Makeover mare, Leela was full of ups and downs. Progress always comes with steps forward as well as steps back. Now that she has been accustom to living in a stall and walking to the round p ...
In a makeover, trainers are typically randomly assigned a wild, unhandled BLM mustang between the ages of four and seven and allotted about 100 days to completely transform their untrained and untamed horse into a willing partner. ...
To some Americans, mustangs are the idol symbol of the Wild West. Their untamed, fiery spirit often captivates the imagination of the American people and icons freedom just as much the bald eagle, if not more. When some think abo ...
Follow the journey of two wild mustangs from the selection process, to the auction, pick up day, day 1, first touch, all the way up to the $75,000 youth division competition in Fort Worth, Texas. Share the experience of a life tim ...
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