January 25, Bertram, Texas - The fans had it right. When given the opportunity to predict the winner of the January 23-24 Mustang Magic competition, more than 10,000 voted on line for Norman, Oklahoma's Bill Lopez and the mustang "Spoonful of Buckshot". The team did not disappoint as they bested a field of 11 other mustangs at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.

Spoonful of Buckshot, a well-made five-year-old buckskin gelding, captured the attention of the judges and the standing room only crowd in the 2,000-seat John Justin arena during both the preliminary round January 23 and freestyle finals January 24. As fans waved posters proclaiming Lopez and Buckshot worthy of a "10" ride, judge and Cowgirl Hall of Fame Honoree Carol Rose of Gainesville, Tex., shared their assessment, giving the duo a "10" for both technical skill and artistic merit. PRCA World Champion and judge J.D. Yates of Pueblo, Colo., matched her score, while former Pitchfork Land Cattle Company General Manager Bob Moorehouse posted 9.5 scores, as did Equibrand CEO Ken Bray of Morgan Mill, Tex.

"I can hardly believe this horse has only been in training for 125 days," said Rose. "I don't see stops on a lot of reiners at 125 days like this horse already had."

Sponsored by Hull Construction, Mustang Magic, developed from the highly successful Extreme Mustang Makeover competitions and produced by the Mustang Heritage Foundation (MHF), debuted at the Stock Show to rave reviews and featured 11 trainers from across the country that have already shown their mettle as mustang trainers. The trainers were as unique as the horses they trained with stories ranging from an Arizona beauty queen to a former inmate who changed his life in the course of training mustangs. Horses were released to trainers for training in late September 2008 after being carefully selected for the Stock Show by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) officials.

Buckshot was placed for adoption immediately following the competition, with Moorhouse, Bray and Yates quickly forming a syndicate to join the bidding but was beat out by an enthusiastic crowd of interested adopters as the buckskin brought $7,000. Yates said the horse went for about half of what he was worth.

Ironically, it was the horse finishing last that rang the bell for the highest-adopting animal as a Las Vegas club and casino owner claimed "High Mileage Mike" for $8,500. Trained by Monett, Missouri's Chad Kelly, Mike's adopter was clearly betting on the come with the flashy gray that Kelly said would be one of his best yet. Adoptions averaged $3,877.27 on 11 head.

"This colt is definitely one of the best I've ever worked with," said Kelly, who has trained more than 100 mustangs for competition and through the Foundation's Trainer Incentive Program.

Mustang Magic had all the elements of popular TV reality shows, with fans given the opportunity to text message in their vote for fan favorite following the Friday night performance and judges critiquing contestants with prompting by famed horseman Chris Cox before holding up scores to either the cheers or boos of the crowd.

The Foundation plans to place another 1,000 horses for adoption in 2009, having placed in excess of that number since the beginning of the Extreme Mustang Makeover in September 2007. Since its creation, an estimated 100,000 fans have filled the stands and walked the barns of events held across the U.S. and fans will have even more chances in 2009 as the Foundation will hold 10 events from Oregon to Florida. Following the invitational Mustang Magic competition is the Northwest Extreme Mustang Makeover in Albany, Ore. March 19-21; the Gatorland Extreme Mustang Makeover held in conjunction with Lynn Palm's Women LUV Horses in Ocala, Fla., April 3-5; the Midwest Extreme Mustang Makeover in Madison, Wis., April 19-21; the Norco Extreme Mustang Trail Challenge May 15-17 in Norco, Calif., the Western States Extreme Mustang Makeover June 12-14 in Sacramento and the Wyoming Extreme Mustang Makeover August 14-16 in Douglas, Wyoming.

Two more competitions will be offered as "national" in Fort Worth in September and Murfreesboro, Tenn., in October with 100 trainers accepted for each event and two competition divisions will be offered, Legends and Idols.

The Mustang Heritage Foundation (MHF), in partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), created the Extreme Mustang Makeover and Mustang Challenge events to highlight the recognized value of American Mustangs through a national training competition. The event will give 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 purpose of the competition is to showcase the beauty, versatility, and trainability of these rugged horses that roam freely on public lands throughout the West, where they are protected by the BLM under Federal law.

Nearly 30,000 Mustangs roam federal lands across the country. In order to manage the herds and maintain both land and herd health, the BLM oversees the adoption of wild horses and burros through public adoptions held throughout the United States. Since 1973, more than 222,000 wild horses and burros have been adopted.

Results:

1.  Spoonful of Buckshot, trained by Bill Lopez of Norman, Okla. Total score: 562.
     Adopted for $7,000.
2.  Jabez, trained by Cindy Branham of Topeka, Kan. Total score: 553. Adopted for $5,200.
3.  Sundance, trained by Joe Misner of Idaho. Total score 538.5. Adopted for $4,000.
4.  Trooper, trained by Wylene Wilson of Queen Creek, Ariz. Total score 500.5.
     Adopted for  $2,200.
5.  Chance, trained by Lonnie Aragon of Colorado Springs, Colo. Total score 473.5.
     Adopted for $6,500.
6.  Davey Crockett, trained by Chase Dodd of Soddy Daisy, Tenn. Total score: 470.
     Adopted for $1,800.
7.  Lyle, trained by Dave Schaffner of Lampasas, Tex. Total score 397.5.
     Adopted for $1,800.
8.  Smoke, trained by Ken Schwab of Hutto, Tex. Total score 395. Adopted for $800.
9.  Forest Gump, trained by Weldon Hawley of Vernon, Tex. Total score 378.5.
     Adopted for $1,650.
10.Jacks to Win, trained by Suzanne Myers, PhD, of Port Matilda, Penn.
     Total score 356.5. Adopted for $3,200.
11.High Mileage Mike, trained by Chad Kelly of Monet, Mo. Total score: 326.5.
     Adopted for $8,500.

The mission of the Mustang Heritage Foundation and the goal of the Extreme Mustang Makeover is to increase the adoption of mustangs across the country. The Mustang Heritage Foundation created the Extreme Mustang Makeover and Challenge events to showcase the recognized value of mustangs through a national training competition.
 
For more information about the 2009 Extreme Mustang Makeovers and Challenges for scheduled, please visit BLM's website.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for managing 258 million acres of public lands, located mostly in the West. Wild horses and burros roaming public rangelands are managed in a manner consistent with BLM's overall multiple-use mission, as set forth in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. Since 1973, the BLM has placed more than 222,000 wild horses and burros into private care through their adoption program. For more information on adopting a mustang or burro, please visit the BLM's National Wild Horse and Burro website or cal 866-4MUSTANGS.