Erica Milbourn is Reserve Champion at Extreme Mustang Makeover

Erica Milbourn, a youth trainer from North Atlanta Equestrian at Old Mill Farm, was named Reserve Champion at the Extreme Mustang Makeover’s Youth and Mustang Challenge in Gainesville, Georgia over the weekend.

In May, Erica was selected to gentle and ground train a wild 13 month old American Mustang that she adopted through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in cooperation with the Mustang Heritage Foundation. She adopted, Gizmo, a black gelding that was gathered from a BLM Herd Management Area in Salt Wells Creek, Wyoming.

The purpose of the competition was 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. The BLM periodically removes excess animals from the range to ensure herd health and protect rangeland resources. Thousands of removed animals are made available each year to the public for adoption.

The Mustang Heritage Foundation held its first ever Extreme Mustang Makeover in Gainesville, Georgia this year at the Chicopee Woods Agricultural Center, where Erica and Gizmo competed with 12 other youth trainers. The competition showcased each youth-yearling team’s skills in the arena through trail, showmanship and handling and conditioning classes, culminating with a Youth Freestyle event.

Gizmo and the other competing horses were virtually untouched before the training period that began in May. Gizmo was adopted at the BLM holding facility in Pickens, Mississippi and Erica trained him for 100 days prior to the competition. The equine-youth team spent their entire summer vacation training and bonding at Old Mill Farm.

Erica went into the final freestyles with 2nd place standings in pattern and compulsory maneuvers and trail classes before showcasing a special musical routine they had developed Rachel Platten’s, “Fight Song.”

This was Erica’s second Mustang Makeover. In 2012, she competed at the Supreme Extreme Mustang Makeover in Fort Worth, Texas with her yearling filly, Sunni Side Up (now four years old). Throughout the year, Erica competes with Sunni in dressage and combined training through the Georgia Dressage and Combined Training Association (GDCTA).

About the Mustang Heritage Foundation

The mission of the Mustang Heritage Foundation and the goal of the Extreme Mustang Makeover events are to increase the adoption of Mustangs across the country. The Mustang Heritage Foundation created the Extreme Mustang Makeover events to showcase the recognized value of Mustangs through a national training competition. The nonprofit organization also created the Trainer Incentive Program to raise awareness about America’s Mustangs.

The Extreme Mustang Makeovers are made possible through partnership with the Bureau of Land Management and the generosity of sponsors Ram Trucks, Martin Saddlery, Western Horseman, Ride TV, Smith Brothers, Vetericyn, Gist Silversmiths, Classic Equine, the North American Mustang Association and Registry (NAMAR) and Resistol.

Since the first Extreme Mustang Makeover event was held in 2007, the Mustang Heritage Foundation has facilitated the adoptions of more than 5,000 gentled American Mustangs. In 2015, the Foundation in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management will continue to increase its efforts to raise awareness of adoptions of America’s Mustangs. http://www.extrememustangmakeover.com

About the Bureau of Land Management

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.

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