Mustang makeover 2019

Animalon becomes a sponsor for the coaching team “Marina and the Ponies” at the Mustang Makeover 2019!

The Mustang Makeover aims to train 22 almost raw Mustangs from the USA by 22 trainers within 100 days in a harmonious and fair manner.

The wild horses have spent the first years of their lives in large herd families and are used to life in the wild. In the last 3 years, due to overpopulation, persistent droughts, dramatic water shortages and political constraints, the mustangs have been captured and rescued in rescue centers by the US agency BLM (Bureau of Land Management) as part of population controls. Unfortunately, conditions have been deteriorating for some time - land shortages, budget cuts and the repeal of the protection law are being hotly debated. The American Mustang Germany has brought the unique event from the USA to Germany since 2017 and aims to draw attention to the special horse breed of the Mustang and to place the horses here in Germany.

The event horses were selected at the reception station in September 2018 and looked after by an experienced trainer since January before they were imported to Germany, so that the horses could be led and loaded without any problems and thus had a stress-free journey. Each of the 22 horses had the same trainer in America, ensuring equal opportunities from the start. In the last few days, the horses moved into their new home in Germany and are now being trained by various trainers for the next 100 days.

The coaching team includes many young, talented trainers, but also very experienced trainers have the opportunity to present their work in the area of ​​training young horses. The trainers are allowed to work with original, very wild horses and can therefore also draw attention to the special nature of the mustangs. The participating trainers document their work progress with photos and videos over the 100 days and thus educate the communities about horse work. The requirements for the competition include absolutely fair treatment of the horse and sufficient experience in the field of young horse training.

True to the motto “We make the invisible bond between horse and rider visible!”, the Trainer Challenge stands out from a normal competition. The event is aimed much more at the partnership between humans and animals, which is what the jury will ultimately judge at the grand finale. The final event, which is unique in Europe, will take place on Friday the 23rd. August 2019 to Sunday 25th August 2019 in Aachen on the CHIO grounds. After each team's individual performance, the jury selects the coach Mustang team that has grown best together. The Mustangs will then be auctioned off.

But not only the spectacular and unique performances await you, but also interesting specialist lectures on all topics and questions about four-legged friends from the Makeover Experts, 1-hour lectures from top trainers as part of the Makeover Academy and much more. Visitors can also take a long stroll in the Mustang Mall and find everything to do with horses.

Animalon is a sponsor of the “Marina & the Ponies” team. Marina and her sister Julia will also look after the Mustang for 100 days, train it as part of the Trainer Challenge and finally present it at the MUSTANG MAKEOVER. Since Marina is still very young, she works in a team with her sister and takes part out of competition. The mustang is not a pure wild horse, but rather a further trained young horse. The two of them are happy to accept the challenge of bringing the mustang closer to human life and are happy to be able to have such a unique experience at such a young age. The mustang has already arrived at the sisters' home and has the following profile:

• Gender: Gelding
• Birth: 2013
• Place of birth: Humboldt
• Stock size: 140 cm
• Color: Sorrel