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Americans have a long-standing love affair with horses.
From Black Beauty to Seabiscuit to Trigger, equine heroes have lassoed our imaginations. We love a good story about how a horse escaped cruelty, triumphed at the racetrack or helped bring the bad guys to justice.
That makes it very easy to root for Melrose horsewoman Cassi Soulé and the 3-year-old gelding dubbed Abraham.
As a former mustang, Abraham wasn’t beaten by a vicious owner. He’s probably never been near the Kentucky Derby, and he certainly never met Roy Rogers. But he and Soulé are poised to enter this week’s Extreme Mustang Makeover in Fort Worth, Texas, and it’s a testament to them both that he’s made it this far.
Held Thursday through Sunday, the Makeover seeks to present 130 of America’s best horse trainers working with 130 U.S. mustangs. Competitors have had 100 days in which to train former wild horses to showcase the animals’ versatility.
Soulé is in the highest level of contestants and stands to win $12,500 if she and Abraham capture the championship title in their division. But Soulé told News-Review reporter Cara Pallone that her focus will not be on winning money. Her goal is to avoid making mistakes in front of the judges.
Any mistakes she’s made so far with Abraham must have been minimal. When Soulé began working with him, he was a feral horse from a short-term holding facility in Nevada. Saddles, bits and reins were unknown to him and to the other wild horses culled from public lands throughout the West.
The Bureau of Land Management periodically removes selected mustangs from the range to ensure herd health and protect wildland resources. Holding costs for the current fiscal year are expected to exceed $26 million, accounting for three-fourths of the BLM’s $37 million budget for its wild horse and burro program.
Whatever your thoughts about spending taxpayer money to protect wild horses — one columnist for the Hartford Courant in Connecticut wrote that he’d just as soon have the beasts killed — the fact remains that Soulé and Abraham were chosen from about 300 Extreme Mustang Makeover applicants. And that Abraham, like all the made-over mustangs, will be auctioned for adoption at contest’s end.
The Mustang Heritage Foundation, which created the Makeover along with the BLM, reports that it’s aiming for 100-percent adoption. Soulé lacks the money to adopt Abraham herself. She said she therefore went into the venture thinking, “I’m doing this so someone else gets a really nice horse.”
So here’s to Soulé for her skills and selfless attitude, and to Abraham’s chances at finding a good home.
And happy trails to them both.
From Black Beauty to Seabiscuit to Trigger, equine heroes have lassoed our imaginations. We love a good story about how a horse escaped cruelty, triumphed at the racetrack or helped bring the bad guys to justice.
That makes it very easy to root for Melrose horsewoman Cassi Soulé and the 3-year-old gelding dubbed Abraham.
As a former mustang, Abraham wasn’t beaten by a vicious owner. He’s probably never been near the Kentucky Derby, and he certainly never met Roy Rogers. But he and Soulé are poised to enter this week’s Extreme Mustang Makeover in Fort Worth, Texas, and it’s a testament to them both that he’s made it this far.
Held Thursday through Sunday, the Makeover seeks to present 130 of America’s best horse trainers working with 130 U.S. mustangs. Competitors have had 100 days in which to train former wild horses to showcase the animals’ versatility.
Soulé is in the highest level of contestants and stands to win $12,500 if she and Abraham capture the championship title in their division. But Soulé told News-Review reporter Cara Pallone that her focus will not be on winning money. Her goal is to avoid making mistakes in front of the judges.
Any mistakes she’s made so far with Abraham must have been minimal. When Soulé began working with him, he was a feral horse from a short-term holding facility in Nevada. Saddles, bits and reins were unknown to him and to the other wild horses culled from public lands throughout the West.
The Bureau of Land Management periodically removes selected mustangs from the range to ensure herd health and protect wildland resources. Holding costs for the current fiscal year are expected to exceed $26 million, accounting for three-fourths of the BLM’s $37 million budget for its wild horse and burro program.
Whatever your thoughts about spending taxpayer money to protect wild horses — one columnist for the Hartford Courant in Connecticut wrote that he’d just as soon have the beasts killed — the fact remains that Soulé and Abraham were chosen from about 300 Extreme Mustang Makeover applicants. And that Abraham, like all the made-over mustangs, will be auctioned for adoption at contest’s end.
The Mustang Heritage Foundation, which created the Makeover along with the BLM, reports that it’s aiming for 100-percent adoption. Soulé lacks the money to adopt Abraham herself. She said she therefore went into the venture thinking, “I’m doing this so someone else gets a really nice horse.”
So here’s to Soulé for her skills and selfless attitude, and to Abraham’s chances at finding a good home.
And happy trails to them both.
