The New Year saw the dawn of new relationships as 60 wild Nevada Mustangs were delivered into the hands of their sixty selected trainers January 9-12 in Ewing, Illinois. The purpose of the Midwest Mustang Challenge is to showcase the beauty, versatility, and trainability of the American Mustang. Each trainer received a Mustang selected by a random drawing from a pool of 30 mares and 30 geldings. These Mustangs are wild and have not been handled. In just under 100 days each trainer and their Mustang will return to chance to show what these exceptional horses can do as they compete for $12,000 in prize money at the Midwest Horse Fair in Madison, Wisconsin. Each of these trained Mustangs will be eligible for purchase at auction after the final competition. 
In my 20 years of experience as a professional horse trainer I've worked with a number of wild Mustangs. My gentle methods utilize natural horsemanship techniques combined with a background in dressage and the formal education of a Masters Degree in Animal Behavior.  My relationship-based training methods respect each horse's individuality, and allow each horse to progress at his or her own rate. 
As one of the trainers selected from around the country, I'm honored to be representing Colorado at this event. On January 9 I met my new Mustang partner, a four-year-old bay mare captured from the Twin Peaks herd management area of northern Nevada.  As she was driven into the chutes for haltering and trailer loading, I overheard one of the other trainers comment "there's a wild one". I've christened her Telluride, to reflect my Colorado pride. She seems to be intelligent and brave and we're looking forward to sharing our story with you throughout this process.
Kari Crawford