Six young mustangs. Six totally untouched minds. Six wildly different journeys. Picked up from BLM holding in January and now on their way to bright futures as great partners!
We are nearly done with our mid-training checkins with the Teams for the 2025 Dakota Showdown Horse Trainer Challenge, and we are excited to share their progress. These 3-year-old BLM geldings didn’t just need training, they needed a beginning - and they are well underway!
Onyx is showing what’s possible. He’s now a confident, catchable gelding who trailers, leads, picks up his feet, and enjoys grooming. He’s even learning to lunge.
Twister took his time accepting the halter—but once he did, things clicked. He’s now leading, tying, lunging - even over small jumps, enjoying grooming, and has started being ponied on rides.
Kelvin & Forrest progressed quickly early on, then hit a wall. Both are testing boundaries and becoming harder to catch, but support and environment adjustments are helping them regain focus. Thunder remains our longest halter holdout—but his mind has changed dramatically. He watches, engages, and yields to pressure. He just hasn’t yet crossed that final line into physical touch.
And Dewey, our early bloomer, has graduated to the Showcase Division after progressing so quickly he’s now started under saddle. We’re proud of his journey—and his trainer’s steady hand.It’s tempting to think “success” means a horse under saddle, loping circles, or showing off tricks. But in the Foundation Division, success is far simpler—and far more powerful:
A mustang who calmly steps into a trailer. A horse who accepts a halter and walks willingly beside a human. A quiet, confident partner—one who trusts. A horse the average horse person can safely handle.That’s the goal. And every step in that direction is a victory worth celebrating.
Stay tuned this week as we introduce each of these mustangs and share deeper insights—including the tough realities of building trust from zero.
See their transformations in person on August 24 at the Dakota Showdown Finale in Yankton, SD.Apply to be approved to bid to take them home here: http://dakotashowdown.com/adopt