Highgrove Farm

home of Steve Lantvit Horsemanship

Jan 21-23

Missouri Equine Council

  - Celebration Event

Boone County Fairgrounds

Columbia, MO

March 26-27

Great Lakes Equine Expo

Porter County Fairgrounds

& Expo Center

Valparaiso , IN

August 19-21

Horse Days

Boone County Fairgrounds

Belvidere , IL  

August 30,31 & Sept 1

Farm Progress Show

Decatur , IL

September 2-4

Extreme Cowboy Race

& Equine Expo presented by

Tack ‘n Togs

Gordyville USA , Gifford , IL

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to our Sponsors:

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"Product of the Year"

for 2010 by The Horse

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In May of 2008, a total of 400 trainers were selected to compete in the Extreme Mustang Makeover and Mission 007 held in Fort Worth, Texas, on September 18-21.    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. Steven Lantvit was one of those selected trainers and this is his experience...  

Competing in the Extreme Mustang Makeover for Steven and Cash was a most memorable experience.  Being part of such a gala event for the benefit of America ’s wild mustang was a distinct honor and privilege to say the least.

Upon our arrival at the Will Rogers grounds we were in awe at these magnificent mustangs that had gathered for the event.  Different sizes and colors showcased the aisle ways as we walked Cash down to his stall. Some resembled a draft-cross, thoroughbred, quarter horse, etc.  But all had one thing in common; they were untamed 100 days ago.

Once settled into his stall we walked the aisles admiring the mustangs and reading their names, areas of capture and the brief bios of their trainers. These trainers came from 38 states for this competition and had chosen to compete in one of the three divisions; Legends, Idols, and Stars.  Legends was the most difficult division putting the trainers and their mustangs to the test in the ultimate competition.

The first day competition was on body conditioning and an in-hand obstacle negotiation course.  Cash did well in the body conditioning portion but to our dismay he and Steven didn’t do so well in the in the in-hand course.  What happened in the in-hand course was one of those things that every competitor dreads.  Steven had missed the last pole in the obstacles which cost him a severe penalty in his score.  There aren’t words for Steven’s disappointment as this was a trainer error and Cash executed all that was asked of him with excellence.  Despite the overall great performance we ended the first day being 44 out of 65 due to the missed pole.  It was a hard pill to swallow and felt that we had let Cash down. 

We were proud to end up as #19 out of 65 in the Legends division as it was a tough competition with many talented trainers and mustangs alike. Most importantly, we are so very proud to have adopted Cash (Yes, we of course adopted him) and to bring him back to Indiana .  Cash is so very smart, trusting, and deeply loved by us and is now enjoying his well-deserved rest just being a horse running and playing with his new pasture pals.

As for Tango, we had pulled her from the competition because we felt she wasn’t up to the long trip out to Texas . Tango, like Cash, is so sweet and a complete pleasure to work with.  Her curiousness and smarts makes her a willing partner with her ground work and every day she amazing us with her progress.

We are so honored to have had this experience at the Extreme Mustang Makeover which was more than just a competition to us.  It educated us on a large piece of our American Heritage and for this we have changed.  And it also brought to us Tango and Cash who are so loved and will have a home forever with us.

We give special thanks to the Heritage Foundation and to the BLM for all they do to preserve these majestic Mustangs and for bringing them into our lives.