Meeker

Ever dreamed of being a mustang horse trainer?

Meeker Mustang Makeover seeks trainers for 2021 event

MEEKER | The third annual Meeker Mustang Makeover is on the hunt for horse trainers!

Leah Wood, 11, has competed each of the last two years on a saddle horse, and won first prize with her sister Dena the first year. | COURTESY PHOTO

Last year, 15 trainers from across the state picked up their horses on a dusty afternoon, and 100 days later, performed and competed to show off the contrast from a horse that had never been touched to one that could move cows, handle an obstacle course, and show off its paces in front of a crowd at the Meeker Rodeo Fairgrounds. All horses sold at the end with trainers receiving 50% of the proceeds of their horse, in addition to taking home prize money, scholarship funds, and BLM incentive money.

For 2021, trainers will have 120 days to gentle their unbroken and untouched horse for a unique competition, followed by an online and live auction of all the horses to their forever homes. Last year’s auction, handled by Longhorn Video Auctions, attracted 22,000 views on the website. The event will be livestreamed for those who want to attend virtually, by LevelHead Audio and the Rio Blanco Herald Times.

Last year the Allred family all participated, each with their own mustang: Wade and Rylee Allred shown, also Colt Allred (not pictured.) | COURTESY PHOTO

Tickets for the Meeker Mustang Makeover at the gate will be $5, with children 12 and under free. The event runs all day Saturday, and visitors to Rio Blanco County can then spend the weekend enjoying some of the best trout fishing in the state on the White River, view the unparalleled Trappers Lake, and take in the sights and history of Colorado’s most undiscovered and remote wilderness such as the White River Museum with the story of the Meeker Massacre and remarkable Ute Indian artifacts. Hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding is just a few miles up the Blue Flower Scenic Trail on Route 8 to take the adventurous into the White River State Park.

Using mustangs from the region, the event includes both 1-year-old and 3-year-old horses, being trained by all ages from 10 and up.

Added to the Youth/Yearling In Hand Event will be an event for Over 60 horse lovers with yearlings in halter as well. Both groups will have to satisfy the requirements of handling an obstacle course for their wild horse yearlings while they perform a creative freestyle performance that they devise.

Following the competition, horses will be auctioned off to the crowd. The payoff for trainers is big: There will be $10,000 in prize/scholarship money and trainers will also receive 50% of the proceeds of their horse’s sale, in addition to the BLM Adoption Incentive Program money of $500 after two months and an additional $500 if they adopt the horse at the end of the year.

The final date applications will be accepted is April 1. Applications are available at meekermustangmakeover.org. Trainers will pick up their horses on May 1 at the Rodeo Fairgrounds in Meeker, Colorado, and show their mustang magic on Saturday, Aug. 28 at the Rio Blanco County Meeker Fairgrounds.

Interested trainers will find the application online at meekermustangmakeover.org

Questions, email Robyn Blackwood Kelley at [email protected]


Special to the Herald Times

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
  • The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
  • It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
  • It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
13 hours ago
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The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
19 hours ago
View on Instagram |
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3 days ago
View on Instagram |
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Meeker FFA Chapter members competed at the District Leadership Development Event in Craig, Colorado, this month. Top row from left to right: Eva Scritchfield, Charlie Rogers, Alan Rivera, Trent Sanders, Koy Weber, Orion Musser, Said Rodriguez, Carlos Carrillo, Aidan Tapia, Hayden Garcia, Tristan Rollins, Mathew Willey, Quentin Simpson. Middle row: Sidney Keetch, Aurora Stallings, Sydnie Ross, Ava Nay, Lili Piper, Leah Wood. Bottom Row: Jaicee Simmons, Kailynn Watson, Cody Richardson, Kayla Castillo, Braydin Raley, Autumn Stallings, Aimee Shults, Emily Hamm. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
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