SpectraVET Perf. of the Week: Madison & Takoda

March 16, 2016Kristen KovatchSponsored#MUSTANG, #SPECTRAVETLeave a comment

Check out this “colorful” performance from the Extreme Mustang Makeover in Louisiana, held March 11-12! Madison Shambaugh and Takoda won the freestyle and were named overall reserve champions.

“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” -Dr Seuss Here are some photos from Takoda’s very colorful freestyle at the 2016 LA Extreme Mustang Makeover just 100 days out of the wild (video coming soon)! I could not have asked for any more from him tonight– He was extraordinary. Our performance tonight was about embracing your individuality and finding the strength to show who you really are and what makes you unique–showing your TRUE COLORS! It was about embracing what makes you different…because this is what defines your true beauty! Our freestyle received a nearly perfect score & we were awarded overall Reserve Champions. With the money we won I was able to buy Takoda back at the adoption. It is safe to say Takoda is officially apart of my team!!! I am so excited for this mustang’s future…our journey is far from over;) He will have a few weeks of good rest time from riding as I finish up with school. Then we will begin training for the freestyle reining at the 2016 American Quarter Horse Congress in October. I am very excited for the potential to raise awareness for the mustangs at such a prestigious event and show the world what they are capable of! I’d like to say a very sincere thank you to all my family, friends, and followers for your support along this journey! I could NOT have done it without you! Also a special thanks to: Crypto Aero for providing top notch nutrition. Rosebud Ranch in Brookston, IN for sharing their awesome facilities with Takoda & I, as well as their generous contributions. Motion For Life for helping Takoda feel his best. & The Glam Factory for helping to provide the perfect costume! Photo credit to my very talented little sister, Sierra! 🙂 #cryptoaero #horsesofinstagram #horsesofinsta #horse #horses #wildhorse #wildhorses #extrememustangmakeover #horsemanship #horsetraining #MustangTakoda #truecolors #differentisbeautiful #bayhorse #reininghorse

A photo posted by Madison Shambaugh (@mustangmaddy) on Mar 13, 2016 at 11:00am PDT

Madison Shambaugh and Takoda put on quite a show at the Extreme Mustang Makeover of Gonzales, Louisiana last weekend: this performance earned them the victory in the freestyle segment of the competition and won them the reserve championship as well. The Extreme Mustang Makeover competition requires competitors to take on an untouched mustang through a Bureau of Land Management adoption. In 100 days, the mustangs need to be competition-ready to perform both under saddle and in hand, with the top ten performances at the Makeover competition qualifying for the freestyle. Shambaugh’s performance was intended to celebrate the individual nature of the horse, highlighting the fact horses should be trained according to their unique personalities, strengths and weaknesses.

2016 Extreme Mustang Makeover Bridleless FreestyleMeet Mustang No. 6042, now known as “Takoda,” who was wild just 100 days ago. Madison trained Takoda for the Extreme Mustang Makeover, in which trainers have 100 days to train a wild mustang. These competitions serve to showcase the trainability of America’s wild horses and raise awareness for the some 50,000 mustangs currently waiting in holding pens to be adopted. After the competition, the trained mustangs are auctioned off to the public to be put into caring homes. Madison used the money she won in the competition to bid on Takoda herself. She was successful in adopting him and will be giving him a forever home. She plans to travel with Takoda & the other mustangs she has trained in order to continue to raise awareness for the mustangs still awaiting adoption, as well as to educate the public on equine behavior and communication techniques to achieve more successful horse-human relationships.Their very colorful performance served to communicate a message about embracing your individuality and finding the strength to show who you really are and what makes you unique–showing your true colors! It was about embracing what makes you different, recognizing that our individual differences is what brings out our true beauty!Madison was inspired to convey this message after realizing and appreciating how different and unique each mustang that she works with is. She believes every horse has a potential for greatness if we can learn to appreciate their unique gifts and embrace what makes them so special, rather than fitting them into our preconceived perceptions of what they should be.Special thanks to Crypto Aero Wholefood Horse Feed, Motion for Life, Rosebud Ranch, & The Glam Factory.#DifferentIsBeautiful #TrueColors Posted by Madison Shambaugh on Sunday, March 13, 2016

Keep in mind that this horse was totally untouched 100 days prior:

Sneak peak of my Louisiana extreme mustang makeover assignment! A 6 year old bay gelding from Nevada…sound familiar?;) I have approx 100 days to tame and train this guy for the competition in March! Stay posted on his progress and our schedule to see if he will be coming to an area near you! #meetthemustangs #extrememustangmakeover #lettheadventurebegin #mustangmaddy A photo posted by Madison Shambaugh (@mustangmaddy) on Nov 20, 2015 at 7:15am PST

Each Extreme Mustang Makeover concludes with an auction so each mustang can find a forever home. Shambaugh used her winnings to buy back Takoda to permanently join her string. While also maintaining a schedule as a college student, Madison Shambaugh also teaches liberty clinics as well as performs with her horses.

Madison Shambaugh first appeared on the mustang radar with last year’s Virginia Extreme Mustang Makeover, where she performed with her mustang Terk. Clearly the sky is the limit for this young trainer!

To learn more about the Extreme Mustang Makeover, check out the event website.

Go mustangs! Go riding!

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