Local Trainer Competes in Extreme Mustang Makeover
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Training a wild mustang in 100 days might sound like an impossible job, but it’s one a Tuskegee man is taking on.
Taylor McIntosh trains horses in Tuskegee at McIntosh Equine. He’s competing in the Mustang Heritage Foundation’s first Extreme Mustang Makeover in Alabama.
Starting Friday, about 30 trainers will compete at Celebration Arena in Decatur for a $3,000 prize and bragging rights.
Taylor McIntosh is training a 5-year-old mustang named Owen in memory of a childhood friend who died of cancer.
He says the last 100 days have been an adventure.
“Some days they’re just wonderful, you’re on the top of the world, wishing that the show was today. Other days, you’re thinking–I don’t have enough time to fix all the problems I’ve created. So it’s just like any other job–you have your highs and lows and you just hope the highs come when it’s time to show off,” said McIntosh.
Before coming to the ranch, Owen was a wild horse in Nevada. Many of the wild mustang population descend from horses that were once domesticated. In some parts of the state, however, the wild horse population becomes too large. That’s where the Mustang Heritage Foundation comes in. It provides support to train and place the horses in good homes.
The winner of the Extreme Mustang Makeover in Alabama will get the title and $3,000 prize money, but McIntosh says that’s not what makes the competition worth it.
“Just the time I’ve gotten to spend doing this, it’s made it all worth it,” he said.
Taylor McIntosh is competing to support the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps wounded veterans. You can donate to the cause at the Freestyle Final Saturday night or online here.
