Trainers Unite this Weekend
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BOISE, Idaho – Preparations for the second annual Mustang Mania Trainer Incentive Program (TIP) Challenge are underway as 44 approved trainers will pick up their mustangs April 6-7, 2018, at the Boise Wild Horse Corrals from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-5 p.m. on Friday and from 8 a.m.-noon on Saturday.
This launches the journey for both horse and handler to prepare for competition during the 2018 Mustang Mania TIP Challenge, set to return to Nampa on July 7-8, 2018. Youths ages 8-17 and adults 18 and above will compete in the challenge by first adopting and then training their mustangs. The participants will also help promote the adoption of these national treasures by showcasing both the value and trainability of the animals through in-hand competition.
TIP and Extreme Mustang Makeover trainers Matt and Stacie Zimmerman of Caldwell are hosting the Mustang Mania TIP Challenge. The couple has helped close to 200 mustangs find good homes in the past five years alone. In 2016, the Zimmermans opened a storefront wild horse training business in partnership with the Mustang Heritage Foundation and the BLM to continue to place trained mustangs into private care.
The TIP Challenge, which seeks to place mustangs and burros in adoptive homes, is part of the Mustang Heritage Foundation’s Trainer Incentive Program. The challenge was created in keeping with the Foundation’s mission of increasing adoption of BLM-housed American mustangs and burros through innovative gentling (training) competitions and awareness programs.
If you are interested in visiting the corrals and talking with one of these wild horse trainers, please contact Heather Tiel-Nelson at 208-308-3727.
Mustang trainer Matt Zimmerman helps to load a 2017 Mustang Mania TIP challenge horse, while Idaho Public Television videographer films away.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.