Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo saddles up for mustang performances
The Mustang Championship and Mustang Magic shows took place from Jan. 18 to Jan. 19.
By Chris Huddleston, The Shorthorn opinion editor - Jan 25, 2024
The last thing people might expect from a horse show is a motorcycle bursting into the arena, but at the Mustang Champions Freestyle competition, the crowd erupted as the motorcycle engine revved and rumbled through the dirt, leaving tire tracks alongside hoof prints.
Horse trainer Nate Eicher chases down a biker during the Mustang Champions Freestyle competition Jan. 19 in Fort Worth. Eicher, who has competed before, rode his mustang Mercedes.
Nate Eicher, a horse trainer from Mineral Wells, and his mustang Mercedes played along. In the competition, they strutted into the arena, Eicher wearing a motorcycle helmet and handlebars attached to his saddle — complete with the iconic “Bad to the Bone” guitar riff in the background.
The Friday night crowd at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo rumbled along with the motorcycle as Eicher performed various spins and jumps on his mustang Mercedes.
For a horse to perform alongside such a spectacle is no easy feat, taking five months of training to get there.
The announcer takes in the arena prior to the Mustang Champions Freestyle competition Jan. 19 in Fort Worth. The competition open with a group prayer and the singing of “The Star Spangle Banner.”
The Mustang Champions Freestyle invited eight of the most popular horse trainers from around the country to compete for a pool of $50,000, with the winner receiving $25,000. Each competitor put on a six-minute performance, highlighting their creativity, horsemanship and showmanship.
The event featured many creative angles trainers used to showcase their training ability. Clowns, witches and ringmasters could be found bumbling about, worrying about their choreography or if their horses had enough glitter.
A Horse stands in a stable before the Mustang Champions Freestyle competition Jan. 19 in Fort Worth. Competitors traveled from around the country to compete for a pool of $50,000.
One trainer, Florida resident Sam VanFleet, decided to bring a taste of Broadway to the arena with a show inspired by Wicked, a musical about the backstory of The Wizard of Oz. She, dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West, mounted her “best bud” Lynx and filled the arena with show tunes.
While the costumes, music and hairspray are important parts of the show, the mustangs’ performance is still the core. Trainers performed a variety of skills from spins to jumps to having the horse lie down, showing their connection and control of the horse.
Horse trainer Nate Eicher plays the electric guitar during the Mustang Champions Freestyle competition Jan. 19 in Fort Worth. Eicher began training horses at 12 years old.
This event fell in the middle of another mustang horse show: Mustang Magic. In this event, competitors were given a wild mustang to train for 100 days, culminating in a competition to show off their work.
After the Mustang Magic competition, the horses are auctioned off, hoping to give these horses a new ranch home. This event was put on with the support of Mustang Champions, a nonprofit dedicated to the adoption and placement of American mustangs.
American mustangs are the descendants of horses brought over by Spanish explorers, according to the Bureau of Land Management, which is responsible for managing and protecting wild horse herds. Mustangs, being wild horses, have not been trained to ignore certain things and must learn to tune things out to work with humans.
A group of people stand at attention while the National Anthem is being sung during the Mustang Champions Freestyle competition Jan. 19 in Fort Worth. People took off their hats to pay respect.
“They just see everything and they’ve not been told not to. They’ve not learned not to. So many domestic horses, they tune so much out there, so much background noise. They can’t exist with us without learning to tune certain things out,” said Mary Miller-Jordan, trainer and Kelly, North Carolina resident.
These shows aim to highlight the versatility and trainability of the mustang. Working with the Bureau of Land Management, the organization finds homes for excess horses from the Wild Horse and Burro Program, reducing the burden on the program and protecting rangelands.
A horse trainer brushes the mane of a mustang during the Mustang Champions Freestyle competition Jan. 19 in Fort Worth. Approximately 25 horse trainers spend 100 days training wild mustangs from the West.
Some performers got their mustangs after competing in these events, buying them in the auction following the competition. Miller-Jordan bought her mustang Magic after one of these events in 2012.
“I loved her from the beginning,” she said. “But she disliked me in the beginning. I always said if a horse could flip you the birdie — like she did not like me.”
A contestant gets lifted into a pen during the Mustang Champions Freestyle on Jan. 19 in Fort Worth. Throughout the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo children, aged 4-7, can participate in Mutton Bustin performances.
Despite a rocky start, she and Magic’s connection blossomed with dedication and hard work, putting on a touching and impressive performance about a lonely, young girl dreaming of a friend in a unicorn with a touch of fairy tale magic.
Eicher named his horse “Mercedes” because “when I first got him, he looked really smooth and felt smooth when I got on him, so I thought Mercedes fits him pretty good,” he said.
In the big arena with the large crowd and bright spotlights, it’s easy to feel some stage fright. To Eicher, the most difficult part of the performance was keeping their cool, he said. “Because in that Coliseum, it gets so loud in there.”
Despite the distractions, the duo took first place, winning $25,000. Miller-Jordan took a close second, winning $10,000, and VanFleet took $5,000 in third.
Horse trainer Nate Eicher points to the sky during the Mustang Champions Freestyle competition Jan. 19 in Fort Worth. Eicher placed first.
These performances ask a lot from the horses, and trainers need to balance the needs and feelings of the horses with their wishes and plans. While these performances showed the training and control the riders have over their horses, there were tumbles and hoof stomps to remind the audience these horses are still in control.
Keeping the horse’s needs first is important for a successful performance, Miller-Jordan said.
“The easiest thing for her horse first would just be to let her stay at home in the pasture,” she said. “I am honoring her needs, but I’m also asking a really big favor.”
That means being able to understand the horse and their needs is a core part of training. This act of being able to push the horse while respecting its wishes, while difficult, is immensely rewarding.
“You learn a lot about yourself and reading the horse as well. There’s a lot of patience involved,” said VanFleet. “I think it makes you a better horse trainer and person overall.”
