Information: www.extrememustangmakeover.com.
Of all the cool things kids are doing on this summer, Molly Johnston of Ball Ground is doing one of the coolest. She is training a wild horse, and in doing so, saving its life. The rising 8th grader was selected to participate in the Extreme Mustang Makeover, a national competition by the Mustang Heritage Foundation and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the agency responsible for the wild horses living on public lands. Extreme Mustang Makeover gives youth and adult trainers 100 days to gentle a horse, with the goal of having those horses adopted. Although cash and prizes are at stake when Molly shows off her horse in Fort Worth, Texas, in September, she talked about how she already feels like a winner.
Q: You love horses?
A: I have always had this insane, raging love for horses. I don't how to explain it. They are almost magical.
Q: How did you start working with them?
A: When my aunt was going through cancer — she died two years ago — it was a really hard time for me. My mom knew I needed an outlet. I started volunteering at Trinity Horse Rescue in Acworth. They take in abused horses. I fell in love with a horse there, Belle. She is all black and gorgeous. We adopted her.
Q: What is Belle’s story?
A: She was badly abused. Her previous owners had her doing something called soaring, where they put barbed wire or acid in the hoofs to get a horse to lift their front feet high. People think it looks pretty and don't care what the horse is feeling. They roped Belle when she was too young so now she has scars and arthritis in her back leg.
Q: How is she now?
A: I have to give a big shout-out to Betsy Moles, the best horse trainer. She helped me train Belle, who just has so much personality and is a diva and very bossy. What is really cool is when I put my 6-year-old sister on Belle, she walks slower and is gentler. It is beautiful how horses understand when they need to calm down.
Q: What is secret to training a horse?
A: You are going to have terrible days and you are going to have amazing days. A horse is going to have good days and bad days. You really have to be in tune with them. There is no such thing as a horse whisperer. There are horse listeners.
Q: What is behind Extreme Mustang Makeover?
A: There is an overpopulation of wild horses. Some are starving. Some have been sold and sent to Mexico to be slaughtered. Some get killed when they go on people's land. The competition is a fun way to save horses by giving them to trainers to see who improves their horse the most.
Q: You have your horse?
A: She is a 2-year-old little mare, all brown. I named her Delilah.
Q: How is she doing?
A: Tremendous. When I first got her, she was very dominant. Having a 1,000-pound animal trying to tell me what to do was very intimidating. When she realized that she is not the boss, she is a completely different horse. It is insane how far she has come.
Q: How important is winning?
A: Everyone who does the mustang competition realizes that they have already won. I saved Delilah. I really did. To know that I gave this horse a home is life changing.
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