Perryville teen and horse reach finish line of mustang competition

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — On their 99th day together, Kylee Lukefahr, 15, and her mustang, Jade, set out to do their final entry for the Extreme Mustang Makeover competition — their freestyle routine.

"I can't believe she was wild," Lukefahr's grandmother Julie Budwine said after watching the routine from the sidelines.

Jade is a 2-year-old mustang selected by Lukefahr for the competition. Jade had little exposure to humans and was not trained since she used to live in the wilderness of Antelope Valley, Nevada.

According to the website of Mustang Heritage Foundation, which created and holds the competition, "the purpose of the Extreme Mustang Makeover competition is to showcase the beauty, versatility, and trainability of American mustangs."

Each contestant in the youth division creates his or her own freestyle routine showing off a horse's skills while also following certain rules. The routines tend to have a theme based on the song selection and costumes for the handler and horse. Lukefahr decided on a patriotic theme.

The duo showed off their skills by using red, white and blue props, and two American flags: one to wave and the other Lukefahr's grandfather's burial flag — the two kneeled in front of it to end their routine.

Kylee Lukefahr, 15, carries a saddle blanket and saddle out of the storage room at Evans Equestrians before recording a freestyle routine for the Extreme Mustang Makeover competition June 11 in Perryville.Sarah Yenesel

The overall theme was mostly inspired as a tribute to her late grandfather, John Logsdon, and all veterans, and the song "Mr. Red White and Blue" by Coffey Anderson. The song describes a man and the sacrifices he makes to serve his country.

"Mom showed me that song and I — something stuck with me with that song. And I just loved that song. And every time it played, I had a feeling," Lukefahr said about why she chose it.

The entire competition was virtual, with all participants recording and submitting the required routines before they were put online during the competition dates. While they were allowed to record however many takes they needed, they could only submit one and it could not be edited.

Over three days earlier this month, the recorded videos for the 18 youth competitors were shown in the handling, trail and freestyle categories. On the third day, overall scores were tallied, which placed Lukefahr and Jade in 11th.

"I think that we scored pretty good for what we accomplished. And ... overall, I'm really proud of [Jade], and I will use it as a learning experience and I will work hard on my next one to see if I can get my scores higher. But overall, I think it's really good," Lukefahr said after the final scores for the competition were released Friday.

Looking back on the entire experience, Lukefahr said Jade has changed — for the better.

Kylee Lukefahr and Jade kneel near her Lukefahr's grandfather's burial flag to end their freestyle routine for the Extreme Mustang Makeover competition June 11 at Evans Equestrians in Perryville, Missouri. The routine was inspired by the song "Mr. Red White And Blue" by Coffey Anderson and dedication to her late grandfather, John Logsdon, a Vietnam War veteran, and all veterans.Sarah Yenesel

"She's gotten more brave, more confident in her own ability. And more trust in me that, even if she doesn't know what's going on, that she can trust me," she said.

"I think overall, this was a really cool experience for both of them. And I don't perceive this as her last one by any means," said Misty Abbott, Lukefahr's mother.

Abbott has a mustang of her own and has supported Lukefahr in the competition.

"I think she might make it a mission to train some wild mustangs and hopefully find them some really good homes," Abbott said.

Lukefahr said she now would rather adopt a mustang than a domesticated horse.

"[Mustangs] get stuck in holding facilities, because they have the persona of they are crazy. And so then, as many horses I can help get into homes, because I know they're not crazy, the better off they'll be and the better off I think I'll be because I get to train horses and help them," she said.

"I think [Kylee's] learned a lot," said Krystal Evans, owner and operator of Evans Equestrians in Perryville — where the duo trained — and mentor to Lukefahr. "I think she has surprised herself at how far she actually pushed herself. I think she has surprised herself at how well Jade has done, you know, throughout the training."

Evans added she looks forward to more training opportunities for Lukefahr to accomplish.

Lukefahr confirmed she is already considering other competitions in the future and is in the process of submitting an application to the Mustang Heritage Foundation's Training Incentive Program.

"I've learned more patience," Lukefahr said when asked what she learned from the experience of training Jade. "I've learned timing — when to move forward with training and when to hold back a little bit and let her adjust. I've learned to trust myself and not question my abilities, because I've always kind of questioned, 'What? Can I do this? Are you sure I can do this?' And after I started working with her and how good she's turned out with just me, I don't have to prove anything to myself anymore because that was a big thing."

While undergoing training for the 99 days, Jade was kept in an open-air stable. Lukefahr said that after recording their submission for the competition, she let Jade into the fenced pasture for the first time. She expected Jade to take off running, but instead, Jade just put her head down and ate the grass.