The NORCONIANS are mad! Here is the truth as I know it.

I was asked to not speak about this situation but it is getting out of control!

I don't know who is at fault, BLM, Mustang Heritage Foundation, or Buzz Riebschlager and it is not my place to say. All I know is "my story" and it began 06/12/08.

My friend Caren, Mom, Amber, Sydney, and I went to BLM in Ridgecrest. It was a day to say the least! We were going to pick up the infamous Valcore (see his story on my website) and 0377, go get her if she is still there, a little sorrel mare with a huge white blaze and 4 socks, extremely friendly. In the big pen of 250 horses she came right to the fence to see us. My daughter Amber picked her out and I was going to challenge myself to see if I could apply to do the Extreme Mustang Makeover after I had seen it in Sacramento! Note that the date was just after last years event! I was very excited to challenge myself to see what I could get done in 90 days. Mom had other ideas, she saw a beautiful black bay mare she had to have! So Amber doesn't get 0377 and grandma comes home with Jewel. A 2 year old! What am I going to do with a 2 year old? I can't ride it yet! So I do ground work and there goes my 90 day challenge.

I got her to like humans, being groomed, picking her feet, lunging, and wearing a saddle and bridle. She loved my kids! What else is there to do with a 2 year old except repitition so there we were. Then my parents decide to get a divorce and have to sell the property where all of our horses are housed. At $350.00 a head to board we had to cut way down. We gave 3 to good homes, sold 1 and knew we could give Jewel back to BLM and they would take care of her no questions asked. Since she was just 2, she could sit for a little while until things got better for us and we could go back for her if she hadn't been adopted. She had rubbed out a fair portion of her mane so, I roached it. I figured if someone knowledgeable came in they would see she had been somewhere already and give her a chance. I also while crying told the BLM employees that she was an awesome horse that had all of her groundwork done and if someone came in to tell them about Jewel. I really wanted her to have a chance to get out of the pens at the BLM. That was October 08.

Move on to The Norco Extreme Mustang Trail Challenge May 15 - 17, 2009! I had a great time! So many wonderful people for a wonderful cause. The horses are amazing! The concept is unchallenged and it is run extremely professionally. I really like the people of the Foundation that I have met. I brought Hottie of course! She is my black beauty! The first day we did fair. Not great but fair. My scores were fine I was not there to win, I was there to have a great experience with my horse and stay on while doing it. She had dumped me hard 2 weeks prior at the same huge rock where we had to start the rural challenge. With that challenge behind me it was cake from there on!

Standing on the rail after competition on Friday I noticed something very familiar! A bay horse in the arena that moved like a donkey! Just like Jewel! I was so excited! I ran to BLM to see could this be my horse? Could she have really gotten a chance out of the pens at the BLM? I was so excited it was her but now her name was Windy! Little did I know how much strife, distention and anger this would cause many people. Many things would go tremendously wrong with my realization. I am very naive about people and things. I amaze myself sometimes, I really want people to be good so I go with that! Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't!

I cried when I realized, I had said it on the rail outloud in front of fellow competitors and that it could be something not everyone should know. I went directly to Buzz while crying. I told him I think I have done something wrong. This was my horse and I trained it and I said it in front of other people. I was crying because I didn't want to ruin his experience and his work with her. SHE WAS IN 3RD PLACE! I was so happy for Jewel. Then other people started telling me he had to have known when he got her she had been worked with. He asked me had I told Patti and Randi? I told him I had not I had only told a worker at BLM. I told him I would keep it quiet and ask my mom not to talk about it to anyone while the competition was going on. I did I kept quiet until after the auction. Little did I realize, he was going to win! Wow, now there is even more pressure I had trouble sleeping. After the auction I told Randi about it while I was paying for Hottie. She had no clue and asked me to send her all information pertaining to us having Jewel. I did and they verified it was for sure her. It is not my place to say there was conspiracy I have no clue if anyone conspired with anyone. I will say the Heritage Foundation was nothing but professional with me and have never been anything but nice to me and my mom regarding this situation. Remember this is for the horse! I was proud of Jewel and so happy to see her out of the pens! If this was her vessel for a happy home so be it! She has a life now and a legacy! She has a event to show up to next year and the following, which means she will be trained for 2 more years not standing around in the hot desert sun waiting for a home.

I don't want the event to be harmed from gossip and I certainly don't want anyones career to be effected! The horse had some work but that does not take away from the fact BUZZ DID TRAIN HER TO DO THE THINGS SHE DID AT THE COMPETITION! The playing field was not level, no. Other people had rank horses for sure! Im sure Hottie was not as rank as some of the other horses in the competition (gidget) but that doesn't take away from what I did with her. I hope this helps to curb some of the gossip and ill feelings regarding the situation. I DID NOT RETURN HER BECAUSE SHE WAS BAD OR I COULDN'T HANDLE HER! The horses still need homes and we have the talent to make them marketable to the public, lets use our talents for the good of the horse and hope we all learn from our experiences! We all make our own decisions in life, lets make good honorable decisions from here on out!