By Dot Bergin
For a young woman who says she has loved horses “since she could talk,” the break between first and second year in college means she can once again train a wild mustang and show her horse during the Extreme Mustang Makeover at the Topsfield Fair Facility on August 5 and 6.
Jacqui Baer, a 2015 graduate of Bedford High School, is now in her second year of participation in the Extreme Mustang Makeover. It’s a fascinating event and you can read more here: https://extrememustangmakeover.com/events/massachusetts/. This past year, as a freshman, Jacqui was part of the Johnson and Wales Equine Science program but will transfer to Middlesex Community College in the fall to have more time to work with horses. Jacqui is also a working student under the supervision of a professional trainer, Jacquelyne Ferguson at Running Horse Farm in Carlisle. Becoming a trainer or show jumper is her dream.
This year, she is training a mare called Rae, aka ‘Reckless Redemption,’ a wild horse who was caught in Nevada and held in a California holding pen until she came here to a stable on Dudley Road, in Billerica. Rae arrived on April 15 and Jacqui has been working with ever since, to prepare for the Topsfield event. The purpose of the Extreme Mustang Makeover is to increase adoption of some of the 50,000 wild horses held in the Bureau of Land Management’s short term and long term corrals and pastures. -The Mustang Heritage Foundation, creators of the Topsfield event, says more than 6700 American Mustangs have been adopted since 2007. The program happens in several cities throughout the US, with Topsfield being the only location in the northeast.
How did Jacqui become involved in this program? She told The Citizen that she first saw a documentary years ago on wild horses and she was determined to become part of the program. Although she doesn’t yet own a horse herself, she has always loved them – as evidenced by her class photo in the BHS yearbook: Jacqui is pictured with Miss America, a horse owned by a local rider.
The horse Jacqui trained last year – Buttercup – did find an adoptive home in New Jersey and Jacqui has been able to visit her there. Not only did her horse find a home but Jacqui says her participation in the Extreme Mustang Makeover has introduced her to a wide circle of friends who bond over their love of horses. It isn’t just the competitive aspect, she says, but real friendships in the making.
Just how does one begin to train, or “socialize” a wild horse? Jacqui reports that Rae had apparently not been with people at all; her photo had been posted on the BLM adoption site three times but she had not found a home. When Jacqui first met her, the horse was very shy and would not let Jacqui touch her. She soon began to draw closer and Jacqui reports she was easy to tame and she was able to saddle her quite quickly.
After three months of working together, the two will be ready to compete next weekend. If a horse is adopted through the event, the trainer receives one half of the purchase price and there is also the possibility of winning a cash prize. Incidentally, officials of the Bureau of Land Management are also on site during the event to approve applications and bidders for the horses.
Caring for a horse can be an expensive proposition. Jacqui is grateful to those who have helped her and especially thankful to the Card family, owners of Greenwood Farm in Billerica.
Correction: This story was edited on July 28 to clarify Jacqui Baer’s responsibility in socializing and training Rae.
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