08/13/2026
🐴 What a Way to Wrap Up the 2026 Season! 🇺🇸
Today we wrapped up the Northern Michigan Mustang Challenge, and I honestly could not be more proud of every single contestant, horse, and family who made this season so special. ❤️
What these kids accomplished with their Mustangs is truly amazing. They started with horses that didn’t trust people, and through patience, hard work, dedication, and countless hours together, they built relationships and accomplished things that seemed impossible at the beginning. 🐎💪
🏆 A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GRAND CHAMPION! 🏆
Piper & Patriot ❤️🐴
Congratulations to Piper and Patriot on being named our GRAND CHAMPIONS and taking home the Grand Champion Saddle! 🏆🎉
What an incredible accomplishment! The hard work, dedication, patience, and partnership you both put into this journey truly showed. You earned it! ❤️
And to top it all off, this event came together under short notice after an unexpected address change. I cannot thank everyone enough for being flexible, understanding, and helping us make the day a success. Even with the last-minute changes, everything came together beautifully!
❤️ A HUGE THANK-YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! ❤️
We could not have made this challenge possible without the businesses and organizations who believed in these kids and supported the Northern Michigan Mustang Challenge:
⭐ Mustang Heritage Foundation
⭐ Awakon Federal Credit Union
⭐ Weld Tech Services LLC
⭐ Rivertown Auto
⭐ Wilson Insurance Agency
⭐ Red Oak Gun Shop
⭐ Johnsons Home Decorating
⭐ Monarch Moon Nail Salon
⭐ Nelsons Auto
⭐ Sign & Banner Factory
⭐ Southend Party Store
⭐ North Straits Animal Clinic
⭐ Straits Mechanical
⭐️Windy Hills AFC
Thank you for investing in these kids, these Mustangs, and this program. Your support means more than you know! ❤️🇺🇸
A very special thank-you to Ray and AJ for all of their extra help these last two days getting the property ready. You both went above and beyond, and it absolutely did not go unnoticed!
Thank you to my parents, Dan and Lori, for always being there and helping make all of this possible. ❤️
Thank you to my husband for standing beside me through all of the planning, work, craziness, and long days. I could not have done it without you!
Thank you to Cady and Kody LaPoint for coming all this way to help the kids at the clinic and judging the competition and helping with transport and connections to get this great group of Mustangs.
And most importantly, thank you to ALL of the parents of our contestants. Thank you for bringing your kids, feeding them, supporting them, encouraging them, showing up, and believing in this program. Your support means more than you know. ❤️
🐴 TO ALL OF OUR CONTESTANTS — YOU DID IT!
Be proud of yourselves! You didn't just train Mustangs—you learned patience, responsibility, confidence, perseverance, and what it means to earn the trust of an animal. you all completed all the asking off me and some more and all are winners to me!
Watching each of you grow alongside your Mustang has been an incredible experience. Every horse and every contestant has their own story, and today we got to celebrate just how far you have all come. ❤️
This season may be wrapping up, but the memories, friendships, lessons, and bonds these kids and Mustangs made will last a lifetime.
Congratulations to every single one of you! We are SO proud! 🇺🇸🐎❤️
