Adult trainers were assigned an untouched, four to 6-year-old Mustang gelding in May and spent the summer gentling and preparing the horse for competition. Preliminary classes began on Thursday with contestants showing in classes including, handling and conditioning, a pattern class, and a combined leading and riding obstacle class. The top 10 trainers then moved on to the freestyle finals, which gave them an opportunity to show their mustang’s skills while using choreographed props and music. A compulsory maneuvers score was also added to determine the overall winners.