We’re excited to introduce another 2026 Dakota Showdown Rising Star team—Haylee Nichols and Blake!
Haylee joins us from Gillette, Wyoming, and is stepping into the Rising Star Division with 2-year-old BLM Mustang gelding Blake. This division is all about building a foundation, and these two will have plenty to work with this summer.
Blake just came out of holding on April 3 and is completely unhandled, but he’s already showing himself to be a curious and friendly young mustang. That kind of mindset is a great place to start, even if the basics are still brand new.
Over the next few months, Haylee will be introducing Blake to everything from haltering and leading to the early building blocks of trust and communication. It’s always fun to watch these first steps, and we expect this team will make great progress together.
Blake will be available for adoption at the Dakota Showdown Finale on August 23.