Jonathan Weisiger -- or "J-Dub" as his friends and family call him -- was 5-years-old the first time he went to the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. And during that visit, everything clicked.
"I just remember the cowboys, the cowgirls, the bucking horses, the cattle -- every aspect," said Weisiger, who is now 40. "I thought, yeah, these are my people. This is what I'm gonna do."
He's worked with horses ever since. And now when he goes to the FWSSR, he's the one riding them and putting on a show for the crowds -- a truly "wild" show.
"One hundred and twenty days ago, she was ready to kick my head off, jump the fence and find a greener pasture," said Weisiger.
"She" is a mare named Orangustang. And 120 days ago, she was still a wild horse roaming federal lands in Oregon.
You'd never guess it, though, watching her gallop, trot and do tricks inside the John Justin Arena at the FWSSR, with Weisiger riding her like they'd been friends for years.
One might call it the J-Dub way.
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"More than anything, they're just scared," said Weisiger. "They're just full of fear and you just work to earn their trust and let them know, 'look, I got a good deal for you.'"
About 10 years ago, he was introduced to a group called the Mustang Heritage Foundation, which pairs mustangs that have been rounded up by the federal government with human trainers, in hopes that they can be domesticated and ultimately adopted.
To help with that process and raise awareness for their cause, the foundation puts on a kind of spectacular and competition all in one each year the FWSSR called "Mustang Magic."
"Like anything else, you like to see something come from some where and make this great transformation in less than 100 days," said Kali Sublett, the foundation's executive director. "It's pretty amazing."
Weisiger was all too eager to sign up -- and quickly discovered he had a knack for training mustangs. Along the way, he learned that they had a knack for training him, as well. And that's why he continues to do it.
"They're good little horses," said Weisger.
While he lives for the energy from the crowd when he performs with the horses, the real moment of satisfaction comes when his mustangs find forever homes.
Immediately following Mustang Magic on Saturday night, Orangustang got hers.
