FORT WORTH, Texas — David Carter had a plan Sunday morning. In order to take his mustang Silverado back to Natchez, Carter decided he would have to use his secret weapon — his son Coleman.

It was adoption day at the Extreme Mustang Makeover. After three days of competition, every horse that participated in the event was put up on the auction block. Horse owners, trainers and fans crowded John Justin Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, to take home one of the Extreme Mustang Makeover’s star horses — including Silverado.

The morning after Carter took the fourth place trophy in the national event, his focus was aimed at making sure his horse was returning home with him. Throughout the competition, Silverado attracted a great deal of attention. Introductions throughout the weekend were consistently met with whistles and cheers. The horse from Natchez had caught the attention of many horse trainers and fans.

“I am more stressed today than during any other part of the weekend,” said Carter, who is the MSU Ag Extension Service director in Adams County.

That is why Carter planned to put his son in the saddle in the middle of the auction ring and show the hundreds of people in the crowd why Silverado belonged in Natchez — not in someone else’s barn.

Then there was the letter that 2-year-old Coleman hung on the front of Silverado’s stall Saturday night.

Scrawled on a scrap piece of poster paper, the letter read, “I am Coleman Carter. I am 2-years-old. Please don’t buy my horse. I want to take Silverado home with me to Natchez, Ms. I love to ride him. Thank You. Coleman.”

Handed the letter Sunday morning, the auctioneer read the note as Carter displayed the horse in the ring. The reaction from the audience was just as Carter planned as many sighed audibly and wiped away tears.

It may have seemed inevitable from that point that Silverado would be coming home to Natchez.

But then the bidding started. In an auction where most bids for a mustang topped out at $1,000, Silverado’s bid immediately shot up to $3,000. As members of the Carter family offered higher and higher bids, an anonymous bidder from across the arena was returning fire with even higher offers.

Fans from Natchez and other audience members looked shocked, when the bids reached $10,000 — far higher than any other horse of the day thus far. Hopes that Silverado would come home seemed dashed as the bidder from across the arena showed no signs of relenting.

Other horse trainers and officials from the auction pleaded with the bidder to cease and in one chaotic moment the bidding ended.

“Sold for $10,500,” the auctioneer said. In the final moments of the bidding, there was confusion. Some from the Natchez crowd cheered. Others wondered whether the anonymous bidder had actually won the bid for Silverado.

Several minutes later, it became clear that the Carter family won the bid to keep Silverado — unfortunately at a much higher price than they had planned.

Though Carter’s winnings from Saturday night’s finals would put a dent in the fee, the Mustang Heritage Foundation agreed to work out a deal to lessen the financial burden.

“Sometimes it’s not about the money. It’s about the home,” foundation director Patti Cobert said.