From rain in the morning to sunshine in the afternoon, 31 horse-and-rider combinations proved their mettle in a variety of conditions on the first day of competition at the 2025 Mustang Classic. The event kicked off Thursday morning with the dressage phase of competition, where Laura Wilson and her mustang partner One Ear Wonder emerged on top after a stellar dressage test. But there are two more days of competition before the champions will be crowned in the Kentucky Horse Park’s Rolex Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.
Wilson and One Ear Wonder Deliver Top Dressage Test
The flashy palomino may have taken top honors in Thursday’s dressage phase of the Mustang Classic, but the gelding’s vibrant color wasn’t his only noticeable feature. One Ear Wonder was rounded up from the Twin Peaks herd management area in California without his left ear. It’s unknown how he lost his ear, but it may have been due to an injury or frostbite. “Wonder” caught Wilson’s eye on a Bureau of Land Management internet auction, and through a stroke of good luck, she placed the highest bid for him in November 2024.
In January 2025, it was time to get to work with Wonder, and Wilson began gentling him at her home base in Maryland. Wonder’s missing ear did pose a slight challenge in the beginning stages of their partnership.
“At first, it was a little hard to read his emotions because you read a lot off their ears,” she said. “If he was getting a little aggressive, I couldn’t tell because I was on the left side where he doesn’t have an ear. That was a little hard to get used to, but other than that he’s been fine about it.”
The pair traveled to Florida for two weeks over the winter to continue Wonder’s education with well-known mustang trainer Marsha Hartford-Sapp. By February, Wilson was riding him, and Wonder was turning out to be a dependable partner.
“He is pretty willing,” Wilson said. “As long as he has time to think about it and comprehend what I’m asking him to do, he is game to do anything.”
Dressage at the Mustang Classic
All combinations were required to perform the Training Level dressage test to demonstrate the foundation of training and partnership between a mustang and rider through balance, flexibility and obedience. Wilson and 5-year-old Wonder laid down a lovely dressage test to win the first phase of the Mustang Classic. The pair had competed in a schooling dressage show before the event, but Thursday’s dressage test was a significant step up in a big atmosphere. However, they both rose to the occasion.
“He went in there and was just a pro. He did everything I wanted him to do,” Wilson said of her little one-eared mustang. “I’m so pleased with him. He listened so well.”
Dressage is an important part of the Mustang Classic with points collected helping determine the top 10 for the Mustang Classic Championship Finals on Saturday, as well as being added to final scores to determine the overall champion. Wilson also pointed out that dressage is an important basis for training an unbroken wild horse.
“Everything goes back to dressage,” she noted. “If you aren’t jumping well, it goes back to your dressage. It establishes the rest of your training.”
Elisa Wallace: Dressage Is Key to Training Mustangs
Five-star eventer Elisa Wallace, who won last year’s Mustang Classic aboard Zephyr, says the process of selecting a mustang for the event is challenging, because there’s not much to base your decision on other than observing horses in the holding pens. “I look for basic conformation qualities and tend to prefer horses who are built uphill with longer necks,” she said. “But overall, it’s based on my gut feeling about certain horses and being able to read their conformation to envision what they’re capable of.”
In her search for this year’s partner, a tall, dark and handsome gelding with a white star and right-hind sock named Nodin checked all the right boxes. It can be a big adjustment for a wild horse to go from being feral to being in a BLM holding pen and then into a new barn, so Wallace says helping them get used to a consistent routine is especially important when trying to help them settle in. In this effort, she strives to make everything a positive experience for the newcomers.
“When you’re first working with a wild horse who speaks a foreign language, it’s extremely important to first focus on gaining their trust,” she noted. “You have to show them that you’re not going to do them harm and want to be their friend.”
To introduce unbroken mustangs to the basics of dressage, Wallace focuses on foundation work and teaching the horses to move correctly and softly, which in turn helps them develop muscle strength where they might be a little weak. “Dressage is actually a great way to start mustangs because it’s the basis of all the work we do, especially with me being an eventer,” she noted. “One of the key components for dressage is relaxation, so I work on making sure Nodin is very soft in the contact, traveling straight and correctly and on my aids.”
Wallace also focuses on maximizing points where they can easily be lost. “I make sure that we halt very squarely and maintain the relaxation that’s so important, especially for training level,” she said. “If my horse is willing to stay in tune with me, you can really maximize those scores.”
About the Mustang Classic
Created to showcase mustangs’ talent and versatility in equestrian sport, the Mustang Classic, held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, offers competition in English disciplines including dressage, show jumping and working equitation. The twist, however, is that all mustangs must have been purchased or adopted through a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) holding facility or satellite event and are required to be in training between 100 days and one year.
For More:
Our free, livestream coverage of the 2025 Mustang Classic on EQUESTRIAN+ continues through Saturday, September 6. The final preliminary phase of competition takes place Friday at the Kentucky Horse Park. Each combination will compete in working equitation in the morning. In the evening, the top 10 combinations for Saturday’s championship final will be announced during an awards presentation. The final consists of a freestyle highlighting each horse’s best qualities.
Friday, September 5
- 10 a.m. (EST): Working equitation
- 6 p.m. (EST): Awards presentation and Top 10 announcement
Saturday, September 6
- 2 p.m. (EST): Pre-show demonstrations
- 4 p.m. (EST): Mustang Classic Championship Finals
The entire event will be live streamed for free on EQUESTRIAN+ (equestrianplus.com). You can also watch after the event with a subscription.
To learn more about the 2025 Mustang Classic, click here.
