Submitted by Patti G. - Padre’ USDF North Central Series Division Champion 4 Year old and older Stallions in hand.
Mustangs are our YourDressage Breed of the Month for June! Known for their wild and majestic spirit, these free-roaming horses are rounded up periodically to be sold to new homes where they will be tamed. These unique equines are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West.
We recently asked our social media followers to share photos of their Mustangs, and let us know what makes these horses so special. Below, you can see their photos and stories. Keep an eye out for the second part of this gallery at the end of June 2021!
Do you want to share a photo of your Mustang? E-mail us at yourdressage@gmail.com for your chance to be featured!
Stay tuned to YourDressage all month long as we celebrate this breed, with photo galleries and exclusive stories from Mustang enthusiasts across the country!
Submitted by Alice M. – Zeke is 1/2 Friesian, 1/4 Arab, and 1/4 Spanish Mustang
Submitted by Alyson W. – Cabela, 11 year old Jackie’s Butte Mustang showing First Level. My forever horse
Submitted by Alyssa D. – Devil’s Garden Pocketful of Sunshine, my 3.5yo mustang from Devil’s Garden, CA. She was orphaned in holding and adopted by a sanctuary who started her ground work before I adopted her and started her under saddle. We plan to hit the show ring next year when she is a bit more mature! *Note: USDF strongly recommends all riders wear protective headgear when mounted.
Submitted by Alyssa H. – Takoda, Red Rock Lakes.
Submitted by Amanda S. – There’s no other breed that compares to a mustang. The connection and partnership you create with these horses is like no other. This is my mustang Pioneer, a 2010 Adobe Town gelding I adopted to compete in the 2013 Mustang Million. We won $6,000 placing in Dressage, Hunter-Hack and Freestyle classes. Since then he has been shown at the WDAA World Shows, placing top 10 in Level 1. *Note: USDF strongly recommends all riders wear protective headgear when mounted.
Submitted by Amber M. – This is Nacoma – my 5 year old Adobe Town BLM mustang Mare
Submitted by Andrea K. – This is me and my sister’s horse Midknight Magic at dressage championships at Lamplight. He is a Mustang not born in the wild. His parents were captured with his mom being pregnant with him. My sister Farrah Sonnenberg has owned him since he was 7 or 8 and he is now 24-25.I started showing him when he was in his very late teens in dressage,and in a few years we made it to 2nd level. He is the best horse ever and I am the rider I am today because of him! I don’t think I’ll ever know a more intelligent and stubborn boy! I will always have a big spot in my heart for him, always. He is so beautiful and so talented and I wish we could have gone further.
Submitted by Ann H. – This mustang came into my life after several major losses. I had lost my dad, a special OTTB, and my heart horse all in 3 years. After losing my heart horse, I was lost, we had been together just shy of 20 years. Woodrow went up on the BLM website and I knew he was the one. I fought hard and by the grace of God I won his bid. I knew I needed him but I didn’t realize how badly. He was a popular band stallion in WY and followed by several photographers. Because of them and their photos I have been able to reconnect him with two of his daughters and his son! Our journey had a slow start, it took me 8 days to touch just his nose! He is now competing Novice level, schooling training. He was my first mustang but certainly not my last. He has lit a fire in my heart and soul for these horses and they have quickly become a huge passion of mine. Soon, I will pick up my 9th wild one to gentle. I am also hosting the first ever TIP challenge in Maryland. These horses are special and they need more of us to get them out in the public eye to show the world all they can do! Pictured- Woodrow from SBF Mustang Eventing
Submitted by Ariana S. – My mustang mare Wild Heart. I competed with her in the 2017 Extreme Mustang Makeover. She was 5 years old and completely untouched when I got her as a random draw for the competition. We went through the most incredible journey together, and she has turned out to be the absolute best horse I’ve ever known. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have her in my life and as part of my journey. Our focus together now is developing her Dressage and Liberty work, and together offering educational demonstrations and performances at clinics, expos, and other events.
Submitted by Audrey D. – I love my Mustangs! I do eventing with mine. This is Salli, she’s from Four Mile, Idaho. She’s done very well in the dressage. And she just had a model horse made of her too!
Submitted by Bobbi S. – Ginny with BLM mustang Dodge, she really enjoys getting to ride him
Submitted by Caitlyn B. – Hocus Pocus. We have been together 9 years. Showed to First Level before he started his current job as a lesson horse.
Submitted by Cara F.
Submitted by Charmain C. – My little red boy Jalapeno Pauper
Submitted by Chelsea G. – Folly of Folly & Friends Mustang Sanctuary can do it all! She’s inspired a following of 100k followers, and has competed in dressage, eventing, and jumpers, but her favorite sport is foxhunting. She’s 14.1, 11 years old and from the Calico Mountains HMA
Submitted by Courtney B. – Dakota, Oregon mustang. Sweet, smart, talented!
Submitted by Debbie D. – This is our horse, “Mustang Sally”. She was adopted from the Mustang Makeover in St. Louis in 2015. She had been pulled from the wild and trained in only 120 days. She is a beloved companion to my 78-year-old mother. She is such an intelligent horse. *Note: USDF strongly recommends all riders wear protective headgear when mounted.
Submitted by Diana W. – Roxy, AKA RoxxStar is a coming 18 yo mustang, born to her Nevada rounded mom in the slaughter pen. She is showing 2nd level, has won year end championships in dressage, combined training and eventing. She foxhunts, and goes sidesaddle. Not to mention her being featured in national award winning videos as a dragon! She is my girl, and has done it all.
Submitted by Dianne M. – Codetalker 12 yr old mustang
Submitted by Emily M. – My sweet Mikey who I first met as a beginner at a lesson barn, then later took on as my own lesson horse at the age of 21. He taught many riders to hold on and take control. At around 26, he decided he actually liked me and enjoyed my attention paid to care for his aging body. He passed at nearly 30 years old.
Submitted by Erika C. – 1993 White Sands Missile Range. We adopted in 1995, he is still going strong. Took our daughter to Region 9 champs a few times, Pony Club National qualifier.
Submitted by Faith B. – My Devils Garden mustang Dream, 2020 gather
Submitted by Fatima A. – Aria, my BLM mustang from Stinkingwater HMA in Oregon. She has taught me so much
Submitted by Flynn M. – Arabella Dreams 14yrs old from the Callaghan/Bald Mountain HMA in Nevada my first horse and first mustang the one that started it all for me. Every mustang I’ve met is smart and athletic.
Submitted by Hilary V. – Romeo, the other love of my life: 2001 model out of a BLM mare, dad was Friesian…..
Submitted by Ines R. – Reno, Nevada Mustang currently showing FEI I1 and schooling all of the GP.
Submitted by Irina R. – Petite Soleil, aka Sunny, my 6yo Spanish Mustang rescue pony. Adopted from Colorado Horse Rescue July 2019. We now compete in dressage, eventing, and jumpers. Mustangs can do it all!
Submitted by Jena B. – Chili The Kid, BLM Mustang captured in the Nevada desert, now owned and loved by Marsha D Carey and enjoying dressage, tricks, and trail riding in Norco, CA.
Submitted by Jessica K. – I’m lucky to own 4 of these amazing horses!!
Submitted by Jessy O. – Riding my BLM Carter Reservoir mustang “Thor the Mustang”. Shown through Third level. I trained him myself. Got him when he was 8 and now he is 19. We’ve done endurance, western dressage and English dressage. I’ve earned all but one of my Bronze medal scores on him.
Submitted by Jordan B. – I adore my mustang! My mare is turning 5 and we have been working so hard together to grow our relationship and I have to say she absolutely saved my love for the sport! Without her I wouldn’t be riding anymore. She is from Rock Creek and we have been paired up since October. We have two shows under our belt and show intro level currently, just to build her confidence in the atmosphere, but she is capable of much more right now! I can’t wait to see how far she goes, with a personal goal of achieving my Bronze medal with her
Submitted by Julie F.
Submitted by June B. – Super ‘Stang! Roo is a sweet horse with tons of personality. Rounded up in Nevada as a foal, Roo has been to University with the class photo to prove it. We take our own path but we are schooling fourth/PSG. Love-love-love this horse.
Submitted by Kaitlyn L. – Irish Melody, a 2009 Adobe Town mare. She has been my first everything, showing in multiple show rings, riding under various US and international clinicians, dressage, jumping, gallops around XC, miles and miles of trail rides. This photo is from year end finals show in 2017. We placed I think 5th at the show and 6th overall for the year. If I have wanted to try it, she has stood to get tacked up and give it a try. She has helped me jump bigger, gallop faster, dressage fancier. She is my best calmest, wildest partner.
Submitted by Kari C. – Hoping to start mine in Dressage in a few years.
Submitted by Kathryn B. – I have Groot!! He belonged to a friend/colleague and did the Extreme Mustang Makeover with her and her friend. She was called to assist on a starvation case and raffled off Groot to raise funds for these horses in need she was called on to help. Being supportive and having followed Groot’s career since she got him, I bought a ticket. I was in recovery the week after my mastectomy & was in the beginnings of dealing with breast cancer when I won him… Oops! I’d always said I’d get one of Ashley’s Mustangs, but I didn’t plan on right then. Groot has been a wonderful friend and the first horse I was able to ride after various surgeries. Mostly I just sat on him happy to be outside on a horse while he ate, but now that treatment is behind me he’s started dressage training. He’s so smart!!! – and has the best walk in the barn! I guess God knew I needed him and I absolutely adore him.
Submitted by Kathryn P. – Mingo is my 6yr old BLM mustang from Nevada. Starting to school some more technical movements and as we come up on 2 years out of the wild I am hoping to bring him to his first dressage show soon. He is an amazing horse and has taken to dressage wonderfully.
Submitted by Kelsey N.
Submitted by Kendall G. – I have three mustangs! Here’s the best picture I have of one of them doing their first dressage test. Arizona: 19yo and 15.1hh
Submitted by Laurie W. – My two year old Desatoya girl, Lovey. She’s my heart.
Submitted by Lindsey D. – This is Malikai, my Sheldon mustang. The Sheldons have a sad and horrific past and Kai is one of the few living remnants of a herd that no longer exists in the wild. The USFWS removed and destroyed most of the herd by 2014. They were specifically created by the US government for WWI and shipped to Europe to pull artillery. Then they were tragically destroyed by the very hand that made them. My true war horse.
Submitted by Margaret K. – My 7yo mustang mare, BB Valiente, Mustang Sport Horse (Vali). I adopted Vali at age 48. She was not only my first mustang, but also my first horse as an adult. I adopted her untouched sight-unseen as. 3yo, and we’re currently showing First Level and schooling 2nd/3rd. I had done mostly dressage and eventing as a kid but quit when I was 17. I think the reason I quit was that my big 17.2hh Warmblood was too much horse for little 5’4” me, and I felt like I had lost a part of my self when I sold my previous Arabian cross in the name of advancement.I got the urge to start taking dressage lessons again 30 years later. While I was ready to finally purchase and looking for an affordable option, I happened to learn about the BLM Advisory Board’s recommendation to euthanize the 46,000 mustangs in holding. Of course, that didn’t happen, but it got my attention. I started researching the mustangs in English disciplines and the various Herd Management Areas. I fell in love with the Oregon mustangs, particularly those from Beatys Butte that were listed on the BLM Internet Adoption. I met a friend of a friend who was a mustang TIP trainer with the proper facilities and put in my application.Although I chickened out on the first auction (and cried like I had lost my little Arab all over again), I came back the next time around with more first-hand knowledge of mustangs and finally made the decision to adopt. Although there were no videos of Vali, she appeared to be a beautiful mover from her still pictures. She was not the typical mustang adopter’s dream horse because she was small and scrawny and her faded coat made her look plain. None of that mattered to me, so I was proud to have won her as the only bidder. When I met her several months later, I knew she was the right horse for me. She really was a beautiful mover and a great size for me. But more importantly, she had that spark of personality that seemed to give me that piece of my soul back I lost when I was a kid.
Submitted by Marianne B. – Often under valued for being “unbred” the North American Mustang has evolved from a little of everything that man has allowed to roam off. Each herd has its own hoof print of characteristics. Those of us who are advocates have our favorites and fiercely protect them from the round ups. Those who are caught are left to fate. Some like Dulcinea here, (USDF #1144917) land in horse heaven where she has the best of both worlds in exchange for 1 hour of her time and energy per day. Others are not so lucky. Dulcinea is my unstoppable dream. Named after Don Quixote’s Imaginary Queen Dulcinea! And while his dream was impossible while fighting windmills. Mine is unstoppable while dancing around windmills and all the possibilities for this exceptional mare!
Submitted by Miki P. – My Mustang Mare Iskra. I fell in love with the Mustangs when I bought Iskra. I’m a photographer and travel the western states and photograph these majestic animals in the wild bringing attention that wild horses are on the decline. They are loosing their land to corporate greed and ranchers that set up shop on our dime on our public lands. Their cattle destroy them and with them our public lands where the wild horse is to blame which is far from the truth.
Submitted by Miranda T. – My lovely lady Mae
Submitted by Monica T. – My 4 year old BLM mustang mare BB Collateral Beauty from Beaty butte being show in adult armature huntseat here but she has had a strong dressage training background and will be hitting the dressage ring next spring! She’s so smart and has such amazing gaits.
Submitted by Patti G. – Little Red Hot at National Dressage Pony cup with her AA Rider. BLM Mustang
Submitted by Tracey W. – 2001 Antelope Valley BLM mustang mare, Once in a Blue Moon, and my daughter Kaylee. Currently showing Training level Dressage.
USDF President George Williams accepts the second place Prix St. Georges award for the 1991 All-Breeds Awards on behalf of The Temple Lipizzans' Conversano II Belvedera (Conversano II Andora x Belvedera).
[…] these horses so special. Below, you can see their photos and stories. Make sure you check out Part 1 of this gallery if you missed […]