Mountaineering Mustangs! Throughout the month of January, we are featuring mustangs and mustang crosses.
Did you know that dressage riders who choose a mustang as their mounts are eligible for special awards through the Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards program, as the American Mustang & Burro Association, Inc. is a participating organization?
This region 9 competitor needed another horse like she needed another vet bill, but that little mustang turned out to be a unicorn in disguise, who has set her on a dressage path she never expected!
By Robyn Callahan
I needed another horse like I needed another vet bill. But when I saw him, I knew. He. Was. It.
He was the horse that was going to change my life. Little did I know how true that thought would become.
From the time I landed on this world, I was horse-obsessed. Luckily for me, so was my dad, and we began taking lessons together when I was nine years old. A few short years later, we purchased our first horses, truly cementing my “horse girl” personality. As a native Texan, I grew up riding Western disciplines and starting two-year-olds. From the speed of playdays and barrel racing, to the snail’s pace of Western pleasure, I wanted to experience it all!
Fast forward to 2019, and I definitely wasn’t in the market for another horse, but my roommate at the time knew how much I loved working with mustangs. “There’s a mustang for sale at my barn, come check him out,” she said. It didn’t take much to twist my arm to go see him. When I pulled up to the pasture and saw this cautiously reserved, dapple-grey, 14.1-hand pony, my heart melted. I knew the moment I laid eyes on him that he was special, and I was in big trouble.
After being rounded up in Rock Creek, Nevada, a teenager bid on him as a five-year-old gelding to train and compete in the 2017 Extreme Mustang Makeover. Winning the bid, she aptly named him Romeo for his stunning locks and looks. She, with the help of a trainer, gentled him and gave him a solid foundation in those first 100 days. The stars aligned two years later when she decided to sell him before heading off to college.
I once had an animal communicator tell me that Romeo said his life started when I pulled him out of that dry lot… I’m pretty sure mine did, too. The first ride, I knew this partnership was meant to be. If I thought it, he did it. My checklist was pretty simple: could he walk, trot, canter, and stop? Check, check, check, and check. But I wasn’t quite ready to pull the trigger; the last thing I wanted to do was make an emotional purchase.
For the next month, I rode him weekly, and then came the true test. I put my father, whose skills were a bit rusty, on him for a test ride. The ride went off without a hitch, and that sealed the deal. Romeo was officially mine!
Six months after I purchased him, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. As the world shut down, I found solace in the quiet moments of our self-care barn and his stoic presence. During this time, Romeo and I built our relationship from the ground up. Because of him, I met some of my best friends and chosen family as we all survived the pandemic together, trail riding and sharing our love of horses.
He was still very wary of humans, so my barnmates and I bribed him, one peppermint at a time. His nickers, or as I refer to them, “wuffles,” upon hearing the cellophane crinkle, are one of my favorite sounds. My formerly wild mustang is now very accustomed to a certain lifestyle of fans in the sweltering Texas heat and a steady diet of all his favorite sweets and treats.
Throughout the downtime of COVID, I started dreaming about dressage, but where did I start? I only knew Western trainers. Sadly, our self-care barn was then sold. I moved to a full-care facility, where a gentleman offered beginner dressage lessons. Again, the universe laid the path for me to live my dreams. Together, my best girlfriend and I started lessons, and began our dressage journey. We signed up for our first schooling show, and I was hooked! Quickly, we joined our local dressage club, became heavily involved, and moved to a full-time trainer.
My trainer had never worked with a mustang before, and she jumped at the chance! Romeo’s mustang versatility and trainability have been on full display as we moved up the levels from Intro to Second Level in just two short years. I thought I wanted a trail horse that would plod along at a walk – instead, I learned the joy of transitions, adjustability, silent aids, and effectively using your seat. Recently, I told my trainer that I am riding better and more confidently than I did at the height of my riding career in my teenage years, and it is exhilarating!
In 2025, we received our First Level scores for my USDF Bronze Medal. Our 2026 goal is to earn our Second Level scores, and start on the Third Level scores. I now have dreams of reaching Fourth Level, and I firmly believe that Romeo has the potential to make that dream a reality!
Romeo changed my life for the better in a million ways. Because of him, I found my people, I found purpose, I began setting goals, and I have rediscovered the joy of riding! Romeo taught me that progress is not perfection. Instead, it is every little “Aha!” moment that gives me a childlike wonder as we progress and learn together.
If I were asked if others should consider a mustang as their next partner, I would say, YES! I love having a non-traditional partner because mustangs show up with heart and honesty. They don’t give you anything you haven’t earned, but when you earn it, they will give you everything.
I thought I had found a trusty trail horse; instead, I found my heart horse and real-life unicorn. Romeo will only know a home with me for the rest of his life, and I will forever be grateful that on the day we met, he chose me too.
