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 pairs competed in the dressage and show-jumping phases to kick off the event on Thursday. Two early leaders rose to the top, but there are two more days of competition before the champions will be crowned in the Rolex Stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Nothing Is Stopping Laura Wilson and One Ear Wonder
A flashy palomino took 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 (HMA) 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 Laura 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.”
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.”
Just Blazin Lives Up to His Name for Sam Rock
The show-jumping phase took center stage in the afternoon with the competitors jumping a first round over Brody Robertson’s course. Twenty combinations returned for a jump-off over a shortened course to determine the winners of the phase. Sam Rock, the 2024 Mustang Classic reserve champion, and Just Blazin were victorious with a time of 49.98 seconds.
Rock’s partnership with “JB” began last November when she was helping a friend gentle and train the 5-year-old gelding from the Stewart Creek HMA in Wyoming. When JB proved to be too much horse for her friend, Rock took over the reins.
“For his size, he’s a lot of horse,” she said of the 14.2-hand gelding. “He’s a little sensitive, but in a good way. He’s very athletic and powerful, and he feels like a big horse when you’re on him.”
As JB’s training progressed, Rock began eyeing competitions. She competed with him in the Mustang Challenge—a Western-focused competition for mustangs—in July, where they finished fourth. Rock also decided to aim JB for this year’s Mustang Classic because she knew he was a good jumper after seeing his form in hand over jumps early during his training.
The pair prepped for the Mustang Classic by going to local jumper shows, where he often won classes. The feeling that JB gives over fences ties in to his overall appeal to Rock. “He just flies over the jumps and is so fun to ride,” she said. “He’s a little pocket rocket.”
The Mustang Classic Continues Friday
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.
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.
