Chelsea Canedy and her mustang mare Luna have shared quite the journey since they first partnered about a year ago with aspirations to compete in the inaugural Mustang Classic this September. The pair hit a milestone last April when they competed in their first schooling show. At that point in their training, Canedy wasn’t sure how Luna would handle the crowds and scores of unfamiliar horses—let alone the sea of brightly colored fences in a new arena on a crisp morning.
“She absolutely blew my expectations out of the water, winning her flat class and jumping every single fence without hesitation,” Canedy said. “She was shy about the people but kept her head beautifully, and I knew we were well on our way to being prepared for the Classic.”
In an effort to showcase the unique human-mustang bond and highlight the breed’s potential and versatility in equestrian sports, the first-of-its-kind event will feature mustangs competing in a variety of English disciplines including Training level dressage, show jumping, arena cross country and working equitation.
The competition does, however, present a twist. 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.
Finding Luna
With help from fellow mustang advocate Meg Magsig, Canedy found her ideal partner for the event at the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area in California—a 6-year-old gray mare she named Luna, which means moon in Spanish. After meeting her new mustang partner, the dressage and eventing trainer utilized her knowledge of equine behavior and natural horsemanship to start establishing the first layers of trust with the barely touched mare. Canedy was quick to recognize Luna’s natural intelligence and even called her a problem-solving extraordinaire.
“She is so smart. But I learned that I needed to break everything down into manageable bits in or order to build up her confidence and trust,” Canedy explained. “She has taught me so much about my own body language and intention. And, through all this, she continues to teach me how to be a better problem solver, too.”
At the inaugural Mustang Classic, September 13-15, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, Canedy and Luna will compete Training level dressage (test 2) that all exhibitors are required to participate in, as well as a 2-foot-3 show jumping course and a 2-foot-3 arena cross-country course. If the pair makes the cut, they will go on to compete in final freestyle competition.
“As for our freestyle, we plan to do a little riding—maybe without a bridle—and some liberty work on the ground,” she noted. “There will be lots of fun props and the entire routine is moon themed to pay homage to Luna’s name.”
Learning Her Job with Gusto
After getting Luna to her home base in Wales, Maine, about a month after finding the mare, Canedy started introducing her to basic groundwork. She noted that Luna is the type of horse who needs a lot of time between questions to think and process what she’s learning, so patience has been a priority for the horsewoman since their first day of training.
“She’s such an eager learner and wants to get things right. She tries really hard to figure out what I’m asking and sometimes she gets frustrated when she doesn’t understand right away,” Canedy said. “She is very sensitive to any perceived pressure, especially touch, but every reaction she gives me is so unbelievably genuine.”
After mastering some basics on the ground, they progressed to walk, trot and canter work on the longe line and at liberty, and Luna continued learn her job with gusto. Last January, Canedy and Luna headed to their winter training facility in Florida to continue their gradual, but steady progress. However, when an unplanned dismount during one of their initial rides left Canedy with a broken nose, she employed help from her friend, trainer and mentor Tik Maynard who happened to live down the road from her Florida farm.
Homework with Tik Maynard
“Tik really helped me make progress with Luna on our fieldtrips to his place. He would give me homework that I’d go home and practice with her,” she explained. “Tik would then add the next layer and give us more homework. We continued like this for about two months until he took Luna out of the roundpen for a ride in his outdoor arena. At that point, I took the riding back over completely. I felt like both Luna and I had regained our confidence.”
Part of this homework included teaching Luna to stop with her inside shoulder up. Since the pair did so much liberty work together, Canedy said the mare was accustomed to always moving toward her.
“I had to teach her to move out to the rail and stop with her inside shoulder up,” she noted. “We also had to work on purposely bringing her energy up and then back down. This was important to teach her how to manage spikes in her adrenalin without becoming anxious.”
By the end of their third month in Florida, Canedy and her plucky mustang mare were walking, trotting and cantering in open spaces, as well jumping small show and cross-country jumps. Once Luna became more comfortable and confident under saddle, Canedy recognized the true depth of her potential.
“She became something I was very familiar with—a green horse. From there, it was slow and steady gains,” she said. “It became a normal process for me in helping her understand the basic aids and gaining both strength and balance.”
Painting a Blank Canvas
Over the course of their time together, Canedy has learned a lot about her mare. One of the primary factors that peaked the horseman’s interest in this event was the “blank-slate” aspect of working with a barely handled mustang.
“I spend a lot of time in my business helping people solve problems that have been trained into horses. Sometimes these habits are so ingrained they’re hard to get to the bottom of,” she explained. “With Luna, everything she’s learning about interacting with humans is coming from me. So, if a problem arises, I can more easily trace it back and hopefully find a solution.”
Canedy was also pleasantly surprised to learn how much common sense Luna had even from their first interactions. She noted that the mare seems more relaxed about new sights and sounds than any domestic horse she’s worked with.
“She’s also very snuggly now. She loves a good long hug. Once she discovered that humans are very handy at helping with itchy spots, she became even better about being handled. She absolutely adores a good dock scratch makes these hilarious faces when you hit the right spot,” Canedy said of Luna’s personality as it’s come to light over the course of their partnership. “Most of all, her intelligence never ceases to amaze me. She learns so quickly. And now that she trusts me, it means we can play with all sorts of fun things.”
Clear, Consistent Communication is Key
As prey animals who at first perceive humans as predators, Canedy cautions that adopting a barely touched mustang isn’t suitable for all riders. To be successful with a feral horse, she notes, you must have a solid understanding of the way horses interact with one another in the wild.
“You need this basic foundation to give your mustang clear signals. They are, after all, very large wild animals with a completely intact survival instinct,” she said. “This means they will do whatever they have to in order to survive if they feel threatened.”
When evaluating whether a mustang is appropriate for amateur riders, Canedy stresses that like with any other horse—wild or domestic—it all depends on the individual horse’s nature.
“Some horses are just naturally more relaxed and less sensitive. It’s also about the quality of training that goes into these mustangs,” she said. “Were they rushed in their understanding of what we want from them? Or are they relaxed and comfortable with new ideas because someone gave them the opportunity to think through each new question and experience?”
Canedy said Luna’s biggest challenge is her natural downhill build, which can make it challenging for horses to push off their hindquarters and lift through their backs.
“To help with that, I had my vet do some chiropractic work on her and that significantly helped. Luna now reminds me of many domestic ponies I’ve known. She’s full of opinions and sometimes looking for the easiest way to the other side of physical challenges,” she laughed. “But she also knows her job and takes care of her rider.”
Versatile Athletes
While there are numerous well-established competitions and programs for mustangs in Western disciplines due to their hearty nature and compact conformation, their ability to excel in English disciplines hasn’t been recognized at such a premier national level before. Since many of today’s mustangs are descended from Spanish horses, Canedy said it’s in their DNA to excel in dressage. It’s more obvious in some, but she’s seen a number of mustangs with conformation resembling a Lusitano or Pura Raza Española (PRE).
“Mustangs tend to be short-coupled and muscular over their haunches, loins and backs, which helps in dressage,” she noted. “Some could more easily go up the Training Scale, depending on their conformation and innate tendency to be forward thinking. But they all have the capacity to do basic correct lower-level work.”
Canedy said mustangs are also well suited for jumping since they’re often compact and maneuverable, which is handy on a jump course.
“Mustangs are very aware of their bodies in relation to other things around them. So they’re careful jumpers with lovely form over fences—tucked knees and a nice use of their backs,” she said. “They’re also so intelligent that once they understand the task of jumping, they can be very game. Luna takes me to the fences!”
The Ultimate Challenge: 2024 Mustang Classic
After returning from Florida with a solid foundation, Canedy shifted her focus toward consistent flat and jumping work at home. She was also keen on introducing Luna to a variety of off-property venues to continue bolstering the mare’s confidence. After their first successful local show back in April, they continued to work with Tik and his wife, five-star eventer Sinead Halpin, at the annual New England Spring Symposium Canedy hosts at her farm every May.
They went on an overnight adventure to Green Mountain Horse Association in Vermont as their first official outing and peppered in a few cross-country schooling excursions. The pair has two more local shows coming up to put the finishing touches on their rides before the Mustang Classic: one combined test and one three-phase.
“As any eventer understands, it’s a lot to balance the training requirements of all three phases of competition. On top of that I tried to do at least one day a week of liberty work to prepare for our freestyle if we make it to the top 10,” Canedy said. “It’s a lot to balance. But I feel like I’ve done my best to prepare Luna in the time we’ve had together. Luckily, she’s very chill in new venues. We will see if she feels the same about the Rolex arena in Kentucky!”
Mustang Classic at a Glance
- What: 2024 Mustang Classic
- When: September 13-15, 2024
- Where: Kentucky Horse Park, Rolex Stadium, 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, Kentucky
Schedule
- September 13, 2024: Training level dressage (9 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST)
- September 14, 2024: Working equitation and arena cross country (8 a.m. EST); show jumping (1 p.m. EST); awards ceremony and Top 10 announcement (6 p.m. EST)
- September 15, 2024: Mustang Classic Championship Final (1 p.m. EST)
How to Watch
- In person: Events on September 13 and 14 will be free to the public. Tickets will be sold for the Mustang Classic Championship Final on September 15 for $30 per ticket. Click here to purchase.
- EQUESTRIAN+ will live stream the entire event for free. You can also view footage after the event with a subscription.
