Sam Rock has had top performances so far throughout the 2025 Mustang Classic. On Thursday, she won the show jumping phase with Just Blazin. Today, Rock partnered with Smart Cookie, her second mustang entered in the competition, to win the working equitation phase—the first time such a competition has been held in the Rolex Stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park. Rock seems to have found a formula for success by way of her competitive nature and the mustang’s versatility.
Developing a Partnership
Rock found Smart Cookie in November 2024 after traveling to an adoption event in her home state of Colorado. The state’s Department of Corrections in Cañon City has a holding facility that can house nearly 3,000 mustangs and occasionally holds adoption events. As she went through the pens searching for her next project mustang, the mare’s flashy roan coloring made her stand out amongst the available horses.
Rock began gentling “Smarty” once she got the mare home and had her under saddle a short time later. They quickly formed a bond as they got to know one another. “I got along with her really well, so she became my favorite,” she said.
According to Rock, the 6-year-old mare has a lot to like with great, comfortable gaits and a sweet personality. She also lives up to her name as an intelligent, sharp horse. “Sometimes she is too smart for her own good,” she said.
The Duo Work on Becoming Competitive
Smarty was able to show off her intelligence at competitions as she became ready for new challenges. Rock rode her at the 2025 Mustang Challenge—a Western-focused competition for mustangs—in July, where the mare finished ninth overall. The Mustang Classic wasn’t originally on Rock’s radar for Smarty, but as her jumping skills progressed, she thought the competition would be a good fit for the mare.
“I thought she wasn’t going to be a jumping horse, but then she totally proved me wrong,” Rock said. “It was funny because yesterday [in the show jumping phase] she actually had the best time in the jump-off but unfortunately we had a rail.”
To prepare for the working equitation phase, Rock connected with the High Country Working Equitation in Colorado. She attended schooling shows put on by the club, which turned out to be excellent educational opportunities and led to new friends. “They were amazing, and I learned so much because I had never done working equitation before,” Rock said. “I really worked on it, so I think that’s where I excelled because I focused on it a lot.”
Rock has been working with mustangs for a decade and has had numerous top results at several mustang-focused competitions in both English and Western disciplines. She partially chalks it up to her competitive nature, but also to these special horses. “Mustangs are awesome,” Rock said. “They’re just so versatile and can do anything. I really enjoy being able to jump or rein or rope. They have a good brain for all of it.”
View the working equitation results here.
The Mustang Classic Concludes Saturday
The combined scores from Thursday’s dressage and show jumping phases and Friday’s working equitation phase determined the top 10 combinations for Saturday’s championship final, consisting of a freestyle highlighting each horse’s best qualities. Rock made the final with both of her horses, Smart Cookie and Just Blazin. Last year’s champion Elisa Wallace will ride Nodin in this year’s final after pair earned the top overall score after the first two days of competition. Thursday’s dressage winners Laura Wilson and One Ear Wonder also made the cut for the final. The remaining top 10 is rounded out with a talented group consisting of Ellen McCutchon and Vero, Carly Renault and Highbrow Sally, Cayla Stone and Phaedra, Camille White and Deuce Is Wild, Cat Zimmerman and Hot Pocket, and Stacie Zimmerman and Peso.
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.
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.