In the sea of warmblood and Thoroughbred-crosses that saturate the eventing field, five-star eventer Elisa Wallace never predicted a 13.3-hand mustang would become one of the most influential equine partners in her personal and professional career. But in 2012, when her top eventing horses were sidelined from competition due to injuries, Wallace’s friend and mustang trainer Rebecca Bowman encouraged her to compete in the Extreme Mustang Makeover.

“Training a wild horse had always been on my bucket list and the event presented an ideal opportunity to test my skills as a trainer,” she said. “So, I decided to go for it.”

As it turned out, Wallace had natural talent for establishing a partnership with her first unbroken mustang, Fledge. With only 120 days of training, the pair took top honors at the makeover that year, and her close bond with the then 3-year-old chestnut gelding ignited her fervent passion and advocacy for American mustangs. “When you work with a wild horse who learns to let go of his fears and trust you, it’s a truly special experience,” she said.

From a trainer’s perspective, Wallace says mustangs have a unique ability to ground you because the relationship demands trust and a true partnership, which she notes directly correlates to the relationships she develops with her upper-level eventing horses. “We learn from all horses, but mustangs always seem to teach me something new,” she said. “They have huge hearts and are very versatile athletes, and I find it very important to showcase them for the incredible horses they are.”

Since 2012, Wallace went on to make her mark in mustang spheres after competing in numerous Mustang Makeovers and winning the 2018 Georgia Mustang TIP Challenge with Dorado. Last year, she and Zephyr claimed victory at the inaugural Mustang Classic, and her mustang mare Hwin was even honored as a Breyer model horse.

Despite managing a full-time training program for her constant string of up-and-coming eventing horses, Wallace carves time out of her busy schedule to give back to the animals who have gifted her with a lifetime of fulfillment and knowledge. Here, she talks about her journey with mustangs, her mount for this year’s Mustang Classic and why she’s so passionate about these horses.

The Little Mustang Who Opened Doors

When Wallace and Fledge won the Mustang Makeover in 2012, the horses were auctioned off following the event to help them find new homes, but the trainers also had an opportunity to get in on the bidding.

“I had developed such a close bond with Fledge in our short amount of time working together, I couldn’t bear the thought of losing him,” she said. “When I got up to tell people about him for the auction, I just lost it. Someone in the crowed even shouted for people not to bid.”

In the end, Wallace took her mustang home for $140. “It was amazing to win him back because we’d built this incredible relationship,” she said. “I can’t even express how important this horse has been to me and my journey with mustangs.”

Connections she developed through her journey with Fledge led to Wallace partnering with one of her top and longtime eventing mounts, Australian Thoroughbred Simply Priceless. Fledge even achieved star status after being featured in an episode of the hit streaming series “Ozark.” At 15, he’s still going strong and thriving on Wallace’s farm in Ocala, Florida, where he continues to help develop her young horses and teach new riders.

Paying It Forward

One of the most rewarding aspects of training mustangs, Wallace notes, is seeing the ones she’s trained happy and excelling with their new owners. Following her and Zephyr’s success at last year’s Mustang Classic, the gelding found a new home and eventing partner in 15-year-old Brooke Testa, who trains with Anthem Day at Anthem Day Eventing in Cartersville, Georgia.

Wallace had the opportunity to get to know Testa while conducting a clinic at Anthem’s farm and thought highly of the budding young eventer’s talent after watching her aboard a BLM mustang that she and Anthem had trained. As it turned out, when Anthem was searching for a new horse for Testa, Wallace happened to be bringing along Zephyr in preparation for the Mustang Classic.

“Brooke watched all the videos of Zephyr being gentled and trained, and unbeknownst to me, had fallen in love with him,” Anthem said. “I had a more seasoned horse in mind for her. But we continued to observe his progress and watched the livestream of the Mustang Classic that he won.”

When Wallace got word they were interested in the gelding, she thought it would be a good match, and in October following the Mustang Classic, Testa at last got to give him a test ride. “I was blown away by how talented and willing he was,” Anthem recalled. “It really was a great match.”

Since Zephyr and Testa partnered, they’ve enjoyed competing in eventing at the Beginner Novice level, and Anthem says she’s enjoyed seeing their partnership blossom over the last few months. “Brooke’s patience and dedication are what continue to strengthen their partnership, as this is the first young horse she’s developed,” she said. “It’s been a very rewarding journey for all of us, and Zephyr continues to impress us with his aptitude for the sport.” 

After being partners for almost a year, Testa appreciates the trust she and the gelding share. “He’s the most trustworthy horse I’ve ever known. As soon as I’m around him, I feel so calm and relaxed. This has helped our partnership grow, because I can put all my trust in him,” she said. “I also love that he’s so silly and makes me laugh every time I’m with him. He gives me his all in every ride. I’m so excited to see what the future holds for us. Zephyr is truly a unicorn, and I couldn’t ask for a better partner.”

Wallace says she was thrilled to bridge the gap to give Testa her dream horse. “There’s nothing better than seeing her having so much fun and being able to ride him bareback and in a neck rope and do all the things with horses that make our hearts content,” she said. “That’s what I love most about this.”

2025 Mustang Classic: Finding Nodin

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.

The process of selecting a mustang for the event is challenging, Wallace explains, because there’s not much to base your decision on other than observing horses in the holding pens. “I look for basic conformation qualities and tend to prefer horses who are built uphill with longer necks,” she said. “But overall, it’s based on my gut feeling about certain horses and being able to read their conformation to envision what they’re capable of.”

In her search for this year’s partner, a tall, dark and handsome gelding with a white star and right-hind sock checked all the right boxes. The genetics panel is still out, but Wallace has a strong hunch that Nodin is at least a half-brother to Zephyr. They’re from the same herd and Wallace has noticed many similarities between the two. But at almost 15.2 hands, Nodin stands tall compared to most of his mustang peers.

It can be a big adjustment for a wild horse to go from being feral to being in a BLM holding pen and then into a new barn, so Wallace says helping them get used to a consistent routine is especially important when trying to help them settle in. In this effort, she strives to make everything a positive experience for the newcomers.

“When you’re first working with a wild horse who speaks a foreign language, it’s extremely important to first focus on gaining their trust. You have to show them that you’re not going to do them harm and want to be their friend,” she said. “I want them to enjoy being around me, so they don’t always associate me with work. So, I hand walk and graze them and take them to their breakfast and dinner. This way, they start to find comfort and safety with me.”

She then works on getting them halter broke and comfortable being touched from head to tail, picking up all four feet and leading them. Wallace says this is a crucial step in order to address any underlying health issues.

“After living in the wild, mustangs’ feet are sometimes in pretty poor condition. So, we need to get their feet trimmed, as well as deworm and treat them for ulcers, as soon as possible,” she said. “If they’re dealing with parasites or ulcers, we need to address it because when they feel better, the training becomes a lot easier.”

Baby Steps: Working on Nodin’s Timeline

Wallace confesses that working with mustangs is always a humbling experience. “They make you very self-aware and teach you that can’t work off of your timeline,” she said. “It’s always about the horse’s timeline.” Once Nodin was settled and relaxed in his new environment, she introduced him to groundwork and taught him to how to yield to pressure and longe in both directions.

“Every mustang I’ve worked with has been fairly different in how fast they pick the training up. Nodin came around pretty quickly and seemed interested in building a relationship, but he was insecure about certain things, so I made sure to break it down into small steps,” Wallace explained. “I introduced him to different saddles and pads and allowed him to get comfortable with me sitting up on a panel where I could lie over his back. Eventually, I swung a leg over and he just sat there and grazed. After that everything progressed a little faster.”

To introduce unbroken mustangs to the basics of dressage, Wallace focuses on foundation work and teaching the horses to move correctly and softly, which in turn helps them develop muscle strength where they might be a little weak.

“Dressage is actually a great way to start mustangs because it’s the basis of all the work we do, especially with me being an eventer,” she noted. “One of the key components for dressage is relaxation, so I work on making sure Nodin is very soft in the contact, traveling straight and correctly and on my aids.”

Wallace notes that Nodin is a little more forward thinking than many of her previous mustangs and loves to jump. While teaching cross-country lessons, she brought him with her on a lead line and slowly started to introduce him to obstacles and the water. “He was pretty much a natural at jumping from the beginning,” she said. “Later when I rode him out in the field he was completely confident over the fences.”

All Eyes on the 2025 Mustang Classic

Before the Mustang Classic, all horse-and-rider combinations must compete in at least one show. Wallace and Nodin had a successful experience at their first dressage show earlier this summer and competed at the POP show in Ocala, Florida, in July where the gelding jumped around like a champ. Wallace says it’s crucial for the mustangs to gain this experience before facing the massive atmosphere at Kentucky Horse Park’s Rolex Stadium.

“Kentucky can be a lot for any horse, but giving my mustangs knowledge beforehand helps create relaxation in those tenser environments,” she said. Wallace, however, laughs that while Kentucky’s atmosphere often gets to her seasoned upper-level horses, her mustangs always tend to take it in stride without getting overwhelmed.

“My ultimate goal this year is for both me and Nodin to go in confident and stay focused on our foundation work that we have so much confidence in,” she said. “The big picture is to demonstrate that through methodical training based on trust, you produce a horse who’s relaxed and happy in his work. That way, whatever type of obstacle we’re faced with we can meet it successfully.”

The Magic of Mustangs

While Wallace appreciates that the Mustang Classic offers English events, she finds working with mustangs continues to expand her skills as a rider and trainer no matter the discipline or competition.

“I enjoyed learning about Western disciplines for the Mustang Makeovers because it pushed me as rider. Learning how to teach a horse to do a sliding stop or a spin directly correlates to your dressage work,” she said. “When you take the saddle off and ride bareback, a trained horse is a trained horse. It doesn’t matter if it’s Western, dressage or jumping.”

Above all, she highlights the versatility of mustang equine athletes and says once you establish a genuine connection with a wild horse, that trust enables you to go any direction. “Mustangs are becoming more and more popular. They come in every shape, size and color, and we’re seeing them competing and excelling in dressage, eventing and jumping,” Wallace said. “The Mustang Classic allows us to be ambassadors for these horses to show people what they’re capable of.”

Wallace also notes the inclusivity of the mustang community. “No matter your skill level, everyone is willing to help and provide advice,” she said. “We always want to help those who adopt mustangs, and there are a lot of people willing to train these horses to get them out of the pens and into good homes.”

For More:

• For more information on the 2025 Mustang Classic, click here.
• To purchase tickets to the Championship Finals on September 6, click here.
• You can livestream the entire event for free on EQUESTRIAN+ or catch the action after the competition with a subscription.
• For more information on lodging and dining in the Lexington area, click here.
• You can read more about Elisa Wallace here or at Elisa Wallace Eventing.

Mustang Classic 2025: Tentative Schedule