United States Eventing Association

Getting a mustang through the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) holding system is always a bit of a gamble, especially when that mustang only has one ear.

“I was looking for a horse for the Mustang Classic,” said owner Laura Wilson of Forest Hill, Maryland. Wilson was no stranger to working with mustangs. She and her mother had been sourcing mustangs together for several years. She had a unique set of requirements as she perused the online listings for an upcoming mustang option, but having two ears apparently was not on that list.

“I wanted something that’s pretty, because I’m going to be looking at them forever,” she laughed. “I saw a few that I liked, but then I saw him and said, ‘Oh my gosh, I need this horse.’ I didn’t even care that he only had one ear. I would have bought him with or without the ear. I just love the way he is—his sportiness and just the general way that he looks. They had a little video of him trotting and then stopping and quickly turning around and trotting the other way and I liked the way he moved.”

Wilson placed her bid, only for the auction to go much higher than she wanted to invest in an unhandled horse, so she passed. But then two days before the auction concluded, the original high bidder backed out, dropping the handsome palomino gelding back into Wilson’s price range and made the trip to Georgia in January to pick up her new partner, the 7-year-old One Ear Wonder.

“One Ear” was the second BLM mustang that Wilson has put all the work into entirely herself. With her earlier adoptions, Wilson would gentle them and then outsource their training, always observing and perfecting her own techniques as a horsewoman.

“From his very first touch, I’ve done it all,” she said proudly. “It’s very rewarding, and also a little hard at the same time, because when you see them every single day, you start to think to yourself, ‘They’re not getting any better,’ but the changes are so little, and they add up over time.”

Exactly how the gelding lost his left ear remains a mystery, but despite the unusual appearance, the missing ear has caused relatively few problems. Wilson is mindful about what style of bridle she uses on him, occasionally One Ear manages to free himself from his halter in the trailer, but otherwise his tack stays where it belongs.

If One Ear's past is mysterious, his attitude about his future has been refreshingly straightforward: whatever his owner asks, he generally seems willing to give it a try.

“In the pens when I picked him up, he was pretty agreeable, just a little snorty, but overall he liked being touched. I was grooming him by the second or third day.”

A few weeks had passed, and Wilson introduced him to a saddle, and a few days later was long lining him with a bit. A few more days passed, and she was sitting on him bareback.

She decided to load One Ear up and take him to Florida with her for the winter one month after she picked him up from the holding pens. There, with the warmer weather on her side, she introduced One Ear to life under saddle.

“In two weeks, I had put 12 to 14 rides on him,” she recalled. “I rode him twice a day every day because we were only down there a short period of time. He had never been out in a field with regular fencing, he had always been in 6’ fencing, but he did great while down there. He took everything in such great stride.”

While he was very willing, it took One Ear time to understand the concepts of connection, balance, and moving forward. Wilson took some time building his strength, topline, and balance, before really pushing the jumping. All of her time, patience, and hard work paid off, with the pair winning the dressage phase and placing third in the show jumping phase at the Classic. After such an impressive outing, Wilson gave One Ear some much deserved time off.

But this year, Wilson decided it was time to introduce the gelding to the world of eventing. Their first recognized event was just a few months ago at the Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm where they won their Starter division on their dressage score of 25.9, instantly earning their scoring requirement for this year’s USEA American Eventing Championship (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds. After two more fantastic outings at the level, where they won again on their dressage score and placed second on their dressage score, the qualification was secured.

“He was amazing,” Wilson reflected. “Our third event, I twisted my ankle really bad the night before. My foot was so swollen, it barely fit in my boot. I knew I just needed to go and finish so I could finalize my qualification, and we ended up second after dressage. He felt so great—at this point he felt like a professional. It was like he was saying, ‘You leave me alone, mom. You just sit there, I got this.’”

The plan for this week at the AEC is simple: have fun.

“I just want to have a good time!” Wilson shared. “He’s very fun to travel with, so just being around him is so fun. He has a lot of personality. He’s definitely not just standing there and eating hay in his stall. If he had a hand, he would be waving at all of his fans. He is just the sweetest horse to be around and so calm. I want to go and have a good time and hang out with my family and enjoy One Ear’s presence because he is just so fun to hang out with.”

Wilson and One Ear are currently leading the USEA Starter Amateur division on their dressage score of 28.4. They will show jump this afternoon at 6:30 p.m.

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About the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC)

The USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds is the pinnacle of the sport at the national levels. Held annually, the best junior, adult amateur, and professional competitors gather to vie for national championship titles at every level from Starter to Advanced. This ultimate test of horse and rider draws hundreds of combinations from around the country to compete for fabulous prizes, a piece of the substantial prize money, and the chance to be named the National Champion at their respective levels. In fact, the 2021 AEC garnered over 1,000 entries and now stands as the largest eventing competition in North American history. The 2026 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds will be held on Aug. 25-30 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Click here to learn more about the USEA American Eventing Championships.

The USEA would like to thank Presenting Sponsor: Nutrena Feeds; Advanced Final Title Sponsor: Adequan; Platinum Level Sponsors: Bates Saddles, Marshall+Sterling Equine Insurance; Gold Level Sponsors: ARMA, Gallaghers Water, PulseVet, Schneiders Saddlery, SmartPak, Standlee; Silver Level Sponsors: Auburn Labs, Kerrits, The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program, Rood & Riddle; Bronze Level Sponsors: 70°, Antech Diagnostics, Athletux, The Chronicle of the Horse, Devoucoux, D.G. Stackhouse & Ellis, Dubarry of Ireland, Equestrian Team Apparel, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, John Deere, Retired Racehorse Project, Ride EquiSafe, Santa Cruz Animal Health; Contributing Level Sponsors: AnimaSol, CrossCountry App, Foxhollow Farm, Georgetown/Scott County Tourism, Kentucky Equine Research, Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, Lexmark, LV Harkness, Only Fools and Horses, #WeRideTogether, YETI; and Prize Level Sponsors: ARRO Helmets, The Dad Den, Dandy Products, Equiluxe Tack, Equine IMED, FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips, I Love My Horse Boutique, The Infused Equestrian, Love Equestrian, Majyk Equipe, Mare Modern Goods, Natalie Hummel Coaching, Neighborly Tack, Outlaw Nutrition, Parkmore Supplements, Peak Performance Equine Spa, Poseidon Animal Health, Rachel Dory Fine Art, Right Path Equestrian, Saddle Bird Boutique, Sidelines Magazine, Strides For Equality Equestrians, STRIDER, Stylish in the Saddle, VTO Saddlery, and XLR8 Equine.