![]() ![]() “Justin and his dad were so kind,” says Wexler. He had come to watch the competition with his father, who owned and trained Mustangs. When Wexler made it to the top 10, she realized that she hadn’t prepared a freestyle performance. Stewart placed 12th and joined Wexler’s friends in the stands to watch the freestyle routines. She had the most points of any competitor in their first Mustang event, so she also won Rookie of the Year. After two days of competing, Wexler had won 9th in ground handling and conditioning, 2nd in maneuvers, and 1st in trail. “We also visited barns to discuss the Mustang breed and the makeover challenge with the public.” Competing in the MakeoverĪfter hundreds of hours of training, Wexler, Stewart, and 33 out of the original 70 trainers arrived in Lexington, Ky., for the EMM. “As Kayah became more gentled, I let kids touch her at training camps,” says Wexler. She and Jesse Chase, an accomplished reining trainer who has worked with Mustangs before, helped them fine-tune Kayah’s circles, spins and steering. We were together every weekend for horse shows, trail rides, or clinics.” “For the next three months, Kayah and I participated in every event I could find. “At this point, I became dead set on putting everything I had into this horse,” Wexler recalls. When they were named champions of the ranch division, Wexler thought they might have something special. A week later, on Kayah’s fourth ride, the pair participated in their first horse show, put on by the Inter-County Saddle Club in Edenton, N.C. Ten days into training, a saddle was placed on Kayah for her first ride. ![]() Wexler helped relax Kayah’s muscles using pulsed electromagnetic field therapy. As Wexler washed the mud from her body, Kayah nickered toward her and nuzzled her nose into Wexler’s neck. “I wanted to develop a deeper connection and understanding between Kayah and myself before I got on her back.” ![]() “Some trainers felt comfortable enough to put first rides on their Mustangs early,” says Wexler. As she told Kayah about the auction at the end of the event, Kayah exhaled deeply and nuzzled Wexler. The next morning, Wexler groomed Kayah’s mane and described how they would compete in the makeover in June. She’d compete in the makeover, her Mustang would be auctioned off, and they’d say goodbye. After picking her up, Wexler convinced herself that she wouldn’t get attached to Kayah. Kayah seemed gentle and easygoing, although territorial. Her assigned mount was one of the youngest horses in the competition. But after careful research, she submitted her application to compete-just one hour before the deadline. When her best friend, Carey Stewart, first said she was participating in the 2019 EMM and suggested they do it together, Wexler refused. Despite the satisfying work, Wexler was burned out and felt lost. There, she led a riding lesson program for kids. A certified riding instructor through the American Riding Instructors Association, she’s also been training horses for the last 15 years and has done numerous equestrian disciplines.įor the past five years, she has managed a small barn in Williamston, a town near Raleigh, N.C., where she grew up. Wexler has been on the back of a horse since she was 3 years old. Also Read: Norco Extreme Mustang Trail Challenge Raises the Bar Ready for a New Challenge ![]()
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