At Libben Horsemanship Academy, 14-year-old Kendra Bushnell and her horse Liberty are building an uncommon bond, as she guides the once-untamed mustang with a calm confidence beyond her years. Two-year-old Liberty is no ordinary horse as he’s part of a broader effort to gently train wild mustangs for life beyond the range.

Adopted through the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program, he represents a mission to manage mustang populations on public lands while preparing them for a future after the open range. When horse populations exceed what the land can handle, water and forage disappear quickly. This puts wild horses in direct competition with native wildlife, leading to declining herd health and damaged rangelands.

For Kendra, an eighth grader at Legacy Christian Academy, this isn’t just about training horses; it’s about patience, resilience, and connection. Each mustang arrives untouched by human hands, carrying the spirit of the open West, and leaves with a chance at a new life.

Kendra noticed the bond with Liberty right away. “As soon as I removed his tag number, he started warming up to me and looked up at me like, ‘Will you help me?’ And then he snuggled into my space,” she says. “He also trusts me, so when something scary comes by, he hides behind me or jumps on top of me.”

Libben Horsemanship Academy owners Ken and Heather Bushnell, Kendra’s parents, adopted four wild mustangs, who are all two-year-old males, from a BLM facility in Ridgecrest. Other trainers include Brooke Bloemhoff, age 12, with Toby, and Amelia Alfter, age 9, with Red Ranger. They also adopted Kaiah, who serves as a barn horse and gives other riders at the equestrian center a chance to groom and train the wild mustangs. The three handlers, Kendra, Brooke, and Amelia, had to commit to a strict schedule of working with their horses three times a week for three months to prepare for the Branded Bonanza in Rancho Murrieta in June. As part of the Western States Horse Expo, this event showcases trainers' work with wild horses.

At the Branded Bonanza, the girls will show audiences the progress they’ve made with their mustangs. The two-year-old mustangs are too young to ride, so the handlers will demonstrate skills, connection, and dedication, with tasks like putting the halter on and off, walking on a lead, moving on verbal commands, pivoting on the front and hind end, performing a side pass, and much more. In the freestyle competition, the trainers can show tricks that they have taught their horses, such as lying down or bowing, walking through obstacles, or standing on a platform.

One of the instructors at Libben Horsemanship Academy, Grace Webb, had participated in the BLM’s wild mustangs’ program many times. In fact, she adopted her horse Takoda when he was 12 years old from a gathering facility. When Grace mentioned having the young riders at the equestrian center participate, Heather thought it was a good idea.

“It teaches a lot of patience and responsibility,” Heather says. “Horses teach responsibility anyway, and this is just a different level of responsibility.” She later added, “If you can train a mustang, you can train anything.”

Kendra always loved Takoda and knew she wanted a wild mustang of her own. She’s learned a lot in the process. “I feel more independent and not as nervous in training him,” she says. “I want to keep Liberty for a long time and get a saddle on him and ride him. I’ve already put a bareback pad on him and tightened the girth. He didn’t mind it. He’s doing really good.”

The BLM program does have specific care requirements to participate. Adopters must be at least 18 years old and fill out an extensive application. The program is designed as a humane alternative to controlling herd sizes, helping reduce pressure on fragile ecosystems while giving these animals a chance at domesticated lives.

To encourage participation, the BLM has also offered incentives, making it accessible to a wide range of adopters. Overall, the program has rehomed hundreds of thousands of wild horses and burros since the 1970s and remains a central tool in balancing conservation, animal welfare, and land management in the American West.

For more information, please visit www.wildhorsesonline.blm.gov or www.libbenhorsemanshipacademy.com.

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Meet the Mustangs!

OPEN HOUSE at Libben Horsemanship Academy

Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Barn, 8301 Mandelbaum Way, Bakersfield

Event will include a horse exhibition, crafts, games, and pictures with Mustangs!

RSVP via the Contact Us tab on their website.

www.libbenhorsemanshipacademy.com