New Country Song Tells the Story of Cobra the Dressage Champion

This new country song is all about a very special mustang who went from being "unadoptable" to becoming a dressage champion. 

When it comes to retraining mustangs, Marsha Hartford-Sapp and her mustang Cobra have one of the most unique stories out there. Now, a country song tells Cobra's story, as he went from being an "unadoptable" horse to becoming a dressage champion.

Cobra had been adopted and then returned to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) three separate times. Deemed a three-strikes horse, the BLM considered Cobra unadoptable.

But Hartford-Sapp didn't agree with that assessment. When she was preparing to enter the 2010 Extreme Mustang Makeover, she saw a video of Cobra and chose the six-year-old gelding as her mount.

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Hartford-Sapp's instincts proved to be right. She'd been looking for a horse with an uphill build, since she hoped to train the mustang in dressage. Cobra fit the bill with his floating trot and great conformation.

 

With just 100 days to train the mustang for the competition, Hartford-Sapp didn't focus on Cobra's dressage work until after the makeover. When she did, though, Cobra's natural talents for the discipline emerged. The pair competed at First, Second, and Third level. Hartford-Sapp even earned all of the scores to earn a USDF Bronze Medal - in only five months.

From there, Cobra went on to become the 2015 All-Breed Champion for Prix St. George. In 2015 he began western dressage work, earning champion in Level 1 Freestyle and Level 1 Test 1. The next year, Hartford-Sapp earned her USDF Silver Medal on Cobra.

Now, Cobra's been honored with a special country song. Songwriter Peter Prince was so moved by Cobra's story that he decided to write a song to share it with others. You can hear it below, and the music video features some great footage of Cobra's training.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wke-3XiMJzE

From "unadoptable" to dressage champion, Cobra certainly has had quite the journey. And it's all thanks to one trainer who didn't give up on him, but put in the patience needed to give him a chance to succeed.

What do you think of Cobra's story? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. 

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