Branded Partner Spotlight: Branded Equine Based Therapy Services & Operation Branded
When we first connected with Lindsey Gabbard of Branded Equine Based Therapy Services, what caught our attention was the number of mustangs moving through her programs and finding meaningful roles in the real world.
Lindsey is both a Forever Branded Adoption Center and a Branded Partnerships trainer, giving her a unique role in our mission. Through Branded Equine Based Therapy Services, Lindsey not only helps connect mustangs with new homes, but also trains them and develops the partnerships that allow these horses to succeed in a variety of settings.
One of the best examples of that versatility came recently at the 50th Annual National Cavalry Competition at Fort Reno in El Reno, Oklahoma, where the 2026 Overall National Cavalry Champion was a mustang.
Lindsey’s team included seven horses, six of which were mustangs.
As Lindsey described the competition, “Very good show of their capability and versatility. It’s a versatile competition…”
For us, that is exactly what makes the story so compelling. These are horses that can begin their lives completely wild and untouched and, with the right opportunity, develop into trusted partners in therapy programs, adoption homes and competitive equine disciplines.
Building Partnership Through Operation Branded
Branded Equine works alongside Operation Branded, a veteran- and first responder-focused therapy program built around creating meaningful partnerships between people and mustangs.
The program is veteran-led by Roccay and his mustang partner, Gallant, whom he met through Operation Branded. Participants select their mustangs through the Wild Horse & Burro Adoption Center and begin building a relationship from the ground up.
As Lindsey explains, “The goal is to give them a lifelong connection and find that partnership.”
Many of the veterans and first responders who participate have little to no previous horse experience. Some have tried other forms of therapy and continued to struggle to find something that truly connected with them.
What they often don’t expect is the depth of the relationship they will develop with their horse.
As they work together, many participants discover a connection they never anticipated. By the end of the program, many say their mustang is their forever animal.
That relationship is at the heart of Operation Branded. It isn’t simply about teaching someone how to work with a horse. It’s about creating trust, purpose and a partnership that can continue long after the program ends.
From Wild Mustang to Trusted Teammate
Several veterans who competed with Branded Equine Based Therapy’s team were paired with mustangs they first met through Operation Branded horses that had once been completely wild and untouched.
Through patience, consistency and hard work, those horses became trusted teammates.
At the National Cavalry Competition, competitors put horse and rider to the test through events including mounted saber, mounted pistol, combat horsemanship, military field jumping, mobility challenges and the Combat Mission.
The fact that six of Branded Equine Based Therapy’s seven team horses were mustangs and that a mustang ultimately earned the 2026 Overall National Cavalry Championship was an incredible reflection of the work Lindsey and her team have put into these horses and partnerships.
But competition is only one part of the story.
Opening Doors Through Adoption
Lindsey is proud to be a Forever Branded Adoption Center, and she has seen firsthand what greater access to mustangs can mean for her community.
“Adoption centers have opened up a huge opportunity,” Lindsey shared. Giving people access to mustangs in her area has allowed more people to meet these horses, experience them firsthand and open their eyes to just how incredible they can be.
That local access creates opportunities that go far beyond adoption. It allows people to see what these horses are capable of and imagine possibilities they may never have considered.
Through her adoption center, equine therapy programs and other programs, Lindsey and her team have helped 500 wild mustangs find homes and new opportunities.
Some become therapy partners. Some become competition horses. Some become trusted companions. And others simply find the person and place where they belong.
A Partnership with Possibilities
Lindsey’s work is a great example of what can happen when adoption, training and opportunity come together.
A mustang can begin life completely wild and eventually become someone’s trusted partner, a therapy horse, a competition horse or a lifelong companion.
That is why access matters.
Mustangs belong in all equine spaces, and the horses coming through programs like Branded Equine Based Therapy are showing us just how much they are capable of.
We are proud to have Lindsey Gabbard and Branded Equine Based Therapy as part of the Forever Branded community as both a Branded Adoption Center and Branded Partnerships trainer and we’re excited to continue following the horses and people whose lives are being changed through this work.
One mustang. One partnership. One opportunity at a time.