The final senior project at Ojai Valley School finally begins during the second week of school, but one junior has started hers over a year early.
Frances Willsrud has made the taxing decision to start her Senior Capstone project during a year early by purchasing a wild mustang in hopes of having him trained and rideable by February of her senior year.
“Horse riding is my passion because I think having a bond with an animal that is so big and a prey animal is such a cool concept and thing to achieve,” Frances said.
Senior capstones are in-depth projects done during the senior year. They are presented to show your growth as a high schooler and as an Ojai Valley School student.
Frances began riding horses with OVS in first grade and continued to ride with the school until seventh grade. Today, she rides in a separate barn and owns multiple horses.
OVS assisted in sparking her love for the massive creatures. In the sixth grade, she saw a mustang relaxing at the OVS barn, and she immediately fell in love. From that point on, she knew she wanted to train her own one day.
“The fact that OVS got me into riding and the outdoor ed program here… kind of like inspired me, and the people here are really into this project and are willing to help me,” Frances mentioned.
Her mother also rides horses and not only inspired her, but also encouraged her journey in riding. Her mother motivated her to ride with OVS and also got her private lessons in the third grade.
On July 9, 2025, Frances met Apollo, a wild mustang. She traveled nine hours just to meet him, and after viewing the other options, she knew he was the one. The process was long, though.
There were many other mustangs to choose from. In the end, it was between Apollo and another beautiful black mustang. Frances chose Apollo because of his attitude. The other horse was skittish and suspicious. Apollo was calm. She knew he was the one because he didn’t run when she approached him. They had a connection.
“I think that it’s a cool thing to work with an animal that big and have a connection with an animal,” Frances said
Apollo had lived in the wild until he was two years old, and currently, he is three. After the long drive back with Apollo in the trailer, their journey finally began.
Their relationship started slowly. Very slowly. At first, Apollo wouldn’t acknowledge Frances, let alone allow her to touch him.
When she first began bringing him into the round pen, he would lunge at her with his teeth flared and snorting intensely. She kept working.
She began feeding him hay from her hand. Since the hay stuck out, he wouldn’t actually need to touch her hand. Finally, he advanced to eating directly from her hand, and eventually, she could bump his nose.
For months, she could only bump his nose, but soon she could touch his forehead, then his neck, then his back, and soon she could touch him all over.
Frances still needed help, so she invited her instructor to assist her. Her instructor helped her put more safe pressure on Apollo, and he began advancing more rapidly.
“She pushed us both, but it was the push that we needed in order to really get us there,” Frances recalled.
Eventually, school began, and the all-school camping trip rolled around. Frances was worried she would lose all the progress she and Apollo had gained during her absence. The opposite occurred.
She has no idea how, but when she returned from camping, Apollo had made huge progress on his own. She could now groom him with all of the necessary tools. Most recently, Frances has been able to throw a lead rope over his back, and they continue advancing quickly.
“This has helped me grow and the horse grow, both of us; it’s taught me a lot more patience,” Frances said.
Training a horse is a massive step for her. Frances’ mom recognizes this, but still chose to take this step with her daughter. Her mom takes it upon herself to find and give opportunities to Frances so she can delve deeper into her passions. Her mother values the connection they have through horses and hopes it will continue to grow.
“I have learned through this mustang project that a teenage girl is an awful lot like a wild horse,” Frances’ mother, Kate Pepper, remarked.
Frances is a powerful example that following your dreams can lead to incredible joy and accomplishment. By the end of her journey with Apollo, she hopes to complete a two-night pack trip into the Sespe. In doing this, she will incorporate her own love for horses and the admiration for the outdoors that OVS strives to pass on to its students.
Her mother wants people to know one simple thing about her daughter.
“Her strength is in her directness and knowing of who she is and what she wants,” Ms. Pepper said. “This strength comes through when working with horses.”