Unbranded

Told in complete chronological order, this trail ride is a 16x9 presentation of our mass-population's ignorance, and a very small portion of the rest of us who will get off of our half-moons and participate in a solution.

Its not a popular solution, it may not even BE a solution, but it is a trip on the way to MANAGEMENT. Like the trail ride, the experience of the trip creates its own progress. No one should expect a silver bullet bringing the problem of over-grazing by horses to a close in 30 days. It just will not happen. Maintaining a balance by a long-term management of resources, curtailing herd sizes, rehabilitation of some horses into markets needing pleasure riding or breaking horses for the experience, they all come together to MANAGE.

If you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. If any one component of the solution is criticized, the critic becomes the problem.

When I saw how much danger these beautiful animals were subjected to, it utterly turned my stomach. Those callous sobs should be charged with animal cruelty. I hope someone splits their heads open with a baseball bat.

I really loved this movie, couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the adventure. Beautiful scenery.

I do want to touch on one thing--Powers is a producer and I think had much more say in how this movie was put together than the other three. The editing suggested that to me, and with research I'd say it's true. I think it's a shame that any of the drama was portrayed in this movie. If it added to the story, I'd say fine, but it seemed more an excuse to show how mature Powers was in relation to everyone else.

The guy at the end who left a mile was blown up beyond what it needed to be. It was poetic in a way and should be every man's journey. The fact that Powers kept calling them "his" crew and "his" horses left a bad taste in my mouth. His melodramatic comments made him look egocentric and false.

I don't think the other riders were showcased nearly as much as they needed to be, and I think Powers was showcased a little too much, but that is my only gripe. The movie was pleasant to watch, inspirational, and I have to hand it to all of them.

Never got bored. Amazed at what these guys were able to accomplish.

I recently watched this movie on Netflix.

Although, this was a beautifully crafted film, I have to note that it was obviously underwritten by the BLM. What seemingly started out championing the superiority of the natural selection of mustangs, quickly turned into a propaganda piece promoting the removal of wild horses from public lands.

There were outright lies about the number of wild horses on the range, their breeding habits, and the effect they have on the ecology of the land. There are over 6,000,000 cattle grazing on public lands and approximately 50,000 wild horses. They want to reduce that to 20,000. It is cattle that destroy the land. Horses are always moving. As stated in the film, horses typically travel 26 miles per day. They never stop long enough to destroy forage. Cattle on the other hand stay in one place until they've decimated the landscape. They are then moved to another area where they do the same thing. The man who picked up the remains of a clump of prairie grass blamed that on the horses? No way.

The BLM's plan for removal and birth control will render the herds' breeding unviable. Under it, our American Mustangs will soon be extinct. This is what the BLM wants. They are in service to the cattle and mining industries.

At first glance to someone not familiar with equines, this is a very romantic and exciting film. But to any horse person, these young men were careless in their planning, and reckless in the execution of the trek. That resulted in some tragic consequences.

I am sorry if this film has any influence with the public over wild horse management. It doesn't represent the truth on this issue.