Unbranded – four Texans, 16 mustangs and a wild journey into the west ...

[Madriverrob]

Saw this film on Netflix last night , was superb .
Well worth a watch if you have Netflix or can find it elsewhere .......

"This good-natured, Kickstarter-funded documentary shows the adventures of four young guys from Texas as they attempt to travel 3,000 miles on horseback from the Mexican to the Canadian border, using only “adopted” wild horses, or mustangs, which they have trained themselves. We get to see some beautiful country along the way, and there’s some pertinent thinking on the levels of intervention needed in managing America’s wild horse population."

Check out this link for the trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQmmaiWHYHQ

 

[Mesquite]

That does look good. Sadly I don't have Netflix :/

Here's a slightly longer trailer though

[video=youtube;hVgYO2ROUes]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVgYO2ROUes[/video]

 

[Blundstoned Love]

I saw an edited version (45 mins) at the Banff Film Festival Tour earlier in the year - it was really good.

 

[The Cumbrian]

I've just watched this and it was excellent. Anyone who's into outdoor journeys of any kind will really enjoy it, and the cinematography is fantastic.

Cheers, Michael.

 

[Tony]

Saw this on Netflix (didn't watch it) and Shelly and I were talking about the distance and it's got to be a serious endeavour. She used to do cattle drives in Canada so she's quite familiar with the whole concept of moving animals around from horseback etc...

We'll watch it now, thanks for the heads up

 

[Arya]

I also saw it on Netflix, just recently. I enjoyed it a lot, except from some parts where I wanted to strangle them.
They really embodied the quote;
"Look back at our struggle for freedom,
Trace our present day's strength to it's source;
And you'll find that man's pathway to glory
Is strewn with the bones of the horse."

They show great courage and stamina, but at the same time they show (in my opinion) something bordering to poor horsemanship or lack of ability to read their horses. There were routes they chose that really had me thinking "What the h..l are they thinking? Turn back and pick another route! Is it really worth loosing a horse over this?" At some point it all turns into a typical human ego-trip.
They literally sacrifice their horses lives to fulfill some urge, or broken place inside themselves, that this trip is supposed to mend.
In the end some of these horses went from free animals to dead in the service of man, after trusting him and carrying him and his load on a journey that made no sense to the horse itself.
It is so sad that it is almost poetic.

But apart from this, it was a very good film, with amazing scenery and intimacy. I like that they didn´t remove the part where you could see the tension in the group. It was very real and not a "fairytale" film.
I also love the facts and state of the Mustangs today, that was regularly presented to the viewer through the film. It gave a good sense of the challenges they face over there, and was quite educative.

 

[Tengu]

Tell, me, Arya, how many Mongolian wild horses and Tarpans are there compared to domestic ones?

(Or, say, Aurochs compared to domestic cattle?)

Man is the horses best friend.

 

[Arya]

I have no idea! More than 3?
(just joking)

Man is a horses best friend... A truth with modifications

 

[Big G]

Just got around to watching this, and really enjoyed it.

One epic journey with a great story line.

Thanks for posting it up, Rob

 

[Joonsy]

if you liked ''Unbranded'' you may like ''Untethered'' as well featuring Potato Richardson veteran and legend of http://www.teviscup.org/

[video=youtube;jCcaLN_RZ9A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCcaLN_RZ9A[/video]