I watched a movie recently that illustrated how different horses have different temperaments. It was a really fun movie called Wild Horse, Wild Ride. It tells the story of the Extreme Mustang Makeover. I had not heard of this before, but it is a charity event in which 100 wild mustangs are claimed by 100 people, who must then train them in 100 days for a competition.
The participants are both professional trainers and amateurs. We get to see their growing relationship with each of their horses. It was especially endearing to see how, even with those that got off to a rocky start, each trainer falls in love with their horse and their horses — at the risk of anthropomorphizing — falls in love with them.
The goal is to find each of the horses a forever home. Also, the winner receives $5,000.
I loved this movie!! You get to meet about six or eight contestants, some professional trainers and some amateurs, who have taken delivery of a wild mustang. Seeing the relationships that develop really underscore the differences of horse temperament. Plus it is so heartwarming to see these people dedicate so much time and loved to training their horses. People have said to me, when I describe the movie, that it’s terrible how people “break” horses. But not one single person used that word or that technique. We saw love, compassion, patience. We saw frustration, determination and even a little pain, too. It was a movie I just keep thinking about.
You can find it for purchase online. Also, our local library had it, so you could check your library. However you do it, I highly recommend you watch it.
With regard to Rachel Alexandra, I often tell students at school visits that Rachel was not only fast, but she liked to race. I make the point that there are plenty of horses, Seabiscuit comes to mind, who might have had potential but didn’t have the desire. Of course, for Seabiscuit, all that changed when he joined up with trainer Tom Smith. But even that makes my point. You have to figure out what makes your horse tick. And every horse is different, as you’ll see in Wild Horse, Wild Ride.
