Customer Reviews

Wild Horse Redemption

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Wild Horse Redemption (John Zaritsky, 2007)

Colorado has an excess of wild mustangs. Rather than killing them, the rangers out there round them up in the hopes that people and organizations will adopt them. In order for them to do so, however, the horses have to be domesticated. Someone came up with the rather intelligent idea of having inmates at Colorado's largest prison do some of the breaking work; not only does the State not have to do the work itself (or contract someone to do it at incredibly high prices), but the inmates get a marketable skill that's well outside the usual skills with which people leave prison. While the program has not been an unqualified success on either end of the equation, it has still done wonders. The Wild Horse Redemption looks at this phenomenon by tracing a few weeks in the lives of some of the prisoners and the horses they work with during that time.

The thing that really struck me about this is how stripped-down a documentary it is compared to most of the stuff we get these days; there's no attempt to delve into the past lives of any of the subjects (on either side of the law) beyond brief talks with them. The focus is on the present, the interaction of convicts and horses and how it transforms both. The documentary also doesn't whitewash the fact that this is not a program for everyone; we witness one convict's struggle to gain enough self-confidence to work with the horses over the course of the film. It is juxtaposed against the others, who all seem so comfortable around the animals they might as well have been born on them. It's a constant reminder that this isn't a cakewalk for these guys, and that was probably a necessary component to avoid this movie feeling like a rah-rah session.

Does have a few pacing problems here and there, but then many documentaries do. Good, solid filmmaking, though I'm guessing it's probably less interesting to those who aren't interested in horses. ***

"The Wild Horse Redemption" is a must-see for anyone. I showed this documentary to my high school English classes, and they loved it! The film follows five inmates at the East Canyon Correctional Facility as they tame and train five wild mustangs. By the end of the documentary, the audience feels compassion and hope for both the horses and their trainers. The parallels between man and horse are uncanny, and it is the inmates who actually learn more from the horses even though it is the horses that are being "trained" by the inmates. "The Wild Horse Redemption" warms the heart and shows that we all have the capacity for great goodness if given a second chance.

This Documentary brought tears to my eyes!! A must see for every Mustang advocate!!!!!!!.. I hope they make another, and follow up on the men shown in the DVD... The BLM should offer this program to every prison that is capable of doing it...It could take a lot of the unwanted mustangs out of the Holding facilities...This Documentary is right up there with the Cloud Series....If not better, because it shows, in a very humane way that these men and horses are worth something!!

I love this movie and I give it six stares out of five.
As a horse lover and being with horses for many years the relation the common behavior issues and the intimacy of inmates with horses struck me deeply.
From the beginning of Movie the message is conveyed (running the Mustang with Helicopter ,complete terror ) the issue of many horses/mustangs being slaughter in view of managing the population of Mustangs !!! policy which did not convinced me and still does not for many years as the optimal solution, time will tell.
We better give more land to the Horses and Buffalos and maybe control more human ,it is easier to control others ,we should start control ourselves

Very inspiring movie.

Man learned to over come fear, learned patience. Learned they are afraid like a wild horse is afraid. Learned they can be somebody and do some good in the world.

People who are interested in Horses will love it. Horses in American public land are captured as their numbers exceed the sustainable Limit (You should watch NATURE CLOUD;Wild Stallion of the Rockies). The next step is what we watch in this DVD of 90 min. Some of the captured Horses from public land end up in the Wild Horse Inmate program and are sensitized using various training techniques. Inmates with various backgrounds are enrolled in this program at the fag end of their Jail term. Its more about training these wild mustangs to accept human companions and able to ride them with saddle. This program gives a sense of purpose to the Inmates, tests their patients , Love and respect for these Gentle Giants. Some of them eventually end up with Horses after their Jail term. Wonderfully shot movie, The directors Interview was Ok in the sense the audio was of poor quality had to increase the volume to be audible.

The horse whisperer approach to training wild mustangs is love and understanding. Who of us may not have been the prisoner instead of the one outside passing judgment? With that in mind, the marvel of this program gripped my heart because of the deliverance the men experienced. Suddenly I am wondering if any women receive the privilege of participating in this well founded program.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing witnessed in the relationships between the inmates and their assigned wild, wild horses was the obvious mirrors the horses became to their own needed transformation.
This is a heartmelting video for anyone interested in humankind and second (third, fourth, fifth . . .) chances, i.e. GRACE.

This documentary is very well done, and I think it provides enough background for those who train the horses. After all it is not about training people... it's about training horses!

Very well done documentry on a very special program for adopting the Wild Horse...The American Mustang.

I was fortunate enough to see a special screening of this wonderful documentary and participate in a question and answer session with the director afterwards! It was a beautifully done movie and hit home on various levels how vital and important horses can be toward rehabilatating humans who have "lost their way". The humans began to have a purpose and more success with life as they "trained" the wild mustangs to become more viable adoptee candidates! As a psychotherapist who uses equine facilitated therapy with clients I can attest to the efficacy of equine and human rehabilitative work.