Parents' Guide to Wild Horse, Wild Ride

This movie is a remarkable look at the art of training a wild mustang. It reveals how humans and undomesticated animals forge a relationship in an incredibly short amount of time -- that is to say, very cautiously. It's well-shot and provides an intimate picture of the vast reservoirs of patience and hard daily work in earning an animal's trust, to say nothing of the hardship in letting go after all the work is done. There's a lot to appreciate here for anyone who loves horses or simply finds them fascinating. Not addressed is the controversial practice of rounding up wild horses from federal public spaces to be trained in the first place, so animal-rights-leaning parents may wish to discuss the practice's benefits and risks; toward the documentary's end, competition scenes wherein trainers stand on animals and show them off are a bit of a shift from the warm, gentle respect in the first three quarters. But overall Wild Horse, Wild Ride is a heartwarming look at the bonds between people and animals, with a diverse cast of characters of different ages and backgrounds all of whom seem to respect the animals and want the best for them.