PG (mild language); 106 min.
Every year, Fort Worth is the home of the annual Extreme Mustang Makeover, in which contestants from all over the country and all walks of life show off the horses they've managed to turn from wild to mild in 100 days. How they try to get there is the subject of Wild Horse, Wild Ride, a quietly intriguing documentary from the husband and wife team of Greg Gricus and Alex Dawson, that explores the bond between human and horse.
The contestants don't all fit the Western cowboy mold -- brothers Kris and Nik are from New Hampshire, father and son Charles and Carlos are American Indians from Arizona, Melissa is a Ph.D. student at Texas A&M University, Wylene is a single Phoenix-area mom -- but each finds a sense of peace and accomplishment working with horses. The film doesn't address the ethics of taking an animal from a life of freedom to one of bridle and saddle. That might make for a good follow-up movie.
Anyone seeing the film who wants to check out the real thing can catch this year's Extreme Mustang Makeover this Friday and Saturday at the Will Rogers Equestrian Center in Fort Worth. Tickets are $15-$20. For more information, go to extrememustangmakeover.com
Exclusive: AMC Grapevine Mills; Cinemark Alliance, Fort Worth; Starplex Hulen 10, Fort Worth; Cinemark 17, Dallas
-- Cary Darling
