My Favorite Books & Movies For Mustang Lovers

I’ve been into horses all my life, and mustangs especially have a special place in my heart! I love to watch horse movies and shows and probably would all day every day if I could! Here are 10 of my favorite mustang and horse-related movies and shows to watch, followed by my favorite horse books:

1. The Mustang – An amazing movie where an untamed, especially wild stallion crosses paths with Roman when he is required to participate in a prison’s “outdoor maintenance” program. But this film is neither “Seabiscuit” nor “The Horse Whisperer”— Clermont-Tonnerre finds her inspiration and source material in present day, in more austere and forgotten corners of the country. Through the opening credits, we learn that there are approximately 100,000 mustangs in the wild across 10 American states and the government can support less than a third of them only. The rest are sometimes adopted, sometimes kept from sight in various long-term facilities or given to prison inmates to train and then sell at auctions through rehabilitation programs. It is one such optimistic initiative that Roman gets recruited for. Run by Myles, a veteran, hard-bitten trainer-in-charge (played by a paternal and no-nonsense Bruce Dern, who slips into the role perhaps a little too predictably), the program pairs Roman with the wildest of horses. But will they be able to break and tame one another? (Summary Source)

2. Wild Horse, Wild Ride – This is a documentary style video on YouTube (Find it HERE!) that shows several people competing in a Mustang Makeover challenge. It’s great to see the training process of a mustang in 100 days, and the emotions that come along with it! There are many different training styles showcased in this film!

3. Unbranded – This is a documentary style film you can find HERE free on YouTube, which tells the story of 4 boys who just graduated from college that train wild mustangs and ride them straight from the Mexican border all the way to the Canadian border. It does have some swearing in it, but all in all, it’s such a great story and shows so many of the struggles with riding and training these wild horses. 

4. Wild Lands Wild Horses – This is a documentary style show that has one episode so far, but it looks pretty great! You can find the first episode FREE here on YouTube! It is based on the story of wildlife photographers who have taken pictures of wild horses for many years, and have a passion for getting these horses adopted into great homes and not starving in the wild. It explains about how scientists use different methods to count the horses in a given area, and the roles of the horses in “bands” (families) in the wild. It does a great job of explaining the difference between horses and burros, ways the BLM could improve their processes, and how the PZP birth control method has worked on certain herds. It gives you an inside look at the Litchfield Holding Facilities, and explains more about the need for adoption and explains about TIP trainers and sanctuaries. 

5. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron – This is a family favorite movie about a mustang who gets curious about some human settlers building the railroad tracks and ends up getting caught by them. It is a very emotional movie (which I’ve probably watched 1,000 times now!) and definitely one you can watch with the whole family. At the end, Spirit does break free and find his family again, but it shows the increasing issue of population growth in America and lacking resources for the wild horses. 

6. Flicka – This is a great Disney movie! Summary: In modern-day Wyoming, teenager Katy McLaughlin (Alison Lohman) dreams of working on and, one day, taking over her father’s ranch. She tames a mustang and names her Flicka, then finds that she and her new equine companion are more alike than she imagined. After her father (Tim McGraw) sells Flicka, Katy schemes to win back the horse by entering a dangerous race.

7. American Mustang The Movie – Wild horse advocate and Montgomery Creek Ranch Founder Ellie Phipps Price was the impetus behind the creation of American Mustang the Movie, a full length feature documentary released in November 2013, and screened nationwide in 2014. Ellie’s desire to raise awareness about the plight of America’s wild horses inspired her to create and produce American Mustang the Movie.  An artful blend of epic nature documentary and character-driven narrative, American Mustang depicts the story of the mustang, and the contentious struggle behind its very existence. The film portrays wild horses in 3D cinematography for the first time. Narrated by actress Daryl Hannah, American Mustang was partially filmed at Montgomery Creek Ranch. The film’s two equine stars, Bravo and Echo, live in sanctuary at MCR. (Summary Source)

8. 500 Miles – The purpose of this innovative short film is to start a new, universally-understood conversation around the necessity of struggle, challenge and perseverance as they relate to creating meaning in one’s life – without one, you cannot have the other. The 500 Miles film communicates the importance of this concept by telling the story of the un-purposed wild mustang and the un-purposed veteran, following both as they learn to face and navigate challenges, with the ultimate goal of discovering what their greater purpose in life is. For these mustangs, the arduous 500 mile journey through New Mexico and Arizona was their purpose-defining challenge, but we all have our own version of a “500 mile journey”. It’s the moments in life when we choose to buck up instead of give up. When we choose to take the unbeaten path instead of the easy road. It’s the moments that force us to take a hard look at ourselves, and the decisions we have been making, and decide if we have been letting life happen to us, or for us. (Summary Source)

9. Heartland – When I was younger I read the Heartland books and fell in love with the story line; a young teen who lost her mom in a car accident while trying to save a horse with her, then trying to take over the family business as a trainer for troubled horses. Now it is a show with 13+ seasons and soo many great episodes! There are many mustang episodes, but every episode has horse issues and solutions that are really fun and educational for the whole family! You can find the episodes on Netflix if you have an account or on cable channels, depending on your local programs. (Search on your tv for it! We found it through Amazon Prime Video!)

10. North America’s Wild Horses – This YouTube movie shows a full helicopter round up and gives a really good overview of the process a wild horse goes through from being wild to being domestic and loved by humans. It also has some great interviews from BLM workers. The link IS HERE to watch the full movie.

Have you seen all of these movies and shows already? Which one is your favorite? Any new ones that you know of that aren’t listed? I’d love to add more in anytime! Make sure to comment below with any recommendations!

Ok, now onto books!

I have always loved learning about horses! Reading what works for others is always helpful so that you can take what you'd like, and leave the rest. Here is a great list of my favorite books to help you better yourself as a horseman or horsewoman. I have read them a few times now and continue to go back and look through them from time to time:

Your Horse Believes In You (LINK HERE)

About the Book: Discover how Inspired Riding™ will make your horse proud! You are about to embark on a journey. Every ride, lesson, and encounter, teaches and shapes us. Horses are parallels to life. The more we get in tune with horses, the more we can understand our lives.

Beth Lauren Parrish, Creator of Inspired Riding™ and Certified Riding Instructor, has experienced the ultimate highs and the deepest lows on her life’s journey. She teaches with the wisdom and care attained from decades of experience. Through impactful stories, lessons and practical tools, she will inspire and guide you towards tremendous happiness with your horse. This book is divided into three parts: Part One: The Inspired Riding™ Way. Practical tools for cultivating clarity, confidence, and connection with your horse. Part Two: All about Beth's life journey with insights to inspire and hopefully help you avoid mishaps! Part Three: Messages for humans from the Inspired Riding™ herd members, told from their perspective.

"If your will for a positive and durable evolution for both yourself and your horse is in your heart, then Beth has all the keys you’ll need to open the right doors for you." -Marija Nielsen "Beth's online teaching and courses have done more for my confidence in 6 months, than several YEARS of in person lessons with other instructors." -Em Tilden "Beth gives you the concrete tools, framed in compassion, to move past your fear and connect deeply with your horse. The Inspired Riding™ Program has been a transformational journey, and I am forever grateful to have found her." -Tamar Reno Allow this book to bring more ease and grace into your life, and with your horses. May the horse be with you. Always.

The Tao of Equus (LINK HERE)

About the Book: Do horses make choices? How do they seem to know what people are thinking and feeling? Are horses spiritual beings with a destiny all their own? If so, how is this destiny connected with humanity's future? How does the equine mind compare with the human mind? What do horses have to teach people? And why are women so attracted to horses?

These are some of the questions writer and equine therapist Linda Kohanov explores in her extraordinary book The Tao of Equus. In it she intertwines the story of the spiritual awakening she experienced with her black mare Rasa with compelling neurological research, cultural history, mythology, and first-hand anecdotes from years of teaching and facilitating equine therapy.

Cowgirls Don't Quit (LINK HERE)

About the Book: It’s spring and time to move the cattle from winter pasture up to their summer range in the Colorado Rockies. Eleven-year-old Meghan is ecstatic to get the opportunity to come along to help on the cattle drive, though her mentor, Ol’ Ben, and her best friend, Xender, warn her that there’s “a lot of work to be done betwixt now and then.” If Meghan can’t ‘cowgirl up’ and help with that work, she won’t be allowed to go. She steps up to the challenge, helping to gather cattle, learning about ear-tagging and banding, and even helping vaccinate the cows.

Then comes the part she’s been looking forward to, with the enjoyable work of keeping the cattle moving along the roads, while watching wildlife and enjoying the tourists’ reactions at seeing a real-life cattle drive. What she doesn’t anticipate are horse wrecks, terrifying rides up mountains, or unscrupulous two-legged varmints.

Author Susan Carpenter Noble grew up as a horse-crazy kid in Central Pennsylvania. She has worked out of various training stables, mostly in Colorado. She has taught riding clinics around the country, written for national horse magazines, and trained state champions in Reining, Western Riding, Hunter Hack, and Working Hunter. She has also coached students to Regional and State Championships in Western Equitation, Trail, Barrel Racing, and Dressage.

Getting in TTouch: Understand and Influence Your Horse's Personality (LINK HERE)

About the Book: The internationally recognized equine expert and creator of the Tellington TTouch tells you how to analyze your horse's physical traits in order to understand and influence his personality. This book shows you how to read your horse's face and body and use that to sense its personality. It goes into depth teaching the TTouch method of massage so that you can connect with your horse on a physical level. 

Linda Tellington-Jones is the co-author of the highly successful The Tellington TTouch, The Tellington-Jones Equine Awareness Method, and Getting in TTouch. She lives in Santa Fe.

The Natural Horse: Foundations for Natural Horsemanship (LINK HERE)

About the Book: Author Jaime Jackson has been a professional farrier and horseman for 22 years. But it was over 10 years ago that he headed alone into America's wild horse country, hoping to find a humane, "natural" model for domestic horse care. Frustrated by the way horses are often mistreated by their owners, Jackson felt much of this resulted from misunderstanding the nature of the horse. What Jackson discovered is that horses do indeed have a natural order, and that knowledge can be applied in truly helpful ways to our domestic horses. In a thoughtful, systematic approach, Jackson lays out his revolutionary ideas about natural horse care in this remarkable book. In the first chapters, the reader steps through wild horse country with Jackson as guide, and is drawn into the nuances of social structure, locomotion and gaits, and the hooves-which Jackson states with authority, "are terribly misunderstood in the domestic horse world." Having armed the reader with a solid foundation of the horse's natural world, Jackson then challenges the reader and nearly every major principle of modern horse care, to "apply what we have learned." The final chapters demonstrate step-by-step what horsemen and horsewomen can and should do.

From hoof care and balanced riding in concert with the horse's natural abilities, to new forms of communication and humane care, The Natural Horse challenges conventional horse care on every front. First published in 1992 and just re-released in a handsome new edition, The Natural Horse is a must for those interested in applying natural methods to the care of their horses.

Natural Horse-Man-Ship: Six Keys to a Natural Horse-Human Relationship (LINK HERE)

About the Book: Internationally known and respected as a horseman and clinician, Pat Parelli has helped thousands of riders understand and communicate with their horses through his Parelli Natural Horse-Man-Ship program. PNH offers riders achievable goals and measurable standards, no matter the discipline - English or western - or the activity - competitive or recreational. Pat's philosophies and concepts are based on a language of trust, leadership and respect, and a special bond between horse and human.

Let me know if you've read any of these, and which one you plan to read next! They are all so great for deepening your horse-human connection and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! Comment with any book recommendations you have and I'll add them!