“These mustangs, you pressure them too much and they can’t handle it. They are either going to be trying to jump out of the pen or they are going to turn and try and fight, trying to save their life,” says staff trainer Guy McEnulty. “People to me are a lot the same way as the horse. If you get them excited they can’t think very good and a lot of the times make the wrong decisions.”

Can a wild creature be rehabilitated and socialized for safe interaction with humans? Can two wild creatures – prisoner and mustang – help each other to a better life? “The Wild Horse Redemption” follows the men and mustangs of the Wild Horse Inmate Program through one training cycle. Staff member McEnulty guides experienced inmate trainers as they try to teach new trainees how to break horses fresh from the range. Some won’t make it.

“Almost all of them are scared starting out but as they work with the horse, they develop a communication that helps get rid of some of that fear. There are a few guys that never get over that fear. They are just not cut out to be a horse trainer,” adds McEnulty.



With spectacular footage and raw emotion, “The Wild Horse Redemption” is about man and nature in one of the rare instances where the balance between the two seems to be working out just about right.

“Throughout my career I have tried to raise awareness and change public attitudes about many issues – always using personal stories to illustrate a bigger theme. For many years I’ve been fascinated by stories of redemption and the idea that most people are never beyond reaching – if the right intervention takes place at the right time,” said the Canadian filmmaker Zaritsky.