If there is an enduring archetype about the American West, it is the cowboy on his faithful horse riding through the wilderness and into the sunset. This archetype was formed by numerous books, songs and John Ford westerns and has passed into the collective American cultural mythos.

Unfortunately, this romantic view of the old West sometimes clashes with reality. In the modern American West, these wilderness lands are bisected by private property, roads, different land agencies, and jurisdictions. Riding through these lands poses a challenge for those on a long journey. Is it still possible to capture the sense of romanticism and adventure on such a journey in modern times?

The Unbranded Documentary

The new documentary Unbranded has a simple answer: Yes.

With some planning and a little help, it is still possible to capture this spirit of the mythologized American West even in modern society. Unbranded is tale of four recent college graduates who set out to ride from the Mexico border in Arizona to the Canadian border by Glacier National Park.

These four men, along with sixteen horses and one donkey, cover nearly 3000 miles through deserts and mountains, old mining roads, single track trails, and what looked to be some cross country travel. A route was put together that encompasses parts of both the Arizona Trail and the Continental Divide Trail along with other wilderness areas.

Uniquely, the journey was done with another archetype of the American West: wild horses. Commonly known as mustangs. As of 2010, 33,700 horses and 4,700 burros is the current feral population in the United States with another 34,000 in BLM holding pens.

Wild horses

The three-thousand mile long journey and the resulting documentary was done in part to show the plight of these animals. The politics of the debate on how best to handle the growing numbers of feral horses is discussed. Are the horses stripping the land bare? Are there enough resources to sustain the horses? Should there be more protection? Is it ethical to hold that many animals in holding pens?

A wide variety of people and opinions are portrayed. Ranchers state their case, wildlife activists give their thoughts and biologists state the facts. All in what I felt was an even handed and fair manner.

The interesting facts, discussions and issues are interspersed within the documentary of the journey itself. And the journey itself was fascinating. Wonderful cinematography and a unique tale. There are plenty of documentaries about end to end hikes on well-known National Scenic Trails, but so few about following a self-made route. And even fewer about performing the journey on horseback.

The challenges are many for the journey: The maps often had trails that don’t exist anymore, climbs were performed on old mining roads that were arduous and more akin to scrambling than riding/hiking, and the health of the horses was always a constant concern.

There were moments of sadness leavened by moments of silliness. The kindness of the communities and the people within them experienced by the horseback riders was amazing. And, perhaps rather appropriate for a documentary about a long journey on horseback, many thoughtful discussions were had around campfires.

In Conclusion

As a person who has hiked some of the long trails, two scenes and the discussion engendered by the incidents resonated with me. Namely, when there was a question of breaking the continuity of the journey due to a time delay when attempting to find a missing horse. And, when at the end of the journey, one member of the group performed a symbolic act that may have ruined the continuity of the journey but was important to him. These incidents are essentially the debate over the “purity” of a journey with unbroken footsteps being important versus the experience of the journey itself that may or may not matter more.

At just under two hours in length, Unbranded is well worth watching.

Unbranded is not just for people who love horses or even long journeys. It is a documentary for anyone who loves the wild spaces and spends time in them.

Where to watch: Unbranded is available for both DVD and digital purchase here at Amazon.com.

Editor's Note: This article by contributor Paul Magnanti originally appeared in Issue 26 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here.