Critical Response Essay

ARS 402 Critical Response

 

Artist Statement

In high school, a friend I grew up brought me to the farm owned by mustang trainer Rob West. At the time, I didn’t know what I was getting into. I went with the intention of going on trail rides with a friend and enjoying a hobby together. I did not have access to a horse and my mom had stopped buying me lessons, so naturally I accepted every invite to ride from my friend. Eventually I made two decisions: (1) I was going to ask to lease one of Rob’s mustangs, and (2) I needed to get a job to do it. I succeeded at both tasks quite quickly and that is when everything fell into place. I became interested in watching Rob train each new mustang, and developed a friendship with Rob along the way. Eventually he started letting me ride a few of them as they were finished in their training, trusting my riding ability. 4 years later, that brings me to my current project. I ‘shadowed’ Rob each step of the way as he trained his current mustang, Sunny. I found this project to be as interesting as much as it was enjoyable to watch. I hope that you enjoy watching, too.

 

Finished Video