Legend

Quite often, the horses men rode during round ups and trail drives would only be about half broke. Oft times, a man had to ‘smooth out the humps’ before he could get to work.

Here’s a working cowboy (circa 1880), who, having mounted his horse of a mornin’, gets the ride of his life. Not to mention the ‘show’ he puts on for ‘the boys’. Believe it or not, he’ll probably be workin’ cattle off the same horse a short while later.

I wanted to create ‘a ride’ that represented the spirit of power, beauty and commitment (of both horse and rider) – a ‘Legend’.

Funny how what someone says is not what one hears. During the first hour of sculpting this piece, a fellow artist came up to me and said, “The last thing this world needs is another bucking horse bronze”. What I heard him say was, “Make it legendary”. I thank him for his comment, which inspired me to press my ability to the limit.

Note: In the man’s extended right hand is a split leather quirt – this cowboy is going to bring it down ‘forceful’ alongside the cheek of the horse “poppin’ leather”. What he’s doing….is trying to get the horse’s head up. If a horse’s head is up…it’s harder for it to buck.