Mustang Horse Sculpture -Art by Patricia Crane

Mustang Horse Sculpture As An Art Genre

Mustang horse sculpture represents living history, the endurance, and the spirit of freedom. Seeing with your own eyes, the majestic mustang in motion is breathtaking. This art genre focuses on the cowboy, his work and his horse, even if the cowboy is absent in the work! The mustang, whether Kiger or Spanish, or Pryor Mountain Mustang, portrayed by today's artists is a reflection of the wild horse's inspiration for everyone world wide.

The Mustang Horse sculpture displayed below is on display at the International Museum at the Kentucky Horse Park. There are also 2 life size sculptures on the grounds of the park by this same sculptor. Crane's bronzes are museum quality and a few can be viewed on this website.

History of Mustang Horse Sculpture

The dependence of our modern breeds, and their everyday association with man has changed the horse's bodily expressions of freedom, while the wild ones embody the essence of the more natural horses in a world that once was.

Mustang horse sculpture has long been associated with the remnants of the original cowboy culture in America and is reflected in the North American art tradition of the West (as well it should be). Yet the art inspired by depictions of the cowboy or cowhorse and especially the Mustang horses, holds an even larger symbol for us all. Patricia Crane, in a life spent with horses and with sculpture could not fail to recognized the unbridled spirit of the Mustang, their great and enduring heart and stamina and utter love of freedom. Many a cowboy who knew the true wild mustang said that the light in the eyes of these wild ones was vastly greater than that of even the Thoroughbreds.

Although the mustang by definition was wild, the cowboy and Indian were both known in the early days to admire, capture and ride the wild ones. The mustang, the early Indian and the cowboy too, were all part of a world that has changed radically. It is no wonder that the Western genre of Indian, cowboy, and mustang horse sculpture and other art media came into being to depict what was and is seen as the romance as well as the splendor of this time period in history. Of course the mustang of the older time period does not truly exist today. The life style of the cowboy has changed somewhat too, along with much else in the world.

The word mustang derives from a Spanish word meaning "stray", and that is precisely how the wild herds of mustangs grew and flourished, away from mankind. It was a time of horses, and the mustang was part of it all, including the Indians, settlers, eventual mustang hunters of all kinds, and the cowboy. Attempts are in place to preserve remnants of the mustang, along with the name, and they are being bred under private ownership today, at the same time the descendents of the wild mustang herds are being reduced. The cowboy of today is a bit tamer too, although they might not say so themselves!


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