The Last Stronghold: The Miles City Bucking Horse Sale

“We've always liked that which is a little bit bad and a little bit wild.” This observation happens to be about horses, but the same could be said for the general mystique of the Old West, and perhaps nothing more personifies the essence of both the sentiment and the region than the Miles City (Montana) Bucking Horse Sale. Providing feisty unbroken horses to the rodeo trade, Miles City's show and sale brings visitors from all over to watch cowboys struggle to remain astride horses that badly want them off (filmed up-close and sometimes shown in painful-looking slow-mo here). Narrated by cowboy poet and rancher Wally McRae, this documentary also features interviews with ranchers, cowboys, and cowgirls who believe their way of life is disappearing due to NAFTA, the federal government, and environmentalists. This is not a title for the children's department (at least not in blue states): it contains graphic footage of an injured horse's gaping wound, as well as the usual calf branding and castration. However, this is recommended for both regional and more adventurous general collections. Aud: P. (R. Reagan)