Short documentary premiering in 2025...
A homeless man recovering from alcoholism escapes to a remote southern Colorado mesa and forges a new path living amongst wild horses.
About the film
Coloradoan John Wayne Smith was homeless for eight years working through recovery when he resettled himself on a high desert mesa where wild horses roamed. A wounded pregnant mare showed up at his door and John nursed her back to health, later delivering her foal he affectionately named Blizzard. The profound bond sets into motion an unexpected healing journey into the wonderful world of wild horses.
Four years later we meet John coexisting with several bands of mustangs that he has come to intimately know in a way that few people have experienced. Living with a hundred wild horses and a mule has given him an alternative path versus a system that he felt was not serving him, however living the life of a rugged individualist alone on a mesa presents its own set of challenges, even for someone named after tough guy John Wayne. John also eventually realizes that the resource scarcity he was familiar with when he was homeless may threaten his beloved mustangs.