Mustang Country is an unframed art paper print by Canadian nature artist Robert Bateman. “My interest in human heritage is only surpassed by my lifelong fascination with natural heritage. The history of mustangs goes back to the days of the Spanish conquistadors who introduced the horse to North America. The First Nations of the Great Plains such as the Blackfoot and Sioux used these early horses to totally transform their lifestyles. They could hunt bison, go on the warpath or move their communities using these animals. The railway and European settlers ended that world forever. Remnant populations of those early horses escaped, however, and survived on their own in the more remote grasslands and parklands of North America. These pockets of wildness are now being threatened by expansion of human population and development. In a real way their fate is parallel to the fate of other endangered species. And so my concern over the disappearance of natural heritage and human heritage comes together in the mustang. In this painting I have shown the lead stallion of the herd going down for a morning drink while the mares and progeny follow.” ~ Robert Bateman
