Ben Masters talks unique documentary 'Unbranded'
In 2010, Texan-born Ben Masters completed a 2,000-mile ride along the US Continental Divide with his two friends and a group of adopted mustang horses from the Bureau of Land Management. This trip awakened Masters curiosity and made him decide to investigate the welfare of wild horses, discovering that an astonishing 50,000 wild horses are held by the US government and in need of permanent homes.
Unbranded sees Masters, and three fellow Texans – Thomas Glover, Ben Thamer and Jonny Fitzsimons – embark on an extraordinary and life-changing journey as they travel on the back of wild mustangs from the Mexican border to Canada. Covering 3,000 miles, Masters and his team toured the American West from the Grand Canyon to Yellow National Park – all of which was documented by filmmaker Phillip Baribeau.
“We didn’t have any way of funding this, and big production companies didn’t want to get involved,” says Masters. “We resorted to Kickstarter as our funding mechanism.” After 45 days of launching their Kickstarter campaign, Masters and his team raised more than an incredible $173,000 with over 1,000 donations. “The people that donated feel that they got a good deal as we did: Unbranded would not exist without Kickstarter.”
As well as Masters and his mustang gang, director Baribeau came along for the 3,000-mile ride alongside cinematographer Korey Kaczmarek, editor Scott Chestnut and producers Dennis Aig and Cindy Meehl. “Meeting Phill and getting him involved was the luckiest thing that happened to Unbranded,” asserts Masters. “He loved the idea of a 3,000-mile expedition and just dove straight in.”
Masters, alongside professional horse trainers Jerry Jones and Lanny Leach, trained 16 mustangs for three months before starting their journey at the beginning of 2013. Throughout Unbranded, you see the horses at times buck and rebel leaving some of the posse injured. “Training, the horses, was tough and dangerous, but it was also extremely rewarding,” he recounts.
As creator and co-producer of Unbranded, Masters confirms that this project was by far the hardest obstacle that he has ever crossed. He recounts a moment in which he was ready to call it quits: “Losing the horses for 40 miles was awful. When they ran away from us, it was just terrible.” However, on top of trying times, the guys also met with some memorable moments. “I remember fly fishing off of my horse Luke – that was awesome.”
Before the foursome started their journey from the Mexican border to Canada, they spent time with friend, mentor, horse trainer and “cowboy poet” Val Geissler, who provided them with hay, water and a place to stay. “We are so lucky that Val got involved in this project. He’s done so much for us and seeing the film for the first time was a very emotional experience for him,” says Masters. At the mid-way point, the guys meet Geissler again who is filled with bittersweet joy at seeing his boys again and having to say goodbye: a very poignant moment captured in Unbranded.
As well as producing and taking part in the development of Unbranded, Masters is now CEO of Fin & Fur Films as well as an accomplished photographer and co-author of the book Unbrandedalongside fellow riders Fitzsimons and Glover. Masters asserts that the journey, and all that has come his way since, have no doubt changed his life. “I thought Unbrandedwould be good, but I had no idea that it would impact so many people in the way that it has,” he confirms. “We get lots of questions from people wanting to do a similar ride or to adopt a mustang, and that is extremely rewarding – it has done wonders for me on a personal level as well as a career level.”
On 1st April 2013, Masters, Glover, Thamer and Fitzsimons crossed five states and 3,000 with 16 mustangs and one goal: to create awareness and inspire the adoption of 50,000 wild horses in the American West. Their unpredictable journey collided with heat, jumping cactus, frostbite, snakes, sickness, rapid rivers and dangerous cliffs – all of which was met with zero regrets from Masters.
“It was very emotional – we chased a crazy dream that a lot of people said was a bad idea,” he says. “A lot of people have a desire to go on a big adventure or to do something that doesn’t really make financial or logical sense. But I hope that Unbranded inspires people to take that leap of faith and embark on their own version of Unbranded.”