"Dobie, The Mustangs, and The Longhorn" The mustang statue has always been one of my favorite statues on campus. The way that the mustangs explode on to you and each other is something that I find so appealing and genuine. I love the way the mustangs seem to be fighting for space and the one mustang that is higher than all of them is the one that grabs my attention the most. I don't know if it's because of the elevation or the fact that it looks the strongest and most fierce to me. He holds his head up and his front hooves seem to make him look even stronger. Dobie once wrote that, "The true conceiver must be a true lover of freedom." That is exactly what the mustangs were. The details in their structures make them look so strong and wild. Their manes go everywhere and the lack of direction gives the sense of the untamed heart that lies inside. I wish that I could feel as free as they look. No one to tie you down or tell you where to go or give you structure. Just go and be strong and free to do what you want to go or give you structure. The world is so hung up on schedules and guidelines that it takes the fun out of the mischeviousness and wildness that we all have hidden within us. The mustangs are a true inspiration of the shear basics of beauty, stamina, strength, and freedom to me. This statue definitely proves all of this. Dobie wrote, "When he stood with fear before his captor, bruised from falls by the restrictive rope, made submissive by choking, clogs, cuts, and starvation, he had lost what made him so beautiful and free. Illusion and reality had alike been destroyed." When I read these words my heart broke to know that man tamed a creature that we look to for freedom and wildness. Man wanted to break the one's that were free and killed the spirit of the mustang. The longhorn that is located in front of the Alumni Center is one that is grand in scale but doesn't seem to look like the mustangs did, lines sculpted to define muscles and give the animals tone and shape. They were made that way to imply strength yet the longhorn's ribs are showing and he is quite slender, even though he is large as a statue. The longhorns as a species are lean animals that do not represent brut and strength like the mustangs. This statue does represent history, tradition, and respect yet the physical aspects are not very overwhelming, except for the large horns that are on both sides of his head. The longhorn is an animal that I have grown up loving, because of the University of Texas and because of my grandfather. The way the big longhorns would roam around the pasture grazing on grass and then slowly raise their heads up to look around is such a beautiful memory to me. These creatures are so gentle and hold so much tradition that looking at a statue of one invokes feelings of pride in me because of what longhorns have represented to me throughout my life and probably until the day that I die. Dobie's house seems so peaceful and resourceful. I love the way that it is open and full of light. Dobie must of loved the idea that he was so close to the University. It must have been great to have everything that you love so much so close to you and to be surrounded in it. He probably was a very happy man and lived a great life.