Despite his own aversion to bronco busting, there is no denying Russell’s uncanny feel for horse anatomy. He could twist man and animal anyway he wanted for purposes of action, yet, since he visualized the figures in the round, always make his distortions seem natural. The vertical composition of this watercolor heightens its visual impact, emphasizing the towering height of the bucking horse and the rider on its back as they crowd the edges of the painting and, in their violent exertions, threaten to explode right out of it.