The Rattlesnake

This sculpture exemplifies Remington’s success at capturing action at the height of suspense. The bodies of the horse and the rider are filled with tension as they react to the poised snake. The rider’s chaps are called woolly chaps. They were usually made from buffalo or sheep skin and provided significantly better weather protection than just leather. Each cast of The Rattlesnake has this feature. By contrast, only a few of The Broncho Buster sculptures have woolly chaps, and these few are considered notable because of their rarity. Remington created 22 different subjects in bronze. The Rattlesnake was the twelth sculpture.