Buck Brannaman
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Dan M. "Buck" Brannaman (born January 29, 1962) is an American
horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them good behaviors and/or coaching them for events, which ...
and a leading clinician with a philosophy of handling horses based on classical concepts from the
vaquero The ''vaquero'' (; , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in what what is today Mexico (then New Spain) and Spanish Florida from a method brought to the Americ ...
tradition; working with the horse's nature, using an understanding of how horses think and communicate to train the horse to accept humans and work confidently and responsively with them. One of Brannaman's stated goals is to make the animal feel safe and secure around humans so that the horse and rider can achieve a true union.Brannaman, Buck. ''The Faraway Horses.'' Lyons Press, 2001. .


Early life and career

Brannaman was born in 1962 in
Sheboygan, Wisconsin Sheboygan () is a city in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan Metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan area, which has a pop ...
, and raised in
Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
and
Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
. Brannaman was for many years a disciple of Ray Hunt, one of the founders of the
natural horsemanship Natural horsemanship is a collective term for a variety of horse training techniques which have seen rapid growth in popularity since the 1980s. The techniques vary in their precise tenets but generally share principles of "a kinder and gentler ...
movement, and also inspired by
Tom and Bill Dorrance Brothers and horsemen William Dorrance (January 19, 1906 – July 20, 1999) and Tom Dorrance (May 11, 1910 – June 11, 2003) are considered among the founders of the modern natural horsemanship movement. Born and raised on an Oregon cattle ranch wi ...
. Brannaman now teaches clinics worldwide. About the clinics, he has noted, "the goal for clinics really is to just try to get the human being to understand as much about their horse as I can help them to understand." Brannaman had a difficult childhood, characterized by considerable
child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...
at the hands of his father, to the extent that he and his brother spent a number of years in
foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state- certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family mem ...
placement. He took solace in horses, and learned from his own experiences, to look at a situation from the point of view of the horse. Brannaman has written: : "I've started horses since I was 12 years old and have been bit, kicked, bucked off and run over. I've tried every physical means to contain my horse in an effort to keep from getting myself killed. I started to realize that things would come much easier for me once I learned why a horse does what he does." He later used these experiences in his career as a horse trainer, recognizing in difficult animals the same fear and hostile reactions he remembered from his own childhood: : "Abused horses are like abused children. They trust no one and expect the worst. But patience, leadership, compassion and firmness can help them overcome their pasts."Farrell, Allison "Whispering wisdom" ''Helena Independent Record,''
April 30, 2004
In recent years, he has become a
motivational speaker A motivational speaker (or inspirational speaker) is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep ta ...
for groups outside of the horse world, frequently describing the connection between
animal abuse Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction of suffering or harm by humans upon animals, either by omission (neglect) or by commission. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm or suffe ...
and abuse of children and other human beings. "For me, these principles are really about life," says Brannaman, "about living your life so that you're not making war with the horse, or with other people." Brannaman is also a skilled trick roper, having performed rope tricks in television commercials since he was six years old.Franke, Linda Boston. Review of ''The Faraway Horses,'' ''Ranch and Country Magazine,''
accessed online December 18, 2007
For his roping abilities, Brannaman also holds two spots in the
Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
.Buck Brannaman, The Horse Whisperer
/ref> Though Brannaman has said, "my dad gave us the choice of practicing roping tricks or getting whipped," he still takes pride in his skill, offers roping and cattle working clinics, and retains a close connection to the historic vaquero cowboy tradition of the western United States.


Recent life and career

Brannaman was one of the primary individuals who inspired the character of "Tom Booker" in the
Nicholas Evans Nicholas Benbow Evans (26 July 1950 – 9 August 2022) was a British journalist, screenwriter, television and film producer and novelist. He was best known for his 1995 debut novel, ''The Horse Whisperer (novel), The Horse Whisperer''. It has s ...
novel '' The Horse Whisperer'', and was the lead equine consultant for the film of the same name. Though the book itself was a work of fiction, Evans himself said: : "Others have falsely claimed to be the inspiration for Tom Booker in The Horse Whisperer. The one who truly inspired me was Buck Brannaman. His skill, understanding and his gentle, loving heart have parted the clouds for countless troubled creatures. Buck is the Zen master of the horse The publicity from the book and movie, along with Brannaman's approach to treating troubled horses and troubled humans with equal doses of compassion, has helped promote other fields such as
therapeutic horseback riding Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) encompasses a range of treatments that involve activities with horses and other equines to promote human physical and mental health. Modern use of horses for mental health treatment dates to the 1990s. Systematic re ...
. In that context, Brannaman has noted, "Horses are incredibly forgiving. They fill in places we're not capable of filling ourselves. They've given people a new hope, a new lease on life. A horse really wants to please you, to get along." Brannaman lives with his wife, Mary, in
Sheridan, Wyoming Sheridan is a city in the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Sheridan County, Wyoming, Sheridan County. The city is located halfway between Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone Park and Mount Rushmore by U.S. Route 14 in Wyoming, U.S. ...
. He has three daughters. A documentary about Brannaman called ''
Buck Buck may refer to: Common meanings * A colloquialism for a United States, Canadian, or Australian dollar * An adult male animal in some species - see List of animal names - e.g.: ** Goat buck ** Deer buck ** Sheep buck * Derby shoes, nicknamed "bu ...
'', directed by
Cindy Meehl Cindy Meehl is an American documentary filmmaker. Her first film, ''Buck'', was released on June 17, 2011, after a successful set of showings at U.S. film festivals including the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Biography Early life Cindy Meehl stu ...
, won the U.S. Documentary Competition Audience Award at the
2011 Sundance Film Festival The 27th annual Sundance Film Festival took place from January 20, 2011 until January 30, 2011 in Park City, Utah, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ogden, Utah, and Sundance, Utah. The festival opened with five screenings, one from each ...
. It was purchased by
IFC Films Independent Film Company (formerly IFC Films) is an American film production and distribution company based in New York City, New York. It is an offshoot of IFC (U.S. TV channel), IFC, owned by AMC Networks. It mainly distributes independent fil ...
under their Sundance Selections label. HR950
Further to the documentary "Buck" a series of DVDs has been produced entitled "7 Clinics" which together with his earlier DVD series creates a comprehensive library of his horsemanship.


Published works

*Brannaman, Buck. ''Groundwork: The First Impression''. Rancho Deluxe Design, 1997. . *Mangum, A.J. ''Ranch Roping with Buck Brannaman : A practical guide to traditional roping''. Western Horseman Books, 2002. , . *Brannaman, Buck (with William Reynolds). ''The Faraway Horses.'' Lyons Press, 2001. . *Brannaman, Buck and William Reynolds. ''Believe: A Horseman's Journey''. Lyons Press, 2006. , .


References


Sources

* Miller, Robert and Richard Lamb. ''Revolution in Horsemanship.'' Lyons Press, 2005. .


External links

*
Buck Brannaman's Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brannaman, Buck Living people American horse trainers Natural horsemanship Western horse trainers 1962 births Trick roping