One of the prettiest sights on a back country road is of horses galloping or quietly grazing in a wide open field. Truth be told, I’m afraid of horses, having ridden only a few times in my life.

I didn’t know how to control the powerful animal I was sitting on, so I just held on for dear life, palms sweating, heart pounding.

But I’ve always marveled at people who have a sixth sense about animals, and I was particularly drawn to a documentary, “Buck,” about cowboy Buck Brannaman who uses natural horsemanship to train horses.

His early life was traumatic. After Buck’s mother died, his father beat him and his brother so savagely and so often that Buck feared for his life every single day.

When he was 12 years old, his football coach saw welts and bruises on his back, and he and the sheriff removed Buck and his brother from their father’s home the very same day. Buck went to live with foster parents Forrest and Betsy Shirley who provided a safe home for the brothers.

Buck learned a lot from the Shirleys – respect does not mean fear, people need to feel wanted and productive and a family’s love does not include intimidation and fear.

Because the Shirleys came into their lives, the brothers were able to grow up in a home filled with strong family values and two foster parents who lovingly treated the dozens of boys who lived with them as their own sons.

Buck translated that understanding into the way he trains horses using natural horsemanship, the philosophy of working with horses by appealing to their instincts and building a partnership instead of intimidation.

For over 24 years, he’s built on the natural horsemanship methods he learned from Ray Hunt and Tom Dorrance and now gives four-day clinics all over the country.

Watching him as he rode alongside colts and their owners, constantly giving feedback, I realized Buck was also giving lessons in how to train children – be firm and quick with instruction. Give praise when a task is accomplished correctly.

Discipline does not mean cruelty. Give love freely when a task is accomplished and praise when it’s earned.

His dry sense of humor is evident throughout the film, and I found myself wondering how anyone with as violent a past as Buck lived could grow into such a funny and compassionate man and trainer.

I think it’s because Buck realized he had to understand why a horse did what it did before he could accept or change that temperament. And that same understanding applies to people – we must understand what motivates someone and then we can begin to communicate and change for the better.

In Buck’s clinics, people of all ages come to believe they can be better horsemen and women than they ever thought they could be. When the sessions are over, owners realize Buck didn’t just teach them about animals – he taught them about life.

Buck reminds us to be kinder to our fellow humans and understand we accomplish more through respect than through fear. We can experience quiet healing and unconditional love when we extend a trusting hand to both humans and animals.

This film stays with viewers long after the credits stop rolling. “Buck” is a reminder that people make free choices as to how they want to live their lives. Either live bravely in the moment or brood about and resent the past.

Listening to Buck Brannaman, I know what path I want to take.
 
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.