Buck Brannaman is an honorable man. You just can’t help but like the guy for all that he has overcome and all that he does now. Hell, even Robert Redford, who brought Buck on as a stunt double and consultant during the filming of The Horse Whisperer (1998), calls Buck an “authentic, no nonsense guy.” Even he admires Buck’s etiquette, humanity and politeness.
Buck grew up with an abusive father that demanded trick ropin’ perfection from both Buck and his brother. Buck started at age three and he and his borther became childhood celebrities who appeared in Kellogg’s Pops commercials. They earned RCA (Real Cowboy Association) cards. But it wasn’t enough to please their father who beat them “unmercifully.” Buck needed an escape and he found it years later with his foster parents, Forrest and Betsy Shirley.
Forrest went to pick up a shy little Buck one day to bring him home. Forrest offered Buck a pair of Buckskin gloves and he jumped in the truck. They started building fences. Buck was even humble back then though and chose to save his treasured gloves and work barehanded with the barbed wire. Forrest taught Buck how to shoe a horse and how to ride. He told Buck that maybe he wouldn’t amount to much, but at least he could always find food. And so it started.
Buck’s tortured soul found its way in the world of helping “horses with people problems.” He acts gentle and empathetic, getting even the wildest of horse to follow like a well-trained dog. He can get them into a trailer without touching them. It’s that careful consideration of others-in this case horses-that allows him to be a success.
But it was also the fear and vulnerability that was ingrained into Buck that helped to make him what he is today-the best “horse whisperer” around and one damn good man. He gives the impression of a tough, deep-voiced, black coffee drinkin’ cowboy like his foster father-“made out of rawhide and barbed wire.” But he’s gentle and intuitive. He admits to watching Oprah and learning about the greatest aphrodisiac (running a vacuum) for his wife, Mary. He uses his mind rather than his strength. He moves slowly and methodically. “Everything you do with a horse is a dance,” he said.
Gary Myers, childhood friend of Buck’s, wondered “what kinda voodoo stuff” Buck was into but the fact of the matter is, as Buck puts it, “what’s normal to you isn’t normal to a horse.” For example, he lists the steps to saddling a horse. You approach them and expect to strap dead animal hides to their back. Maybe you smell like the meat of another animal you just had for lunch. Then you want to jump up on their back (the way that a lion would in order to attack and kill them). It all sounds like a pretty absurd idea when he puts it that way. Horses need to trust someone, just like any human would. It’s all about eliminating fear.
Watching Buck is like a workshop in parenting, counseling, teaching and pet training. He acts as parent, not as friend, and seems to believe wholeheartedly that a troubled horse or human is the result of a troubled upbringing. Fortunately he has broken through that barrier thanks to his foster parents. His loving foster mom was his “guiding force.” She raised 23 foster sons over her lifetime and instilled the belief in Buck that “blessed are the flexible, for they shall not get bent out of shape.”
The Shirley’s disciplined and encouraged Buck and he transferred that to the horses and the people that he helps. He travels 9 months out of the year to offer horse clinics. But, oftentimes, he’s ultimately dealing with the baggage of the horses’ owners. “All your horses are a mirror to your soul,” he tells his clients.
All in all, Buck still wants to be a better horseman. He has guts and drive and that’s what you need as a starting point, the way he sees it. Otherwise, you’re just “damn lucky to be ordinary.”
I feel that a lot of people could benefit from watching Buck’s way. Unfortunately, it’s likely that those that could benefit the most will never see this film. We all could Buck-up and use a little more patience these days.
I give it 3.5 stars. See it if you can.
Buck plays at 3:30, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday during the Art Theater’s documentary festival.