Buck Brannaman - the Horseman's Horseman
In horse circles, he’s as famous as the well-known actor who portrayed him.
Born 29th January 1962, Dan M. ‘Buck’ Brannaman is a renowned horseman and teacher within natural horsemanship.
A philosophy based on working with the horse’s nature, Natural Horsemanship uses an understanding of how they think and communicate with each other to allow us to train them to accept humans, to respond and to work with confidence with them.
Buck states that his goal is to make the horse feel safe and secure around humans, therefore enabling the horse and rider to achieve a true union. His skill in the saddle is matched only by his ability to teach safe and effective horsemanship to riders of all ability levels.
The author of the Groundwork and The Faraway Horses books, Buck has produced many horsemanship videos, and with ‘BUCK’, a visually striking documentary on Brannaman, which premiered Robert Redford’s 2011 Sundance Film Festival, winning the Audience Award for best documentary, he has become well known worldwide.
Although born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin in1962, Buck was raised in Montana and Idaho. He had an abusive father which led to many years of foster care for himself and his brother. Horses soon became his comfort and he used these experiences to look at a situation through their point of view. Buck has written: ‘I’ve started horses since I was 12 years old and have been bitten, 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 realise that things would come much easier for me once I learned why a horse does what he does.’
He went on to use these experiences in his career as a horse trainer, recognising the same fear and hostile reactions in difficult animals he could remember from his childhood. His belief is that horses who are abused are like abused children. They expect the worse and do not trust anyone, but that this can all be overcome in time.
Inspired by the teachings of Tom & Bill Dorrance and also Ray Hunt, one of the founders of the natural horsemanship movement, Buck now teaches his clinics worldwide and is noted to have said, ‘the goal for clinics is to just try and teach the human to understand as much about their horse as I can help them understand.’
Buck also went on to become a motivational speaker for organisations that lay outside the equine world, and has frequently described the connection between animal abuse and the abuse of children and other human beings. ‘For me these principles are really about life,’ he says, ‘ about living your life so that you’re not making war with the horse, or with other people’.
As well as his love of natural horsemanship, Buck Brannaman is also an accomplished Trick Roper and, since the age of six, has performed rope tricks in television commercials. In fact he holds two spots in the Guinness Book of World Records. However, this skill is tinged with sadness as he admits that his father gave him, and his brother, little choice about practising roping tricks. It was that or receive a ‘whipping’. He does though, take pride in this skill and offers roping and cattle working clinics too, and retains a close association to the historic Vaquero cowboy tradition of the western United States. He now lives in Sheridan, Wyoming with his wife Mary and their three daughters.
If asked to name a favourite horse and why, Buck always points to the one on the front of his book – Biff. According to Buck, Biff was a very difficult horse to work with and had been badly treated, and this was the reason he was bought. Buck was of the belief that this horse would make him better. Biff, now ‘kinda old, is now enjoying his retirement and will be sorely missed when he’s gone.
As well as being the lead equine consultant on the internationally acclaimed film The Horse Whisperer, Buck Brannaman was also alleged to be the inspiration for the lead character, Tom Booker, played by Robert Redford and Nicholas Evans, the author of the book has acknowledged that this is true and that he believes that Buck is the Zen master of the horse world.
Publicity from the book and the film, alongside Buck’s approach to treating troubled horses and humans with equal doses of compassion helped to promote other fields such as therapeutic horse riding.
The UK Clinics – 13th, 14th & 15th June 2015
Horsemanship 1 Class – 9am to 12pm. Horsemanship 2 Class – 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
Horsemanship 1 - For the greener horse and rider already comfortable in the snaffle bit along with aged horses needing continued work. All levels of riders - no matter what discipline, will benefit. All manoeuvres stress the Vaquero style of riding and are appropriate for horses from first level snaffle to experienced bridle horses. Hackamore horses welcome (please note that this refers to the Bosal hackamore and not the rope hackamore).
Horsemanship 2 - The next phase in the development of the versatile bridle horse, this class will introduce the rider to working the horse in the hackamore and beyond.
Riders - The clinic is fully booked.
Spectators – Tickets for spectators are £45.00 per person per day, or £120 for 3 days. Tickets need to be purchased prior to the clinic and are digital. When you have purchased your ticket(s) you will receive an order confirmation by email along with your ticket(s). This needs to be printed out and brought with you to the event. If you are unable to print your tickets, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. we will then print them out and post them to you. Seating is provided, however seats are not numbered or allocated so please arrive early for the best seats. It is an indoor venue. Doors will open at 7.45am and the clinic will commence at 9.00am
