Buck Brannaman
Horse Whisperer

If you mentioned the name "Buck Brannaman" in Sheridan, Wyoming, most likely you'd get the same response you would if you mentioned any other name. That's because at home in Sheridan, Buck and Mary Brannaman are just a couple of nice people who ranch east of town. If you mention Bucks name in any one of the hundreds of cities across the United States where he offers his horsemanship clinics the response is more likely to be "when will he be in town again....I've got a horse that needs some help!"

On the off chance that you've never heard of Buck Brannaman, you probably have heard of the book and hit movie "The Horse Whisperer." Although the majority of characters in the book were fictional, the story, for the most part, was based on Buck and his unusually effective way of working with troubled horses. In order to ensure that Buck's methods were portrayed accurately in the movie, Robert Redford retained Buck as technical advisor as well as his stand in.

Thousands of people each year pay what is considered by most to be a nominal fee to have Buck teach them how to reach their troubled horses. After a session with Brannaman, horses that refuse fences, are difficult to catch, bite, strike, buck, kick or won't load in a trailer come away with the incredible capacity to forget their bad habits and leave their troubles behind. The entire process is accomplished by teaching some pretty simple concepts such as achieving a true and honest communication between horse and rider.

Brannaman is a true Wyoming cowboy who bends a horse's spirit with a unique language of training. It is a language of speech and harmony. Where other trainers "break" horses and force them into physical submission, Brannaman's remarkable relationship with horses is reliant on his understanding of their intelligence and sensitivity. "A horse is a kind and gentle animal," Brannaman says. "He's honest, and so sensitive he can feel a mosquito land on its back in a windstorm. You have to work with that sensitivity and nurture it. If you don't, you'll dull it and lose it."

If you ever wonder just how good Buck is at this, take a look at his clinic schedule. He's booked every month from March to the middle of November!