Book & DVD Reviews

Since 1999, I have used some of the techniques taught by both Bill and Tom Dorrance (Tom Dorrance mentored Ray Hunt over the years and Ray Hunt was Buck Brannaman’s mentor) with my own horses.

So, when I heard the news from the Sundance Film Festival that a documentary about Brannaman had been well received, I was, of course, delighted.

I’d like to address my thoughts on the film in two different ways: first, as a moviegoer, and secondly as a horsewoman.

I find it remarkable that Cindy Meehl has had such good success with her directorial debut in this film. I think she has a good eye for subject matter of course, but, she clearly had Brannaman’s trust throughout the film, and his candor on many difficult subjects was both touching and heart wrenching. To come through so many challenges in his life with so little self-pity speaks to his character as a human being. And, either from good luck or good connections, Meehl found an excellent editor that took the hours and hours of interviews and clinic footage and successfully pared it down to run in an acceptable timeframe. The cameos and comments by Robert Redford were delightful, as were the clips from set of “The Horse Whisperer.” Some of the jokes made during the film are very funny, and help balance some of the darker tone that come when Brannaman talks about his horrific childhood.

So, as a film, it is superb, and I fully expect it to be a serious Oscar contender next March.

As a horsewoman I saw very little in the film that I had not seen before at various clinics I have attended over the past 20 years. One exercise was new to me that I liked very much – in the colt starting class Brannaman had the attendees mount up on their young horses in a round pen saddled but with no bridle, and he pushed them through walk-trot-canter as a group using a flag – a wonderful confidence builder for both the rider as well as these young, green horses. And, of course, Brannaman himself with his impeccable timing and positioning when working with horses is a joy to behold. This comes not only with years of experience, but is just a gift some people are fortunate enough to have. And Brannaman has it in spades.

However, I could not help but notice that some of the more troubled horses were blown and exhausted both in his clinics and also in the example of a Ray Hunt colt starting class, which is what it took to get a saddle on them. I understand that in the limited time of the clinic sometimes this is what it takes to get that first ride, and getting that first ride is the expectation of the people attending the clinic. It leaves the question though as to what is going to happen with the people take their horses home – will the lesson stick, or will it simply open a can of worms that the owner will have to cope with? I’ve had to deal with the can of worms before, and it has not been a pleasant experience.

Another issue I have always had with Brannaman (and many others of the Vaquero school) is what I consider to be a close-minded approach as far as other methods. Operant conditioning is an example (clicker training), which I know works, and works VERY well with certain human/horse combinations. Not all people, especially women, are comfortable with wading in with a rope halter to make corrections. This type of dogmatic approach can lead to difficulties for rider/horse pairs if the flag/rope halter method just doesn’t work for them. Not everyone is going to be able to get his or her head around the concept of a ‘soft feel.’ Good horsemanship can be very much like religion – and I believe there is no ‘one true path’ and it is always troublesome to be shut down when you might believe that any particular technique is just not right for you and your horse.