Buck

The Horse Whisperer may be a Hollywood legend, but the cowboy who was the inspiration for both the book and the film is very real. With great effect and considerable success, Buck Brannaman spends nine months of the year travelling through America imparting his inexhaustible equine knowledge at clinics and therapy groups. “Instead of helping people with horse problems, I help horses with people problems,” says the charismatic Brannaman. It is not unusual for the problems of a horse to have their roots in its owner. Brannaman’s tender approach to animals was not something he was born with. Following the early death of their mother, he and his brother were exposed to frequent outbreaks of violence while under the care of their father. It was not until Brannaman was placed in a foster family that he was able to build up a new sense of trust and develop his way of handling both people and horses with respect.