Top 90 Buck Brannaman Quotes
#1. Solutions to problems often come from knowing when to ask for help.
Buck Brannaman
#2. They say nerves heal real slowly. Lots of things about us heal real slowly.
Buck Brannaman
#3. The horse responds to comfort, they respond to peace better than about anything else you could do. All he wants you to do is just leave him alone. So if the horse responds to you and you give him a little peace and comfort that means more to him than anything.
Buck Brannaman
#4. And for a lot of people, they want it all to be fuzzy and warm and cosmic, but it's no different with a horse than with a kid ... You can't always be the kid's best friend. First you have to be the parent.
Buck Brannaman
#5. A horse that has made a positive change in his behavior needs an opportunity to 'soak', to concentrate on & digest what he has learned. He needs his quiet time. Given this opportunity, his response will be better the next time you work with him.
Buck Brannaman
#6. When you see a horse that's troubled, you sort of feel sorry for them, yet that doesn't mean that you wouldn't still ask the horse to behave and find a way to fit in and respond to you as well.
Buck Brannaman
#7. Kind of where you end up your ride on a horse is so important. It's a little bit like when you guys were younger & you were dating, that last two minutes of the date can be a real deal breaker. With these horses it's the same thing you know? You got to quit on a good note.
Buck Brannaman
#8. It's a matter of timing and of patience. Although it may seem nothing is happening on the surface, there may yet be profound changes occurring a little deeper. Waiting isn't bad.
Buck Brannaman
#9. You might measure your approach to a horse the same way as your approach to people because there are going to be some horses, like some people, who might be inclined to tune you out.
Buck Brannaman
#10. I've often told people who ask if there is a God: Get around enough people with horses and see what happens. See how they survive in spite of all the things they do, and you'll become a believer!
Buck Brannaman
#11. I'm just trying to get people to understand horses. You have to be consistent and logical, use your brain, and not be emotional and not lose your temper.
Buck Brannaman
#12. When riding, ask yourself what will my horse get out of it if I get what I want? Many times, human nature is to take and to not give anything back.
Buck Brannaman
#13. Whether it's horses or whatever it is you do, it doesn't become an art until your soul goes into what you do.
Buck Brannaman
#14. You allow a horse to make mistakes, the horse will learn from mistakes no different than the human. But you can't get him to where he dreads making mistakes for fear of what's going to happen after he does.
Buck Brannaman
#16. I realized that there are some things about all of us, no matter where we're from, that connects us as humans. We're looking for the same sorts of contentment in our lives and while some people are searching a little harder than others, we're not all that different.
Buck Brannaman
#17. I just spend my life driving down the road, training horses and helping people.
Buck Brannaman
#18. Nobody has to lose for me to succeed and that is a unique job. Everybody wins, horse wins, people win, I win.
Buck Brannaman
#19. My work is my play. I found a way to make my passion to be the same as how I make a living.
Buck Brannaman
#20. You want your kids to feel happy and good about themselves. The rest they'll work out on their own. You never know what your kids will be drawn to.
Buck Brannaman
#22. There are things that the horse did for me that a human couldn't have done.
Buck Brannaman
#23. In life, we don't know why things happen. I believe God is not responsible for the bad things that happen to you. Sometimes I think He's responsible for the good things, but sometimes it's something you shape up for yourself.
Buck Brannaman
#24. It is all about the quality of the communication, not the quantity.
Buck Brannaman
#25. You have to plan ahead so that rather then seek revenge for the horse's misbehavior, you see his aggressive behavior shaping up and can redirect it. You change his mind before he's acted and move on to something else.
Buck Brannaman
#26. If I heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times from Ray Hunt. He said 'make the wrong thing difficult and the right thing easy'. Then he said 'but don't make the wrong thing impossible'. Well ... you learn from making mistakes. It's that simple.
Buck Brannaman
#27. You can't make something happen with a horse, but you can fix things up and let it happen.
Buck Brannaman
#28. There is something in the human psyche that there is a connection between horses and humans, a real special kind of a thing, and I guess it's always been there. I hope it will always be there, I hope we don't evolve past that.
Buck Brannaman
#29. I'm still on the move, I'm getting better because I'm still studying. I still want to be a better horseman.
Buck Brannaman
#30. It's not about how much pressure you put on, it's how good you are at taking it off.
Buck Brannaman
#31. I take the horsemanship very seriously and I treat it with the same integrity that one would any of the fine arts.
Buck Brannaman
#32. You're trying to figure out a way to meet a horse to where he can understand. And to me, it's not to train a horse, it's to try to get the horse with you where it's one mind and one body. You may spend your whole life chasing that, but it's a good thing to chase.
Buck Brannaman
#34. The horse needs to respect you, but sometimes people confuse respect & fear. And they're not the same at all.
Buck Brannaman
#35. The horse can just be a great vehicle for some people to overcome things in their life that they might not be able to overcome otherwise.
Buck Brannaman
#36. I don't want the horse to get trained, because training the horse is absolutely finite. But if you get the horse to where he operates as if to be your legs, an extension of you, you've far-exceeded that whole training notion.
Buck Brannaman
#37. That absolute pure honesty of the horse, man that's just the greatest thing there is
Buck Brannaman
#38. I started to realize that things would come much easier for me once I learned why a horse does what he does. This method works well for me because of the kinship that develops between horse and rider.
Buck Brannaman
#39. In nature this animal would have nothing to do with you. "Natural horsemanship" is just words. It's not natural at all. There's an abundance of trust that must be developed for you. Imagine if humans were that pliable.
Buck Brannaman
#40. If the human isn't responsible for their role in the horse human relationship, horses just don't get along very well. So that's why I say it's all about the human meeting the bill to fit the horse in any given situation. But don't expect the horse to always fit the human.
Buck Brannaman
#41. The horse is so honest ... they live in the moment. And what they do, whether they need to protect themselves or whether they need to accept you really is directly relative to how you make them feel.
Buck Brannaman
#42. When you find that the horse is compelled and interested in you, something in you changes. That can be healing or move you deeply.
Buck Brannaman
#43. Horses aren't lazy and they're not greedy and they're not jealous and they're not spiteful, they're not hateful. They're not that way. But the human can sometimes only describe a horse in the way that they view other human beings.
Buck Brannaman
#44. With the horse I always consider that if I do too much in too little time and I'm not patient, he's gonna shut down and I won't get anything done.
Buck Brannaman
#46. A horse can have a job and not be a slave. He can look forward to it and enjoy it. That's the same for me.
Buck Brannaman
#47. If you miss the beginning, the basics, then you are destined to go back and visit the basics.
Buck Brannaman
#48. It's amazing what a healing effect horses can have on kids, particularly troubled kids, that might bridge the gap that a well-intended human just can't do.
Buck Brannaman
#49. Someone who doesn't know anything about the ways of the horse could be fooled into thinking the approach is all cosmic or mystical. It's not. Anybody can do it who has a passion to do it and has put in enough time. These people are horsemen and horsewomen, not whisperers.
Buck Brannaman
#50. My expertise lies in what I've devoted my life to. I wouldn't pretend to be a great gift to any other animal. My interest has always been in the horses.
Buck Brannaman
#51. There are things that change all through your life the way you deal with people, the way you approach problems.
Buck Brannaman
#52. The horse is a great equalizer, he doesn't care how good looking you are, or how rich you are or how powerful you are
he takes you for how you make him feel.
Buck Brannaman
#53. Horses are incredibly forgiving. They fill in places we're not capable of filling ourselves.
Buck Brannaman
#54. By the time you've had a relationship with a horse for a while, there are characteristics in the way the horse behaves with you and around you and responds to you that are directly (related) to some of your traits as a human being ... whether it's insecurity or aggression or fear or hate.
Buck Brannaman
#55. You can accomplish amazing things with this if you have a passion and you work hard - I just think it's a cop out to say 'I wasn't born with this, so it's OK if I fail'. You can make up the difference with hard work and devotion.
Buck Brannaman
#56. That's the cool thing about horses - they don't have prejudice. They don't care if you're tall or thin or if you're dark or if you're light, or if you're rich or you're poor, if you're handsome or not so handsome.
Buck Brannaman
#57. There's a difference between mastering something physical and working with an animal. There's a spiritual component to working with a horse. You're dealing with the spirit of a live animal that thinks and makes decisions.
Buck Brannaman
#58. One of the biggest challenges of a horsemen is to be able tot control your emotions.
Buck Brannaman
#59. Most people don't realize how little it takes to get a horse to move.
Buck Brannaman
#61. All your horse looks for is the thing that matters most, peace and contentment. Give it to him.
Buck Brannaman
#62. There have been so many times over the years where people have said "Man, I thought I was just coming to this deal to get a little handier with my horse" and I'll say "Well, in the beginning, I thought that's all you were coming for too. But it turns out it's about something else."
Buck Brannaman
#63. With a horse, if you make it easy for him to do the right thing, that's what he will logically do, but it's not necessarily true with the human. You will see humans that will beat their heads against the wall rather than open the door and walk through it.
Buck Brannaman
#64. You get that horse to really operate as if he's your legs and you can take that anywhere you want. You can dress up in any kind of clothes you like. You can be a jumper, dressage rider, trail rider, cowboy, anything.
Buck Brannaman
#65. Not all horses are going to be show jumpers, not all horses are going to be dressage horses. So you have to sort of find where the horse physically fits into what might suit him, but all horses can be comfortable and all horses can have good, solid fundamentals.
Buck Brannaman
#66. The road may bend out of sight at times, but I know what lies ahead: the faraway horses.
Buck Brannaman
#67. A lot of times, rather than helping people with horse problems, I'm helping horses with people problems.
Buck Brannaman
#68. Controlling your emotions is the biggest challenge for a horseman.
Buck Brannaman
#69. I've always wanted to do the right thing by a horse, that's never changed, its just that as my knowledge grew I've been able to offer the horse a better human being, as time has gone on.
Buck Brannaman
#70. I often tell people that I truly want the horse to be my feet and legs. I want to be an extension of the horse and him to be an extension of me. That's what I'm always working toward when I'm on a horse.
Buck Brannaman
#71. Simply put; I'm trying to see what I can get done with the horse without him being troubled about doing it.
Buck Brannaman
#72. The comforting thing to the horse is, is as you become more and more accurate, he knows you're aware of him, and pretty soon because of that he's aware of you more and more of the time.
Buck Brannaman
#73. The horse is a mirror to your soul ... and sometimes you might not like what you see in the mirror.
Buck Brannaman
#74. You don't have contempt for a horse that's troubled. Everybody has baggage, everybody has things that they've had to deal with in their life, and it can be something positive depending on how you use it.
Buck Brannaman
#75. You try to do as little as you can, but you need to do as much as is necessary to get a result. When you get a result, you do less.
Buck Brannaman
#76. The horse saved my life, so that's kind of why I'll spend the rest of mine trying to help them.
Buck Brannaman
#78. The horse is a gift to us, to humanity. And for that, there comes responsibility. If the horse is gonna work for you and work with you, then the best thing I can do for the horse is to make it as good a life possible.
Buck Brannaman
#80. I often tell people in the clinics, the human possesses the one thing that means more to the horse than anything in the world, and that is peace and comfort,
Buck Brannaman
#81. Horses are very sensitive and perceptive. You don't have to be physical with them.
Buck Brannaman
#82. Theoretically, the human is supposed to be the smart one. Well, if we are, then we need to be able to adjust to fit the situation rather than just think "Well this is how you work with horses. I've done this on 500 just like you."
Buck Brannaman
#83. Whether one was going to have a horse, or a dog, or a child, with that comes a great responsibility to raise them.
Buck Brannaman
#84. That's my credo - My work is play. I don't complain about work. I enjoy it. I like the feeling of being able to lay down at night and you're so doggone tired, you're just hoping to get undressed before you fall asleep.
Buck Brannaman
#86. Once I get the horse where he's responding and working for ya and has a good frame of mind and a good attitude, it's not just the horse that needs fixing. It's the human that needs fixing and it's the human that created that in the first place.
Buck Brannaman
#87. As far as horses go, people will ask about one breed versus another. I have to tell you, I really don't have any prejudice one way or another. I treat every horse at face value, how he/she is as an individual.
Buck Brannaman
#88. My teachers used to tell me you need to learn to adjust to fit the situation. Don't just do what you've always done because it might not always work.
Buck Brannaman
#89. Every time you interact with a horse, you are teaching the horse.
Buck Brannaman
#90. When you're younger, you ride with 90% physical and 10% mental. But if you could learn how to use 90% mental and 10% physical you'd be better off.
Buck Brannaman
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