Buck
3/4
Featuring: Buck Brannaman
Rated PG for Thematic Elements, Mild Language and an Injury
When I was growing up, we had an English Setter named Charlie. Now, Charlie was not the brightest bulb in the bunch (although he did try his best), we did use a choke chain when we took him on walks. Charlie was an excitable dog, and the thought of going for a walk was almost too much for him to bear. Using a chain on a leash that tightened if he pulled seemed a little inhumane then, but it seems horrible now (fortunately, Charlie had too big of a heart to even think of getting angry in the slightest at the use of the choke chain). Now with our Gordon Setters, we used chest harnesses while they were puppies and regular leashes now (and buzz collars just in case--which is frequently).
Now, I'm not going to use this review to brag about my dogs, although I could do that because I love them to death. I do have a point to this story. Love and acceptance easily get better results faster than violence and dominance. Not that we were ever violent to Charlie, but you get my meaning. Buck Brannaman, renowned "horse whisperer" uses a similar concept when it comes to "breaking" horses.
As a child, Buck and his brother were subjected to horrific physical abuse by their father. They were then put into the foster care of the Shirleys. Buck said it was his new father's mantra of stern but understanding and empathy that influenced his life, especially his interactions with horses. Buck has been so successful that he influenced the lead character in "The Horse Whisperer."
Buck is a truly amazing person. He says that by looking at a horse, you can tell a lot about a person, and I can see what he means. Late in the film, there is a woman who has an outrageous amount of studs (males with their family jewels intact) to the point where Buck is flabbergasted. He tells her that if she thinks she can take on that kind of a challenge, then she's got some issues of her own (which she tearfully agrees with). She has brought a young colt that is violent and aggressive to the point of even after working with Buck, attacks the man who is trying to train it. Buck says that that was the person's failure, not the horse.
The problem with the film is that while we see Buck's gift, we don't actually learn what he is doing. How does one train a horse? Certainly not in the way that they used to (there is an old, old clip of men whipping and chasing a clearly terrified horse into submission--it's stomach churning). But it would make his accomplishments, which are already impressive, more meaningful.
I think that in the end, the film is worth seeing. Buck is a compelling individual, that much is clear (even though he never becomes truly three-dimensional). I also believe that we can learn a lot from him because we as a people often look outside to find fault when often times it is really our own actions that determine how things go. Plus the film looks flat out amazing.
Featuring: Buck Brannaman
Rated PG for Thematic Elements, Mild Language and an Injury
When I was growing up, we had an English Setter named Charlie. Now, Charlie was not the brightest bulb in the bunch (although he did try his best), we did use a choke chain when we took him on walks. Charlie was an excitable dog, and the thought of going for a walk was almost too much for him to bear. Using a chain on a leash that tightened if he pulled seemed a little inhumane then, but it seems horrible now (fortunately, Charlie had too big of a heart to even think of getting angry in the slightest at the use of the choke chain). Now with our Gordon Setters, we used chest harnesses while they were puppies and regular leashes now (and buzz collars just in case--which is frequently).
Now, I'm not going to use this review to brag about my dogs, although I could do that because I love them to death. I do have a point to this story. Love and acceptance easily get better results faster than violence and dominance. Not that we were ever violent to Charlie, but you get my meaning. Buck Brannaman, renowned "horse whisperer" uses a similar concept when it comes to "breaking" horses.
As a child, Buck and his brother were subjected to horrific physical abuse by their father. They were then put into the foster care of the Shirleys. Buck said it was his new father's mantra of stern but understanding and empathy that influenced his life, especially his interactions with horses. Buck has been so successful that he influenced the lead character in "The Horse Whisperer."
Buck is a truly amazing person. He says that by looking at a horse, you can tell a lot about a person, and I can see what he means. Late in the film, there is a woman who has an outrageous amount of studs (males with their family jewels intact) to the point where Buck is flabbergasted. He tells her that if she thinks she can take on that kind of a challenge, then she's got some issues of her own (which she tearfully agrees with). She has brought a young colt that is violent and aggressive to the point of even after working with Buck, attacks the man who is trying to train it. Buck says that that was the person's failure, not the horse.
The problem with the film is that while we see Buck's gift, we don't actually learn what he is doing. How does one train a horse? Certainly not in the way that they used to (there is an old, old clip of men whipping and chasing a clearly terrified horse into submission--it's stomach churning). But it would make his accomplishments, which are already impressive, more meaningful.
I think that in the end, the film is worth seeing. Buck is a compelling individual, that much is clear (even though he never becomes truly three-dimensional). I also believe that we can learn a lot from him because we as a people often look outside to find fault when often times it is really our own actions that determine how things go. Plus the film looks flat out amazing.
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