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"Some Boys Grow Up To Be Cowboys"
I went to see the movie “Buck,” the story of an American
Cowboy. It was an amazing story of two young brothers
who grew up in an alcoholic home. When Dad was drunk he
would whip the boys excessively and it got worse after
their mother died. Dad had taught the boys to do rope
tricks—lassoing when they were 3 and 5 years old. They
were very good performers. But if they didn’t do it just
right--Dad would whip them and sometimes when he was
drunk he would beat them for no reason. One night when
Buck said he couldn’t take living like this any longer,
he left. It was winter and he wasn’t dressed for walking
in snow in pajamas and bare feet and decided he could be
warm if he slept with the dog in his crate outside.
During the night he awoke and went back into the house
and his Dad was still sitting at the table drinking and
greeted him benignly as if it wasn’t unusual to be
coming in at that hour in his pajamas.
The school coach had noticed lash marks on the boys’
backs, bottoms and legs when they were in the shower.
The sheriff was called and the brothers were sent to
live with a foster family named the Shirleys. They lived
on a ranch and had raised 23 foster children. The
Shirleys’ approach with these frightened boys was gentle
and firm. Buck’s step father taught him to shoe horses.
Buck loved being with the horses. It bothered him when
the ranchers would try to “break” a horse by whipping
it.
What was so amazing about this story is Buck didn’t grow
up bitter and because of his sensitivity he understood
the horse’s skittishness and fear. He became a “horse
whisperer” and was able to “break” a horse with firmness
and gentleness instead of whips. Today Buck Brannaman
goes around the country training ranchers and
equestrians how to “break” their horses. He was able to
take a most difficult horse and with his unique style
and in a very short period of time--tame and teach the
horse to trust him all by allowing the horse to settle
between each motion he wanted the horse to do. There is
a respect between Buck and the horse. His training
focuses on gentle guiding till the horse feels safe,
calm and pride in completing the job. His style is very
unique.
Needless to say what impressed me about this little boy
who grew up to be an American Cowboy, was his ability to
use a difficult childhood in such a positive way and to
be teaching other horse people how to “break” their
animals with gentleness and firmness instead of whips.
Also, Buck was able to see we humans also respond to
gentle firmness with our own skittishness and fear.
Sending you my best,
Sheila |
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