Top 90 Buck Brannaman Quotes (2025 Update)
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51. “Horses are incredibly forgiving. They fill in places we’re not capable of filling ourselves.”

— Buck Brannaman

52. “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

53. “Theoretically the human is supposed to be the smart one so as you get acquainted with the horse, you explore what it’s going to take for him to understand what you would like him do, with as little trouble as possible. You’re trying to avoid conflict, not trying to create it.”

— Buck Brannaman

54. “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

55. “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

56. “Solutions to problems often come from knowing when to ask for help.”

— Buck Brannaman

57. “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

58. “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

59. “The horse saved my life, so that’s kind of why I’ll spend the rest of mine trying to help them.”

— Buck Brannaman

60. “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

61. “Horses and life, it’s all the same to me.”

— Buck Brannaman

62. “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

63. “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

64. “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

65. “There are no problem horses, only problem riders.”

— Buck Brannaman

66. “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

67. “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

68. “Doing something right once in a while will far surpass anything done wrong more often.”

— Buck Brannaman

69. “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

70. “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

71. “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

72. “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

73. “The road may bend out of sight at times, but I know what lies ahead: the faraway horses.”

— Buck Brannaman

74. “One of the biggest challenges of a horsemen is to be able tot control your emotions.”

— Buck Brannaman

75. “As parents, we have a chance when our children are young to turn them into good citizens rather than wait for the government to raise them for us.”

— Buck Brannaman

76. “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

77. “Most of you who are reading this book feel a deep-down ancient bond, a connection between yourself and horses.”

— Buck Brannaman

78. “If the horse hurts an owner, the animal gets the blame. The BLM also created a program in which prisoners are given the opportunity to work with captive wild horses. They gentle them and get them to the point where they are ridable. This is an excellent idea.”

— Buck Brannaman

79. “I help horses with people problems.”

— Buck Brannaman

80. “As a rider, you must slowly and methodically show your horse what is appropriate. You also have to discourage what’s inappropriate, not by making the inappropriate impossible, but by making it difficult so that the horse himself chooses appropriate behavior. You can’t choose it for him; you can only make it difficult for him to make the wrong choices. If, however, you make it impossible for him to make the wrong choices, you’re making war.”

— Buck Brannaman

81. “I just spend my life driving down the road, training horses and helping people.”

— Buck Brannaman

82. “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

83. “Most people don’t realize how little it takes to get a horse to move.”

— Buck Brannaman

84. “Once Buck gets a saddle on a young clinic horse he goes through all the same actions he had previously done with the horse unsaddled. This is to reinforce that the horse has nothing to fear after the saddle is cinched up.”

— Buck Brannaman

85. “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

86. “I take the horsemanship very seriously and I treat it with the same integrity that one would any of the fine arts.”

— Buck Brannaman

87. “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

88. “When working with a horse, particularly a troubled horse, you’ll notice that he will spend a good portion of his time avoiding contact, physical and mental.”

— Buck Brannaman

89. “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

90. “Don’t get on a horse that’s moving.”

— Buck Brannaman

91. “The important thing is to make sure the last word you have with the horse is good for both of you.”

— Buck Brannaman

92. “Simply put; I’m trying to see what I can get done with the horse without him being troubled about doing it.”

— Buck Brannaman

93. “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