Buck and Harvey

Right from the first work with horses in Buck I noticed how much the man's method was much like Harvey Jacobs. Both men give credit to Ray Hunt and it is easy to see how their work is built on that basis. Both worked on cattle ranches as kids and each are humble cowboys. Maybe that explains the similarity in the evolution of each man's methodology.

Having seen a number of the first generation Ray Hunt protege, I see obviously strong similarities to each. There has been a uniqueness about those clinicians I have most appreciated that has set them apart from those who have used their gift solely for financial profit. Still the two most alike in their progression has been Harvey and Buck Brannaman. The common thread between those two has been in how each has utilized his rope.

 It is their rope work I envy most. I will talk about that in  a later post since first  I need to address another commonality between Harvey and Buck. That is I witnessed both men working with renegade horses.

Only six times in my life have I witnessed a horse trying to kill.  Three of those a human was the target. The look is chilling, unmistakable and terrifying.

I knew immediately when I saw the stallion in Buck
that this horse was beyond dangerous. Then the description of its history clinched it for me. I didn't have to see the horse in the pen to know how bad this could get. The only question in my mind was how would it play out.

Believing an attack like this is coming and actually seeing some kind of sign just before it happens can be two entirely different things. In times past I have witnessed the attacks but didn't "see" it or even think it was a possibilty until it was a full blown assault, with the exception of the stallion ravaging a mare. (That one time I came in on the assault in progress.)

Watching this documentary I had the benefit of those past experiences,  a knowledge of the importance of reading equine body language, an opportunity to see the owner to form a perception,  and a thorough understanding of the dangers of indulging orphan foals to tell me this was the animal to watch. I didn't know when it would come, only that it most likely would, so I watched closely knowing that this would be anything but typical.

To be continued.......

The Face of Spoiled Horses