Buck Brannaman is one of the world’s leading horse trainers. He travels throughout the United States and abroad teaching clinics. Buck works to build a safe and secure partnership between both horse and rider. His methods are gentle and stress-free. This cowboy is a skilled rider, dedicated trainer, and passionate horse lover.

His life lessons can be extremely beneficial to all levels of riders. I encourage everyone to read through and absorb his advice!

1. Even with the best of intentions, riders and trainers can misjudge the situation or horse. Buck says, “Solutions to problems often come from knowing when to ask for help.” Sometimes, you need to acknowledge your faults and get some advice.

2. Strive for teamwork and a solid partnership. You can praise your horse, but be wry of bribery.

3. You should allow your horse to make mistakes. This helps them to learn.. much like a human! Buck may correct a mistake, but only in a gentle way. He doesn’t hurt or threaten the horse.

He mentions, “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.”

4. Avoid intimidating your horse. Buck had a rough upbringing that left him paralyzed with fear. It may work in the short-term, but if you want a solid relationship with your horse understand fear isn’t the way to go.

5. Through body language and gentle guidance, you can encourage your horse to learn. One thing you’ll notice about Buck is his lack of frustration when working with horses.

If you enjoyed these training tips, make sure to check out ‘7 Inspiring Buck Brannaman Quotes‘!