Buck Brannaman is a horse trainer and leading practitioner within his field. He is someone who I've had a great respect and admiration for for many years. I've read his books, watched his documentary & DVD's and I've tried to improve my horsemanship over the years with his help.
Buck often conducts a variety of clinics predominately across the USA, but also has been to mainland Europe and Australia. He has not however been to the UK.... until now. Due to the persistence of the wonderful Tina Griffin of clinic sponsors Total Horsemanship www.totalhorsemanship.co.uk, Buck will be spending 3 days with 50 lucky horses and riders at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool in June 2015.
Now when I say lucky, I really do mean LUCKY. Not just from a learning point of view, but also form a logisitical, ability to take part perspective. It started back in August when it was announced on the Total Horsemanship Facebook page that there was a possibility of Buck coming over to the UK. Dates were yet to be finalised but if you were interested it was a case of please email clinic sponsor and they will contact you in due course. I should say at this point a flurry (if not a frenzy) rippled through the natural horsemanship and western community. Of course people were interested, who wouldn't be? We were all very patiently British about it and then we found out what we knew was inevitable.... interest had outstripped places available, and once venue and dates had been confirmed a draw would take place.
The date for the draw was later confirmed to be New Year's Eve 2014.
I'd just like to add here that I'd often wondered what it would be like to take part in one of Buck's clinics, and I whimsically imagined that at some point I could convince my husband that it would be a great idea to go to the States to allow me to do so....complete fantasy, but definitely on my bucket list and one that I hoped one day in many years time I might get a shot at fulfilling. Never did I think I may actually get a chance to do it here in the UK. This was too big surely? My chance of actually getting there as a rider was slim but when an opportunity to learn from a true horseman presents itself, you have to take a chance and have faith. I also crossed everything possible.....
So on NYE I found myself constantly checking my email in hope I may get a message telling me I was in.... then I saw on Facebook that the draw had started at around 5.30pm, and it was predicted all those who were lucky enough would be contacted within the hour. I discovered this after 6pm, and with every minute that passed I became more discouraged. Now I'm not exactly sure what time my email came through, but my husband tells me he has never seen me leap so high or so fast off a sofa in my life ( I doubt he will again!)
when the first word I read said CONGRATULATIONS.......
Suddenly this 35 year old was jumping around the living room, air punching, whoot whooting, and generally being ecstatic. The children and the dogs on the other hand thought I was having some sort of episode or medical emergency, and offered mummy another glass of wine.
So in short my friends, I'M IN!!!!
Now, this blog will be following my preparation for Buck's clinics with my horses Maite and Tuff. Maite is my young 5 yo PRE Andalusian mare who will accompanying me to the clinic, and Tuff is my 11 yo American Quarter Horse Gelding (who would be in his element meeting Buck). I will do a proper introduction to them in another blog, and I'm sure you'll get to know me along the way.
In the meantime, here are some links about Buck and the clinic. See you on the flip side x
www.totalhorsemanship.co.uk Great resource for equipment and Buck books/DVD's
www.brannaman.com
www.7clinics.com
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