Buck Page #7

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Let the games begin.

I want you to be able

to learn things

and do things in real life

if you were on a ranch

where you had a job to do.

It's one turn

and then a race.

One turn and then a race.

Give him a job.

Figure out how to build

on the horse's pride.

Make him feel good

about himself.

And I wasn't just talking

about the horse.

Reata, that's good.

Nice, nice.

Mary.

As long as you can stay

between your cow and the herd,

you're in charge.

Dang, out.

I'm out.

See what happens

when you're married to him?

Britt, you're up.

Go move that cow.

There's really nothing

more fun

than chasing cows at top speed

and just trying to react.

That's crazy fun,

but that's not really

what you're supposed to do.

So it's this constant battle

to bring it back

to some place

that's controlled.

Stop.

See, you turned

without stopping.

You know,

that's the other half

of why this is

a really interesting thing,

'cause it carries over into

every other aspect of your life,

and I think it's made me

a more resourceful

and balanced human being

on top of just less likely

to get killed on a horse.

I love working cattle

with my dressage horses.

I think it's fabulous for them,

because dressage is a sport

where there are really fine

ballet-type movements

that you're asking the horse

to do.

It gives meaning and purpose

to the dressage work,

and then when you take

that purpose

back into the dressage ring,

the horse says,

"I'm practicing working cows,"

and it makes sense

to the horse,

and then he will do it

with a greater joy,

because it has meaning to him.

It's not simply an exercise.

And I think that dressage work

gives the cow horse skills

that even cowboys could use.

[Cattle mooing]

There you go.

Horses get discouraged

by riders who shut the doors,

and Buck's really good

at opening doors.

And you get to artwork

or anything else that you do,

you start to look at it

for the open doors,

and then you learn

how to walk through those.

You guys want to throw

a few heel shots?

I knew that Buck

was really a special guy,

and because of his background,

which I learned about,

and the abuse

that he had suffered as a kid,

it was even more impressive

that he could come

through that abuse

and, rather than repeating it,

that he went the other way

and decided,

"I'm not gonna have that

in my life."

Bill, I'll start

with you first.

What's your stage name?

- Smokie Brannaman.

- Smokie Brannaman.

And how about you, Dan?

What's your stage name?

They call me Buckshot,

and I'm seven years old.

Well, who taught you

to perform?

Our father did.

And that's Ace Brannaman,

right?

Did he ever do this type

of thing?

Was he... did he ever do...

The way my dad treated me

when I was little,

the way he approached us

as kids...

We've arranged a short

demonstration, right, fellas?

I wouldn't attribute

any of my positive virtues

to my dad in any way whatsoever.

I know you're not supposed

to hate anybody,

but the hurt that he caused me,

I never really got over it.

So I live in the moment.

I like to live in the moment.

You worry about yesterday

or last week or 20 years ago,

it's not gonna work out

too good for you.

You can't live

in two places at once.

You know,

I mean, you never forget,

but you don't have

to keep living in the past.

I mean, there's a whole bunch

of things I learned

from all the dark stuff

that happened to me.

There's a hell of a lot

of things I learned.

Now, I wouldn't necessarily

recommend it to anybody,

but it made me what I am.

Yeah, it got a little warm there

for a while today, didn't it?

Thank goodness my daughter...

she's never gone through

anything like that,

and now she's almost

grown up, so...

You can just saddle them

inside the round corral.

I think if a kid is living

in an environment

like I was when I was little,

sometimes the way

you protect yourself is,

you just really

don't communicate with anybody,

and you try your best

not to be noticed,

and you just sort of withdraw,

and you'll see a horse sometimes

that they've been mashed on

by somebody to where

you just look in their eyes,

and they look

like they're dead.

Yet that's the time when you try

to encourage your kid

to be outgoing

and gregarious

and be able to talk to not only

other kids but adults.

Then just see if you can lope

him right out of his tracks,

'cause that's what you might

have to do

if you're gonna jump out

of your tracks

on a cow or something.

You know what I mean?

There.

[Laughs]

He got it.

He kind of got it done

in spite of you, didn't he?

Dang it.

We'll make a cowgirl

out of you yet.

You're only doing this

so you can laugh.

[Laughs]

Reata and I

are an awful lot alike.

Thank goodness she kind of

has her mother's looks.

Mentally,

she's a lot like I am.

You know, Mary'll say,

sometimes in frustration,

"She's just like you,"

and I think,

"What's the downside to that?"

[Laughs]

But she may not be seeing it

just that way at the time.

And I look at her

and the way she's developed,

and I think, "I probably

could have been that way

when I was her age."

That was in there all the while.

Do it again.

There.

That was a little better.

Yeah, I could feel it.

Buck, either before

you get settled

or when you get settled,

you signed these books

last year,

and I need a translation.

It's Spanish or Latin.

Latin.

Solvitur en modo.

Firmitur en ray.

"Gentle in what you do,

firm in how you do it."

- Yep.

- Good words.

How are you, Charlene?

Nice to see you.

It's good to see you.

I wanted to tell you I was all

signed up to ride with you,

and a couple of weeks

before the clinic,

I found out I'm having a baby.

- Well, all right.

- Good for you.

I always learn

even when I'm watching.

Good, all right.

Okay, you guys can come on over

near the round corral here

where you can get

a good chance to see.

I'll work with this one

first here.

Evidently he's a little naughty.

I guess you can see

a little disrespect there, huh?

He had to come up and stick

his nose right in my face.

So I'll work with him,

and we'll see the same things

on about all the colts, but...

Dan?

This guy's a paint,

and he was an orphan

as a baby,

and he was oxygen-deprived,

apparently.

Dan, do you want to...

which way do you guys

want to bring him in?

I'm gonna talk to Buck,

see if he wants him or not.

He may want to...

'cause that horse might hold up

the whole progress

of the whole class.

So wait until noon.

So he might want

to wait until, yeah,

when it's convenient for Buck.

Maybe even after the whole deal.

I don't know.

I think we have a problem

child we have to work yet.

All right, you can bring

that one on in, Dan.

They make it sound like they're

bringing in a Siberian tiger.

Was he hard to catch

even in the trailer, Dan?

He just kind of wanted to be

a little aggressive in there.

Bite maybe.

- Uh-huh.

Just a lot of threatening,

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