The Faraway Horses [Hardcover]

Buck Brannaman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2001

The life and wisdom of the man wgo inspired "The Horse Whisperer."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Buck Brannaman is no ordinary horseman."--Smithsonian magazine

From the Back Cover

Nearly every week of the year, Buck Brannaman is on the road, conducting horsemanship clinics in which he teaches horse owners how to better understand and work with their animals, creating a relationship based on trust and respect rather than force. His methods are grounded in communicating with horses, on reading their body language and making them feel secure so horse and rider can achieve a true union. Buck's skill at starting young horses off right and reforming troubled horses has become legendary (indeed, the main character in the best-seller and movie The Horse Whisperer was based largely on him), and part of the reason is that he knows firsthand how a frightened horse feels. Growing up with an abusive father, Buck often feared he wouldn't live through the night. Rescued by a foster home, he found his calling - and salvation - in working with horses. In The Faraway Horses, Buck recounts his moving, inspiring, and often humorous adventures along the way. He writes of the horses he's learned from - including Bif, the dangerous outlaw who eventually became one of Buck's most trusted and useful mounts. He tells of the owners he's taught (from the good to the horrifying, such as the trainer who used abuse to make her show Arabians look "spirited"), and share stories of the horse-rider relationships he's changed. "These principles are really about life - about living your life so you're not at war with the horse, or with other people," Buck writes. At heart, this rich and rewarding autobiography is ultimately a prescription for living a positive and harmonious existence - whether it involves horses or not. (6 1/4 x 9 1/4, 272 pages, color photos, b&w photos)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (December 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585743526
• ISBN-13: 978-1585743520
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #489,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Of Horses and Humans, December 28, 2001

By 

Ray W Carlton (Olathe, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Faraway Horses (Hardcover)

This book is not only on how to help horses but on character,from begining to end it gives us lessons on how to help not only the troubled horse ,but on our own troubles as well .
We see from early on what shaped and formed the man of today,the abuse he and his brother suffered as children,the long road to true unity with the horse,the faliures along the way ,the tragedy of his first marriage and how as we say in the horse world he got back up and got on again ,all along we can see were many people would have thrown in the towel and quit ,Buck did not and in so doing showed strength and character .This is all written in a unvarnished way that I find refreshing
I found myself near tears at times and laughing at others ,some of what has happened in his life hits close to home for myself,as a lifelong horseman I have struggled to find unity and peace with the horse ,I have lost loved ones and struggled on,in reading his book I found new ways to deal with some of lifes problems and with my own love of the horse.
To say I enjoyed the book is an understatement,it will be something I will go back to time after time and I hope others will also.You do not have to own horse or be from the horse world to find something in this book that will help you either with your family or life its self.

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should Be Required Reading, June 21, 2003

By 

Cameron Scholtz (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Faraway Horses (Hardcover)

What a great book, I couldn't put it down. Potential buyers should note that this is mostly Buck's life story...with some horse lessons in the mix. If you're looking to learn Buck's techniques I suggest one of his other books or videos. But if you want to know the man, understand his background and philosophy toward animals and life--then this is the book. There are some very touching stories. Some will make you happy, some will make you cry. This book should be required reading for anyone who owns a horse or is even thinking about it! I can't wait for his next book.

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The gentle art of people and horses, January 22, 2002

By 

Ron Franscell, Author of 'Sourtoe Cocktail Club' - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Faraway Horses (Hardcover)

Distance is everything to Buck Brannaman.

Time and space have made all the difference. Whether it's the 30 years since his harrowing childhood, or the nearly imperceptible space that constitutes trust between a horse and its rider, it's all been important to the horse-whisperer whose life and work helped breathe vitality into a gentle method of training animals. Now he's telling his own story in "The Faraway Horses."

Brannaman recounts his sometimes horrifying, occasionally funny adventures. He describes his training technique, built on trust and respect, not force. He writes about horses he's learned from, including Bif, the rank outlaw who became one of Buck's most trusted mounts. And he tells of owners he's taught, including the trainer who abused her show Arabians to make them look "spirited."

But the roots of his special connection with troubled and wild horses lie in his own childhood.

"I want people to be entertained, but there are some real stark realities out there," Brannaman says. "I hope it just doesn't go away after they close the book and put it on their shelf, but that the book's with them, maybe for the rest of their lives."