Believe: A Horseman's Journey

by Buck Brannaman

In his best-selling The Faraway Horses, Buck Brannaman, extraordinary trainer and acknowledged inspiration for The Horse Whisperer, described how he found his calling and honed his art and craft. Following the book’s widespread acclaim, the universal application of Brannaman’s approach to interpersonal relationships has struck a responsive chord in the equestrian community and with the public at large.
Believe continues to chronicle the man’s efforts as catalyst and mentor as we meet thirteen people with whom he has worked. Through their words and through Brannaman’s perceptive introductions to each essay, we experience first-hand the hope and confidence that he has instilled in them and their horses.
You will discover through these stories how many untapped dreams and abilities you, too, possess, and how you can bring them to fruition. So journey with Buck Brannaman, learn from him, and profit from the voyage.

Genres: Horses, Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, Nature, Memoir, Animals

216 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2004

About the author

A horse trainer and a leading practitioner within the field of natural horsemanship, which is a philosophy of working with horses based on the idea of working with the horse's nature, using an understanding of how horses think and communicate to train the horse to accept humans and work confidently and responsively with them. One of Brannaman's stated goals is to make the animal feel safe and secure around humans so that the horse and rider can achieve a true union.

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written by the man who the movie, "The Horse Whisperer" is based upon. He writes a little of his childhood background and then about his philosophy of life and horses. Contained within this book is a collection of stories about the people who Buck has dealt with in his workshops, helping horses and their owners. I could relate and understand a lot of what was talked about because of having been around horses. The book has a lot to offer in regards to relationships and how we relate not only to horses but to other people. I think that if you have a love for horses, you will like this book but if you have no interest in them or especially how horses think or are trained, this book would not be for you.

A few reviewers complained that they felt that this book had a commercial leaning but I disagree. Mainly because horse people are a close knit group and they often will discuss what works or what doesn't work. Buck and his techniques and obviously, his workshops seem to take precedence in this book but after all, why would a person read this book and expect not to read about it? Trying to extract Buck's views on natural horsemanship and his workshops from his own book would be counter productive. I think my favorite story of how horses have made a difference in a person's life is best illustrated in the last story in the book. Well worth the read!

[Kayla Handley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of these stories made me cry! This was a beautiful book!

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I make an honest effort to utilize the services of our local public library system, once in awhile I find myself in honest "need" of owning a copy of a book borrowed from such an institution. This is one such book.

Raised as an only child in the country, pets and the animals in nature fulfilled roles as siblings in my life, and allowed me to acquire a deep understanding of their souls. This book is a collection of twelve accounts from individuals who encountered Buck Brannaman through their mutual interest in horses, and the stories they share speak to the fact that so much more than "horses" can be learned from horses. Simply put, horses teach us about ourselves, others, and life in general, in a deep and meaningful way experienced nowhere else.

Whether you are a horse person or not, this book is guaranteed to speak to your soul. Pick it up, and you'll resent anything that interrupts you and forces you to put it down.

[Misteeyed · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't engage my interest. I didn't finish the book.

[Jessica Baltazar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVED the Faraway Horses book by Buck Brannamen but this one I didn’t find to be as good. It was mostly testimonials about how Buck’s methods changed people’s lives and relationships. The Faraway Horses book I’d recommend to anyone whether or not they like horses but this one would only really make sense if you were a horse person I’d say. This one was nice but I didn’t get much out of it.

[JLW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Good stories and good lessons from Buck Brannaman. He has great ability to reach horse and rider and to help people see what horses can teach you.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book

[Kimberly Patton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a horse person and I think I picked this up at a used book sale. But I honestly loved it. It’s full of stories about how one man changed other people’s and horses’ lives. Very cool.

[Geo Hendrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is Hope for my son Joey; I believe!

[Carissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because I found the narrator for the stories/woman’s voices annoying.

[Alex Castellano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admire Buck so much for what he does. He has taught me so much about horsemanship that I will always appreciate so much.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buck is a national treasure and a hero.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Believe: A Horseman’s Journey is a book by Buck Brannaman and William Reynolds documenting the very interesting horse whispering technique and how it introduces a value system that is good for horses and their human companions.

I re-read this book that I had loaned to a youthful new horse owner. I originally read this ages ago.

Having done horse bonding myself even before I knew what that meant, made this book great as well as a masterfully crafted book. I wanted to pet animals of all types and was coached by a rancher who had tame deer and mountain cats.

Learning the techniques of bonding with horses has be ultra-beneficial to me, as it forces patience and good judgement. This book is a very good source of strategies to increase confidence in developing a good bonding between trusting horses and trusting humans.

I’m not a professional teacher of natural horsemanship techniques but more of a coach. Books like Believe can only help individuals see methodologies that fit their lifestyle and help them be better gender neutral horsepeople on their journey of trust with horses.

This book is a great read with guides/suggestions helping to improve horse/human relationships.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was all fluff! I really enjoyed reading Buck's first book, The Faraway Horses and really liked Buck the movie. I was looking forward to reading this book and thought since each chapter was about overcoming a specific issue he would talk about how to work through those issues. Instead, it was a series of stories people had written Buck about how great he is and how they helped to changed their lives prefaced by Buck's commentary on the story. There is nothing deep or substantial to the book, just a lot of fluff. Some of the "lessons learned" were repeats from his first book. It's a light read but if you want to borrow it from friend or the library but I wouldn't buy it as I would not read it a second time.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

To call this book an autobiography is grossly misleading. It isn't about his life at all. It is more about the people who took his seminars to learn about how to bond with their own horses and to fix the problematic ones. This book contained quite a few success stories. His methods worked for them and their horses.

As I started this, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be, but as the success stories began to roll out, I fell into its stride. I did end up liking this, but that is probably because I love horses.

[Elise Widrig · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is not enough good things that I can say about this book. It is heart wrenching and makes me yearn for having the type of relationships that Buck believes is possible for both animals and humans. The ability for kindness to persevere over hatred and pain. Asking versus demanding can achieve so much more in all different types of interactions with anything. Buck is truly a gift. I cannot wait to read his other book, The Faraway Horses, to learn more.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book. Primarily a work describing how treating people is similar to working with horses, but there were some good messages throughout, generally a message to 'believe in yourself'. Part of the book felt like an advertisement for the author's horsemanship clinics. Some good stories throughout.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buck is such an incredible person and the impact he has had on so many horses and humans is amazing. You don't have to be a "horse" person to enjoy this book, as there are so many life lessons to be learned from the interactions of the human and the horse.

[C.J. Darlington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's a collection of stories people have shared about being impacted by Buck at his clinics. His introductions to the stories themselves were also inspiring. Great for any horse lover, but they're also encouraging for folks in all walks of life.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly admire Buck Brannaman and his ability to understand horses. This book is a series of short snapshots from clients that he's helped at clinics and how they were able to work with their horses and, in a lot of cases, improve situations in their lives. Very inspirational.

[Thimbleberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened on audio, and quite enjoyed it. Not sure if everyone would be interested if they had never heard of him before. If you have then you probably want to hear any scraps of insight this man has, and so will be thrilled.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't get enough of Buck Brannaman so I was excited to read this book. Buck writes half the book and the other half are stories from his students in how working with their horses has changed their personal lives.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't just for those who are looking for insight on working better with their horses--there is great stuff here that applies to getting along with people, including the value of humility and the importance of learning to yield.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gem! Love the dual narrators for a truly exceptional audio book version. Fabulous stories by the original "Horse Whisperer". Loved the writing style - Buck's intro to each story, then the perspective of the horse owner.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buck Brannaman does amazing work and all his books and videos are important. This is a great book for horse people about how relationships with horses teach about life. I enjoyed the individual vignettes.

[Maiden53 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing man

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't have to be a cowgirl to enjoy this book. But if you treat pets or animals in general with disdain or with the attitude that they are property or employees you might not get it.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - lots of life lessons. Looking forward to attending my first Brannaman clinic.

[Irene]

I loved the movie"Buck" and hoped for more insight into the process Brannaman uses in working with horses. Didn't find what I was looking for...

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the story, but the book was too "promotional/buy all my other stuff and book a clinic".