I did see a post on FB last night about it not being a wreckā¦made me wonder. But being it was on FB, made me wonder if the person was talking out of their butt!
Iām probably a bad person, but lack of details just has me searching to find information, a brief outline satisfies me. Whatever the circumstances, itās a tragic event and everyone must be devastated.
I donāt think youāre a bad person for wondering. It is unusual for horse people in the public eye, in the English disciplines anyway, not to give a brief statement about an incident that claimed the lives of four of their best horses.
I donāt know if a short press release is as common in the high profile Western world when thereās a tragedy.
.
Heartbreaking.
And yes, many of the people who go to his clinics every year, or every other year, do follow his specific horses.
He brings his green horses along, so that people can watch how he develops his horses, and see them as they advance. I remember when his red roan stallion was two, and had something like three rides on him, when Buck brought him along and taught his morning classes.
Thatās a very interesting concept, to use the same horses and to have clients who attend his clinics regularly be able to see the training progress over time. :yes:
Considering that clinic model, they might well have given a bare bones press release, especially since they donāt want questions or condolences from their long time clients.
In my experience, most western folks donāt talk much about bad things that happen. Especially older generation western folks. They may consider it āwhiningā. And there is always someone else who has had it worse. So you keep things close to your vest and just go on.
He also may have had a batch of bed hay that maybe had blister beetles in it or something similar. The truth will come out eventually. Praying for Buck and his whole family. Just losing one horse is devastating let alone his 3 and his friendās horse
I feel like I remember reading that he usually just feeds concentrated feed/ hay pellets because heās on the road all the time so I guess I could see something like that. But even stillā¦ for all 4 to die? Something mustāve gone really wrong. And still no word of a trailer accident in Colorado as far as I can tell. Itās so sad but it makes you wonder about what the hell couldāve happened.
Itās simply 100% none of our business. Heās had enough difficulties and has every right to sit on this in any way he pleases.
well if it was a feed gross contamination , such as a milling error with monensin etc , it will likely show up in recall notices
so tragic and if true, we always wish our fellow community the best
i totally agree itās none of our business, no one owes an explanation to anyone.
BUT, people in general do not like mysteries, and will either try and dig up the truth, or worse yet, make up their own versions. That leads to a whole bunch of competing stories and theories, which just makes it worse.
Nobody has a right to know but people are allowed to be curious. And not just because heās well known. Whenever thereās some accident that happens in my area or a horse dies out of nowhere and people are being hush hush about what happened that always makes everyone even more curious.
I do just hope people can be respectful and not ask them about it. Iām sure if they want to share they will.
Thatās fair. But life isnāt fair.
That is true, to a extent. However, as public figure, when you travel the country and apparently the world and are paid for your advice as a horseman, looked up to as an authority as he seems to be, it seems strange that he is unwilling to say what killed the horses. No long drawn out explanation is needed, only the basic fact of what killed them.
If he had a PR person give a bare bones explanation of what happened to the horses and make clear that he doesnāt want to elaborate because he is, quite understandably very upset, it would seem more in keeping as a professional.
Losing four horses is traumatic as anyone who has lost even one knows, but as an adult, well known as an author and clinician, itās surprising that he is completely unable to acknowledge what has happened, and is unwilling to have someone make a short basic press release for him.
When I read that (paraphrasing) āour four horses died on the road and we are OK but our hearts are broken, donāt ask what happenedā, it seems like an unusal response coming from a well known and respected horseman that has easy access to P.R.
I remember the notice of the death of Teddy (Theodore OāConnor) the eventing pony, who was admired by so many, myself included. It must have been terribly hard to make that announcement and to say what had happened, but we all know that these things happen and no one who has a modicum of experience with horses would judge.
I only hope that the accident wasnāt as unspeakable as it seems to be.
Meh. I think the only reason Team Brannaman said anything was because folks at upcoming clinics might ask where those horses are. It would be easier/quell rumors better/be less painful to āget out in front of itā and explain once than to have to answer that question for participants over and over. If his horses werenāt known to people, Iām not sure they would have told the public anything at all.
āitās surprising that he is completely unable to acknowledge what has happened, and is unwilling to have someone make a short basic press release for him.ā
What does that even mean, in real terms? Does he think they are still alive? He doesnāt have to grieve with you to grieve right.
Hereās how I see it. I have read many a complaint about Buck not socializing over lunch breaks, not even acknowledging attendees. Heaven forbid he take an hour to rest his voice, recharge his soul and practice a little self-care for a second. Heās there to teach and help with horsemanship but people always want more more more. I watched crowds throng around Ray Huntās golf cart and his wife have to ārudelyā shoo people off so he could have a moment to himself. I do a ton of leadership and professional development facilitation courses that are 1-2 days long and they are draining if done well, with passion and commitment to your students. And sometimes I have to escape the room to have a break from needy students who canāt see that I also have needs beyond their own.
What if something happened on a layover stop, on some totally private property and something happened with electricity and water and an oops ( I am completely making this up, btw). If they do for some glossy pr statement it wonāt take nosey folks 10 minutes to suss it out, and where, and omg I know that placeā¦
our obsession with peopleās private lives and judgments against them just makes no sense to me.
That perspective is interesting. Itās unfortunate that people are such āfansā that they lose perspective and forget that the object of their fandom is a human being.
I had no idea that Western trainers were treated so poorly. Iāve never seen well known trainers in the English disciplines mobbed by anyone except for autograph seeking children. That doesnāt mean it doesnāt happen, only that Iāve never seen it.
It is clear that he doesnāt want the public to know what happened. I just thought that getting it out and over with would keep the questions about what happened from being raised at his clinics. Human nature being what it is,the mystery will only make his āfansā more curious and the whole incident will have a longer life than if he just got it over with using a very short explanation. :yes:
I would have thought that something would be said from a teaching perspective.
To lose 4 horses is heartbreaking and should be a lesson to all.
Like the horses that were on a ferry that had refrigeration trucks running their engines to keep their cargo cold.
2 horses near the truck at the front of the trailer were a bit higher and survived. The rest were lower on the trailer and succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Itās not a western thing, itās a clinician thing as demigod thing. No one would crowd GM because heās a jerk lol
I agree itās really no oneās business; however, when you are in the public eye and you announce that 3 of your horses died, it opens the door to speculation, good and bad. If you are unwilling to say what happened it makes people think the worst. If something happened regardless of fault (if any) we can pass that information on to otherās in hopes someone else wonāt go thru it.
What ever happened I hope he is able to come to terms with it and move on. Itās hard enough losing one horse much less three.
