I Want To Be a Buckette, Too!

I was very excited to get the January issue of Western Horseman magazine and find Reata Brannaman on the cover! As many of you know, I attended my first Brannaman clinic recently and would now consider myself a wannabe "buckette" (as Liz over at Cowgirl Up calls them!)

This is a photo of Reata as a young child on her pony Savannah. I found this photo in Electic Horseman Magazine, which is dedicated to methods that Buck Brannaman and other horseman use.

Of course, at this rate, I may not be back in the saddle until...goodness, maybe June?

Anyway, it was interesting to read about Buck's 14 year old daughter, who has grown up following her dad to clinics. She just broke and trained her own 3 year old cold, Rollie (who dad has not been on once!) Reata sounds like a sweet and horse savvy teen (no surprise there) who spends a lot of time hanging out with her best friend Nevada Watt, daughter of saddle maker Jeremiah Watt. By the way, what do you think of those creative western names? Reata and Nevada? I won't give away any more of the article away, as many of you might want to read it yourselves.

Reata Brannaman (on left) riding with her friend Nevada Watt


Even more exciting to me is the future of horsemanship, with youth like Reata learning and holding onto the values and methods of natural horsemanship.

The cover of Western Horseman had a bright yellow blurb across the corner of it's cover reading, "Don't miss our All-New Youth Section." More good news! Young horseman are the future for our industry. With the economy these days, it will only become harder to bring young riders into the expensive sport and hobby or horse ownership. It often has the feel of an exclusive club. A club that many are having to hand over their memberships for because the costs are just too high.

One of my family's up and coming cowgirls!

It was my childhood in 4-H and riding ponies and horses that brought me full circle back to the horse industry. I was lost for a while, but have been a fairly healthy contributor to the equine economy the past two years (at $20 for a bale of hay, it's hard not to be!) We must encourage youth to become involved, and stay involved, in our world!

Let's not forget the other end of the spectrum. Many people like myself (in my late 30's) and even further along in their- well, er-let's just say, mid-life, are entering the horse world. Perhaps for the second time, or, the first time, as many members of my family have. I am still so pleasantly surprised at times when I think of my mom, aunts, and cousins, just now learning to ride horses, having not grown up riding. It is never too late to learn a new hobby. In mid-life, people are facing different issues. Kids are raised and out of the home. Some are retired. It often becomes time to find a new passion in life.

My cousin B enjoyed the few vacation trail rides she had so much that she signed herself up for lessons so she could become a better rider! She has already had her first "crash" off a horse during a lesson and subsequently dubbed herself "Bronco B."


My Aunt J, also a new rider, on Zoe, a Quarter horse friend of the family and guest horse during our summer rodeo and ranch trip. Please send well-wishes Zoe's way, as she just had surgery for malignant tumors and is recovering with an intense schedule of daily care. Zoe, we want to see you on the trail next summer!

Are you a newbie, a returnee, or a never-left 'em when it comes to horses and how has it affected your experience in the equine world?