Buck's clinics are large, and with that many participants he doesn't focus on individual attention unless it helps to get his point across, or if the horse is really stuck and the handler isn't getting anywhere.
Note I said that
the horse is really stuck. Not the person. It is the participant's job to listen to Buck, and to try their best to apply what he is teaching.
Now, of course, we don't just automatically "get it"- it takes trial and error before improvement comes. A case in point is a young man who was having difficulty with his big black roan horse in the High River clinic.(In the photo above, the horse in the center). Buck did his usual demonstration and talk, and then he asks "Any questions?" before turning everybody loose to work on the exercise.
The horse I'm talking about was pretty wary of his person- and for good reason. The young man had really poor timing, no soft feel, and was way too aggressive with his flag.
The horse had pretty big reactions, and the more he reacted the worse things got. That horse was in a nervous sweat within minutes.
Now, Buck involves the audience- after all, they are all paying to audit the clinic and are there to learn too. So he invites the audience to watch what is going on, and see if they can see what is working, what isn't working, and learn from it.
Well, one ole gal hollers out "Buck! This guy needs help! This guy right down here with the black horse!"
I must say, Buck's reaction was classic.
He looks up and says, "Mind your own business!" ( I was giggling inside when he said that). He went on to say; this is my sandbox, and I know what I'm doing. If you think you can do any better you just get down here and try.
The lady started sputtering and making excuses.....
Well, I think Buck handled it well. The young man had just been centered out in front of over 250 people by this lady, and he was out there trying his heart out to learn- sure he was having trouble but he was there to learn- and Buck knew full well he was struggling. Now, Buck was once like that young fella, and I'm pretty sure he let him alone to figure things out on purpose. He didn't just take charge and show him what to do- he had just done that in the demo and talk. Like horses, we have to try things to find what works and what doesn't. That horse wasn't dangerous, just fearful, and over the next few days the horse still wasn't trusting his handler much, although the young man did make some improvement in his approach. So on the third day, Buck had his helper Dave Gamble give them some individual attention. Dave worked the horse with proper feel, timing and release, and the difference was huge.
Dave also spent some time talking to the handler and I think by the end of the clinic, that young man went home with lots of tools to help him on his journey.
Buck has been doing clinics for a long time- he said he was in his third decade of doing this. I want to point something out- a lot of people think his clinics are too big, that you don't get enough individual attention. Well, that may be- but if you think of it as a classroom instead of a private lesson it makes sense. You are there to absorb as much as you can from one of the masters of horsemanship, and his time and days on earth are numbered, and he wants to reach out to as many people and horses as possible. He can't give everyone individual attention, but if you listen and absorb, you will learn. Take notes too! The people he takes under his wing, like Dave, and the 3 young men he had with him at the Ellensburg clinic, are going to carry on the tradition and are available for more one on one help.
Yes, that's Nitro second from the left
It's all about the try. Buck didn't work individually with a lot of horses, the one he spent the most time on was one that had trouble backing up. This horse had learned that his owner would back up out of his way.... Buck noted that his feet weren't working properly and the horse was getting stuck backing up so he spent time with the horse until it understood how to move its feet in diagonal pairs as it backed. There were other times when he spent time working with horse/rider pairs, and most of these were people who approached him for help. He did pick out people going around the ring to help too, mostly to help make the point he was trying to teach.
I think if you want a lot of individual help, a clinic is not the right setting unless it is a small clinic, just as a classroom setting isn't the place to get private tutoring. But if you pay attention and do your homework, you will learn.
On that note...... I still have a lot of homework to do, the weather isn't cooperating as it got pretty icy here. Hoping for some snow so I can get out and ride the fields, and maybe haul once a week to the indoor.
