The story of Buck is one of a man who transcends the abuse of his childhood and learns grace and patience through his love of horses. His role-models, Ray Hunt and Tom Dorrance, were modern pioneers in the philosophy and methods of natural horsemanship, a discipline that Mr. Brennaman soon adopted and began spreading the word about.

For almost three decades Mr. Brennaman has run clinics all over the country teaching working cowboys and other horse devotees that riding a horse like a dance – it is a combination of wooing, leading and mutual respect. “When you get to the point where a horse accepts you, trusts you, it can change you as a person and change the way you relate to other people, not just horses.”

The film, “Buck” was a made to inspire people to make changes to the way they deal with both horses and life’s challenges. It teaches people to communicate using leadership and sensitivity rather than fear and intimidation.

EHV-1 is a common strain of a DNA virus that occurs in horse populations worldwide, a respiratory disease that can cause a pregnant mare to lose her foal, according to the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

Prevention is the key to stopping this disease from spreading, so observe these tips to help protect your own horses:

• Ask your local veterinarian to see if there are reported cases in your area, or in the areas you plan to travel to.

• Keep your horses away from other horses, if possible.

• Don’t share tack, barn supplies, or brushes with other people or use on horses other than your own.

• Keep everything as clean as possible. If you frequently handle other horses for training or farrier work, wash your hands and clothing before working with your own horses.

• If you have attended a show or had your horse in contact with other horses, keep your horse away from your other horses for 10 days after returning back home, and take the horse’s temperature twice daily.

• If you’re planning to travel out of state with horses, call ahead and ask a veterinarian in that state if there are any reported cases in your destination area.

Also, horse owners in the Midwest are being advised to be on the lookout for any symptoms of the West Nile Virus. Recent heavy rains and flooding in this region (see map) are creating large bodies of standing water that are ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes that potentially carry the disease.

Common symptoms of the disease in horses include (but are not limited to) loss of appetite, weakness/paralysis of hind limbs, muzzle twitching, impaired vision, loss of coordination, head pressing, aimless wandering, convulsions, inability to swallow, hyper-excitability and coma. Any signs of this disease need to be reported to a licensed veterinarian immediately.

Although vaccination does not prevent horses from contracting the WNV it is a key component in allowing them to fully recover if infected. Primary vaccination of horses involves administration of 2 doses of vaccine 3 to 6 weeks apart. In endemic areas, boosters are required semi-annually or more frequently (every 4 months), depending on risk. Annual revaccination in low-risk areas is best completed in the spring, prior to the onset of peak insect vector season.

By practicing effective mosquito control in your own backyard you can help decrease the potential for spreading the WNV. Regular cleaning of watering troughs, is essential for prevention. Rain barrels and other standing pools of water can be treated with nontoxic, commercially available larvacide dunks that kill mosquito larvae. These can be found at most garden centers.

For more information about West Nile Virus go to this link.

If I had my way, I’d wear jeans and a white t-shirt every day of my life. In the winter, I’d have a pullover sweatshirt or flannel shirt on for added warmth, but rest assured the white t-shirt would be layered underneath.

I literally have a closet full and dresser drawers full of nice shirts of all kinds (including brand new white t’s) that I’ve never worn because I can’t give up my broken-in white t-shirts and button down flannel shirts. I generally wear the shirts until they are more holes than fabric, and at that point, my wife subtly throws them out or makes rags out of them. But I always notice when one is gone and chastise her for the theft and subsequent wasting of a perfectly good shirt—I bought the last white tee she threw out, in a package of three, on vacation in 2002, and it had plenty of life left in it! I believe I still have the other two.

As a side note—when you buy a flannel shirt, it’s my experience that you definitely get what you pay for. The best kinds get that broken-in, “worn” look, but still hold on for several years. To me, shirts are like tennis shoes….if they’re brand new, they feel conspicuous and fake. I see a few cowboys wearing starched shirts and ironed jeans, but to me there’s nothing more unreal than a drug store cowboy look. Flannel shirts and white t’s are the most comfortable thing in the world, and I’m a cowboy who believes in comfort.

My wife grew up in cattle and ranch country and she is more accustomed to seeing “real” cowboys wearing cowboy hats.  Her uncle has been a rancher his entire life, and I can’t imagine him without a cowboy hat. I don’t think he’d look like himself at all without it! Her dad, on the other hand, is also a rancher and horseman, but he can usually be seen wearing a Pioneer seed corn cap whenever he’s horseback, and he saves his hat for Sunday-go-to-meetin’ days or special events.

I grew up in farming country and when I see someone wearing a cowboy hat, I feel like they look out of place.  Further adding to the mis-placed look is that you rarely see the person that wears them in anything but a really nice Stetson or some other expensive looking hat.  It makes it look like that hat is an accessory and statement, rather than an old beat up hat that seems to be as much tool as clothing accessory.  In fact, just about the only people around here who wear them seem to be auctioneers, cattle buyers, and wanna-be cowboys who may own a horse or two, but they rarely ride them and don’t own any cows at all—which leads to an inside joke among me and my brothers, “Never trust anybody with a cowboy hat.”

Having said that, I’ll admit, when I was five years old our little town celebrated its centennial and there was a bingo parlor set up in the city park.  My grandpa took me along with him to play, and I won the first game.  Well, despite my grandmother’s protests, I chose a big straw cowboy hat for my prize!  It was white, with a great big brown and red feather on the front of the hat and I cherished it for quite awhile. 

Even now, I secretly wish I had a cowboy hat.  I wish I had two actually—an old, beat up dirty one that shows I’m a “real” cowboy, and then a nice “goin-to-town” one that cost more than my horse did.   Any time I’m at a western store, I make sure no one is watching and I put one on and instantly feel sheepish. So I regretfully put it back and move on.  The look probably just doesn’t suit me. Besides…I don’t want people thinking I’m an auctioneer!

What I am going to comment specifically on, is this paragraph from the article:

“A renewal of equine slaughter still draws sharp opposition from some veterinarians, horse owners and animal-rights groups. They suggest instead providing free hay to economically strapped owners; opening low-cost clinics to geld horses to reduce breeding; even requiring anyone buying a horse to pay an up-front fee to cover euthanasia by a veterinarian when needed.”

I can’t even begin to express my anger and indignation at that paragraph, specifically, the last part of that that comment – requiring people to pay an upfront fee when they buy a horse.  I don’t have enough space on this blog to list the reasons that it is wrong!  Anyone who’s tried to sell a horse lately knows how difficult it is –for a variety of reasons that we don’t need to get into, but horse slaughter is one of them – now it’s being proposed that we tack on another few hundred dollars?!?!  On an industry that has nearly been ruined already?!!?  I could go on and on about this, but, I’ll leave it like this…this is stupid, and not only is it stupid, but it’s another example of our individual rights being trampled on by the “idiocracy” that our beautiful country is being governed by.

My personal review of the movie was very favorable, primarily because I took my four year old daughter with me to see it.  The movie was really refreshing from the standpoint that it was just a nice movie about a horse.  It had some light drama – but you knew the horse wins in the end anyways, so it didn’t stress you too much!  Like every movie nowadays seems to have, it had some politics mixed in – but it didn’t take sides or get preachy.  All in all, the message was believe in yourself and those you care about – this horse was really fast!

Horses often provide an escape from cares and worries and just an opportunity to “be” and “enjoy”, this movie provided that same thing, which to me was the most fitting aspect of any movie – especially one about a horse.

They had purchased Cricket (“Crick-ee” as I call her, “Crooked” as my “speech impaired” mother calls her!) for her young daughter to learn to run barrels on, however, Cricket didn’t have much speed and she was lazy, she also knew how to bluff this very young girl and one day, when Cricket decided to go stand by the trailer in the shade instead of run barrels, they decided to sell her.  My wife and I bought her because I needed a “beginner” horse and Cricket has done everything to fill the bill.  I have learned to be a much more confident rider because of her good and bad traits. 

Cricket doesn’t like to work and when she does have to work, she doesn’t like to work very hard.  She tries to go back to the barn if you take her out by herself, and if we’re working cattle, she only wants to work next to another horse, not go out and chase a stray cow by herself.  However, she doesn’t buck or run away, she doesn’t rear and if you are firm with her in what needs to be done, she obliges.  From her I’ve learned how a horse can bluff and that if you let them get away with it, it is many times harder to deal with it the next time, but I learned it from a safe old girl who didn’t have any intent to harm herself or me in the process.  My riding has become better and more confident because of her.

As someone who had a pretty healthy fear the first several times I rode, I’m thankful that Cricket has made me want to ride other horses – not that I don’t like riding her, but for quite awhile, I felt she was the only horse safe enough for me to ride, but now I feel like I can ride another horse besides her and live to tell the story!  The last time we visited my in-laws and we all were choosing horses to ride, I offered to ride a horse that was somewhat green and I knew it was a horse I could ride and I had no reservations about it being just a little green.  I owe that newfound confidence to Cricket and her tolerance of me!  Now I’m excited to have my kids develop the same confidence through riding her for the next few years.

Although I’m a day late with my post, in light of Veteran’s Day, I thought I’d post a link to an article I read.  Click here to see the article, which refers to horses being used as therapy to combat veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

Thankfully, most of us never deal with the type of mental trauma that some of the brave defenders of our country have to learn to live with.  But about any of us could have told you what a fantastic release from stress and pressure the horse can provide.  Horses continue to amaze me with their ability to perform as therapy animals.

There are a few things that can be drawn from this video, and that is the horses did not seem in a hurry to get out of the floodwaters, and the black horse being led in shallow water actually seemed afraid to walk to dry ground. Watching this sort of thing reminds me of how important it is to have horses that are used to being caught and handled so that rescuers are able to help them. Can you imagine trying to catch a frantic or shy horse in these waters? It could result in people falling in the water, the horse getting hurt in underwater rubbish or wire, and who knows what else.

I’ve always heard you’re supposed to have a plan for fire, flood, and other emergencies. Keeping a five gallon bucket with a lid on it that holds halters, ropes, first aid kit, and maybe something to blindfold a horse with is a great idea.

I’m glad these horses made it to safety, and hope things dry out for the Tennessee folks soon!

You Take The Horse; I’ll Gladly Take The Dog
By Dave Barry

Recently a woman I know named Michelle came into the newspaper office with a big ugly wound on her upper arm. Realizing that she might be self-conscious about it, I said: “Michelle, what’s that big ugly wound on your upper arm?” Sensitivity is the cornerstone of journalism.

It turned out that Michelle had been bitten by a horse. It was her own horse, and it bit her while she was trying to feed it.

This is a typical horse maneuver. Horses are the opposite of dogs, gratitude-wise. You give a dog something totally wretched to eat, such as a toad part or a wad of pre-chewed Dentyne, and the dog will henceforth view you as the Supreme Being.

It will gaze on you for hours with rapt adoration and lick the ground you walk on and try to kill the pizza-delivery person if he comes anywhere near you.

Whereas if you spend hours grooming a horse and lugging its food and water around, the horse will be thinking: “Should I chomp on this person’s arm? Or should I merely blow a couple gallons of horse snot into this person’s hair?”

I don’t trust horses. “Never trust an animal with feet made from the same material as bowling balls” is one of my mottoes. I never believed those scenes in Western movies when bad guys would tie the hero up, and his horse would trot over and untie the knots with his teeth. A real horse would size up the situation and stomp on the hero’s feet.

I don’t blame horses for being hostile. I myself would feel hostile toward somebody who was always sitting on me and yanking on my lips. But what I don’t get is, how come they’re so popular? Especially with women?

Now, you’re probably saying: “Dave, you’re just bitter because in fifth grade you had an intense crush on Susan Cartoun, and you wrote `Sue’ on your notebook inside a heart, but the name inside the heart on her notebook was `Frosty,’ an imaginary horse that she loved much more than you, despite the fact that, if Frosty ever had the chance, it would have got imaginary snot in her hair.”

Yes, it’s true that I am a little bitter about that. Also, I have not forgotten my first experience with a horse. I was 9 years old, at a farm, and I attempted to ride a pony.

“Pony” is a misunderstood word. Many young people, having grown up watching the “My Little Pony” cartoon show, believe that a pony is a cute little pastel-colored critter with a perky voice and a nurturing personality and a 1973 Farrah Fawcett hair style. Whereas, in fact, a typical pony is the same weight as an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme but with no controls or moral code.

Anyway, following my sister’s directions, I put my foot into the metal thing hanging down from the pony (technically, the “fetlock”), and instantly the pony, not wishing to be boarded at that time, trotted briskly off, with my leg attached to it.

I attempted to keep up by bouncing next to it on my other leg, like the famous Western cinematic star, Hopalong Dork, but finally, in a feat of astonishing equestrian skill, I fell down backward and got dragged across the field with my head bouncing gaily behind amongst the cow doots.

I could tell the pony enjoyed this immensely. It couldn’t wait to get back to the stable and tell the other horses via Snort Language.

“You should have seen his hair!” snorted the pony. “He’ll need to shampoo with industrial solvents!”

“Next time,” snorted one of the older horses, “try stepping on him. It’s like dropping an anvil on a Hostess Twinkie.”

“And the legal authorities can’t prosecute, because we’re horses,” snorted another.

So I stayed off horses altogether until 20 years later, when I was courting my wife. We were in the Rocky Mountains, and they had rental horses, and she wanted to ride one.

Naturally, she loves horses. As a child, she used to ride a neighbor’s horse bareback, an experience she remembers fondly even though she admits the horse would regularly try to decapitate her by running under low tree branches at 27 miles per hour.

I don’t want to sound like a broken record here, but why is it that a woman will forgive homicidal behavior in a horse, yet be highly critical of a man for leaving the toilet seat up?

But I was in Raging Hormone Courting Mode, meaning I would have wrestled a giant snake to impress my wife-to-be, so I let her talk me into getting on this rental horse.

It turned its head around and looked at me with one of those horse eyeballs the size of a mature grapefruit, and I knew instantly what it was thinking. It was thinking: “Hey! It’s Hopalong Dork!”

So while my wife’s horse trotted briskly off into the scenery, looking for low branches to run under, my horse just stood there, eating and pooping, waiting for me to put one leg on the ground so it could suddenly take off and drag me to Oregon.

So I sat very still, like one of those statue generals, only more rigid. I’d say we moved about 11 feet in two hours. Next time I am definitely renting the snake.

Fortunately, my wife’s horse was unable to kill her, and we got married and lived happily ever after, except that she keeps saying that she wants us to go riding again.

I don’t know what to do. I think maybe tonight I’ll fix her a candlelight dinner, give her some wine, and put on some soft, romantic music. Then, when the moment is just right, I will gently but firmly bite her upper arm.

Dave Barry’s column appears Monday on The Times’ editorial page.

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