What is Buck Brannaman's approach to starting colts?

Buck Brannaman's approach to starting colts carries forward directly what he learned from Ray Hunt, which was itself the expression of Tom Dorrance's foundational ideas about preparing the colt's thought and understanding before the physical demands of riding are introduced. Brannaman begins colt starting with groundwork that is not simply a checklist of prerequisite behaviors but a genuine development of the colt's understanding of the basic principles it will need when a rider gets on — yield to pressure, move away from leg and rein, remain calm and forward in the face of novel stimuli. The quality of this groundwork preparation is for Brannaman the primary determinant of how the first ride goes and of the quality of horse that results from the starting process, and he is direct that shortcuts in the preparation produce horses that are merely tolerating a rider rather than genuinely understanding and accepting one. When the colt is saddled and the rider gets on for the first time in a Brannaman clinic, the typical impression observers have is of how un-dramatic the event is — the colt is forward, soft, and moving willingly rather than braced, anxious, or resigned, because the preparation has been thorough enough that the rider's weight is not a shocking surprise but a continuation of a conversation that was already well underway. Brannaman conducts colt starting clinics specifically — events where participants start their own colts under his guidance — and these clinics are considered some of the most valuable experiences available for horsemen who want to understand the principles of starting well rather than simply witnessing an expert starting a colt. His emphasis throughout is on the quality of the colt's thought and the softness of its response rather than on the production of specific behaviors on a specific timeline.