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My Review of the Book “The Man Who Listens to Horses”

December 20, 2009 by Barb Jackson  
Posted in: pets

Have you ever seen the popular television show “The Dog Whisperer”? It highlights a man who loves dogs, and has a unique ability to communicate with them, and train them as well. The book “The Man Who Listens to Horses” offers a similar story, about a man who is able to train and communicate with horses. Written by Monty Roberts, it showcases the internal workings of a horse’s mind. In this article I will be offering my humble opinion on this remarkable book, and offer what I think are some of the highlights that I think other readers might enjoy.

Monty Roberts has a love of horses, and he sure has a story to tell. He grew up with an abusive father, and this abuse not only extended to him, but to horses as well. This abuse formed a strong impression on Monty when he was young, and as he grew older he started to formulate an opinion that there must be a better way to communicate with the horses that he loves so much.

This “better way” was to become a horse breaking and training technique which he calls “join-up”. For starters, you need a round pen, and an unbroken horse. The handler stands in the middle of the pen, and the horse is encouraged to run away from him/her, circling the pen in attempts to get away. As the horse runs away, the handler forms steady eye contact, and assumes a very authoritative and imposing stance. As time goes by, the handler will look for three specific signs that the horse wishes to communicate with the handler. These signs are:

The horse will turn his closest ear to the handler towards him/her.

The horse will begin a process of licking and chewing.

The head of the horse will move closer to the ground as he runs around the pen.

Once the handler has determined the horse wishes to communicate, he will turn his back on the horse and start to move away. At this point the horse will usually move closer to the handler, permitting the handler to touch him/her. The next step in the process is to saddle, bridle, mount, and ride…

The book takes us on a journey into Robert’s life (in addition to the “join-up” technique). We learn of the various stages of his life and the events that have helped to shape his view of horses, and the techniques he has developed along the way. Some of the highlights are:

-The successful childhood riding career of the author

-The author’s relationship with his father

-The development of the author’s Thoroughbred racehorse facility

-His meeting with Queen Elizabeth II of England

-Using the join-up technique with wild deer

-His experience with mustang horses

-Three of his favorite horses: Dually, Brownie, and Johnny Tivio

Do you love horses? If so, you will love this book on a humane way to communicate with them and train them as well. Be sure to check it out, read it over, and let the information sink into your mind.

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