Have you ever 'joined-up' with your horse?

F

FunkyFilly28

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 November 2008
Messages
464
Visit site
I watched Martin Clunes: Horsepower this evening like the majority of this forum and absoultely loved it. Anyway, I've heard about Monty Robert's join-up for many years now but never actually tried it. So just wondering really if any of you have had a go and what results you got. Also, what steps did you actually follow when doing it?

Thanks :)
 
This is going to sounds really stupid but I actually did 'join up' a few year ago without even realising it! I simply did what martin clunes did on the show tonight and my mare followed me around. Even now she follows me around, more like a dog really, and I rarely need a headcollar to even tie her up (only because she's at home so there's nobody else around!) When I eventually heard about join up I felt quite ahead of myself :D
 
I do it quite regularly with my pony for variety as he gets bored very easily. I follow Richard Maxwell's methods (who I believe trained with Monty Roberts?), i.e. a pressure halter where pressure is applied when the horse doesnt follow or mind wanders etc, and then as soon as they come to you the pressure is released.
My pony is now rather good at it and will do it with a normal headcollar now, and then we progress to removing everything, and do it loose. He really enjoys it and will trot behind me if i run and will back up just with me stepping towards him etc. I also use it to help teach him lateral movements and ground work before I try it mounted, so he picks it up easier and it is clearer as I have already introduced him to the aids. I also occasionally join up with him before getting on him bareback to practise new movements.
I also think it has improved the bond between us no end, and I found that we only really clicked under saddle when we had developed a strong bond on the ground.
Thoroughly recommend it :D
 
I tried with Honey, unfortunatly Honey is the Dominant one and she made sure i knew this :p By charging down the fencing and trotting off with a smug look on her face :rolleyes:

Mysti ducked under the fence (how i dont know :eek:) ran off, jumped a 4ft3 fence (amazing since shes only 12hh :o) the ran into her stable looking smug :p

Mares ey! :D

Thought id add, they both follow you around the field, and trust me so i havent bothered again!
 
Last edited:
Yeah....see no point in it really though. If I'm honest. Don't need join up for the horses we have to want to be with you or anything, really,....
 
I tried the turning away when he didnt want to be caught. He was not happy! Not being caught was part of the game. He ended up running up to me and biting me on the back. Then just standing there looking at me.:) It was really funny tbh. I had completely confused him in his play! You could almost read his mind. "That is not how we play the "not being caught" Game. The game goes like this. You walk up to me, and i walk away, just out of reach. Then you run so i run a bit faster, just out of reach. Then i circle you, just out of reach. Then I give up and come up to you because i can see you are getting bored...2 hours later...":D

I think when horses have not learnt to trust humans, for whatever reason, it can help. You are just becoming the herd leader.

But when they are just taking the Mickey...! :D
 
Last edited:
Yes. Years ago I bought a horse for £450 knowing that he had been broken and ridden by some spectacularly ignorant people and was abosolutlely bonkers and not in a nice way. You could get him into the indoor school but then you were one your own, he was so terrified you could not put a hand on him so everything was 'hands off'. Join up worked for this individual. He went on to be a BYRDS horse and he represented Wales and went to Ireland, Keysoe and all over the place with a young girl from the age of 12 to 15.
Underneath he was a lovely gentle horse in need of some direction and TLC. Unlike my mare who just looks at you thinking, "Stupid human".
 
Yeah :) loose lunged her until she started to show signs of cooperating such as licking her mouth, ears flicking towards me then let her slow down - she's followed me in the school ever since (and I don't even know if I did it right!)
K x
 
My boss like us to use it when were backing youngsters, hes not a massive follower of it but as all our youngsters come to us untouched as 3 years old it does help to gain a bit of trust. Some do it well, some take a while to catch on some wont do it and you swear your not letting them off the lunge again in the pen as it took bloody ages to catch them! But with all of them it didnt do them any harm or hurt them, so if you want to have ago its not going to do any damage and you might gain something. If you fancy it give it a go! :)
 
zoelouisem said:
My boss like us to use it when were backing youngsters, hes not a massive follower of it but as all our youngsters come to us untouched as 3 years old it does help to gain a bit of trust. Some do it well, some take a while to catch on some wont do it and you swear your not letting them off the lunge again in the pen as it took bloody ages to catch them! But with all of them it didnt do them any harm or hurt them, so if you want to have ago its not going to do any damage and you might gain something. If you fancy it give it a go! :)
Click to expand...

Sorry but I have to disagree. You are teaching a nervous horse that you are scary enough that he has to run away (even in the confines of a pen) They follow you afterwards because they have no option A horse will follow a scary object, even a human, rather than risk the object chasing them or not knowing where it is or what it is going to do.

I know I am a real bore on this subject but if you sit and think about what you are asking and what message you are giving your horse then you will see it's all no more than a party trick to catch the interest of gullible people.
 
Ladyinred said:
Sorry but I have to disagree. You are teaching a nervous horse that you are scary enough that he has to run away (even in the confines of a pen) They follow you afterwards because they have no option A horse will follow a scary object, even a human, rather than risk the object chasing them or not knowing where it is or what it is going to do.

I know I am a real bore on this subject but if you sit and think about what you are asking and what message you are giving your horse then you will see it's all no more than a party trick to catch the interest of gullible people.
Click to expand...


Who cares if it's black magic, if it works for some people and helps them with "their" horse, paticularly fetching it in, thats good, at least it's not tying it up to a post and trashing it with a bin lid/paper bag/whip/peice of wood on fire, hobbling it, throwing to the ground ect ect, if people want to pay for it then thats up to them as well, if you want to talk gullible, then lets talk buying and paying for street rags, chat heat, star, sun, ect ect ect ad nauseum, full of Katy price/xfactor/eastenders/and any other total garbage, but even then, it's their money they can spend it on whatever they like.
 
I did a bit of the body language stuff with Puzzle in her field. Mostly just to get her to come to me and when she was v nervous when she first came.

Not that she listens to it now that she's got a field mate! But she does definitely have a bond with me that she doesnt have with other peole. xxx
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top