Monty Roberts

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Opinions? I think he's ok, but saw a couple of posts recently where he wasn't liked, so wondered what the general opinion is here? (I know better than to ask about Parelli ;) although tbf I don't know much about it, but seems like that's a good thing!).
 
I think like with any training in the horse world, the individual horse has to be taken into account and the training should be chosen from all areas rather than following one religiously.
In general I like, but equally there are things I don't.
 
I think like with any training in the horse world, the individual horse has to be taken into account and the training should be chosen from all areas rather than following one religiously.
In general I like, but equally there are things I don't.
I'm also careful to remember that its training that can be sold not necessarily used.
 
You need very deep pockets to go the Monty way I think...out of curiosity I contacted one of his peeps to fix a loader. Would have cost hundreds plus I had to go and pick up the barrier things they use myself from another yard...cos of course they're always around at shows aren't they?! Got my tricky loader fixed kindly and quickly by a nagsman for a tenner lol xxx
 
noobs31 said:
You need very deep pockets to go the Monty way I think...out of curiosity I contacted one of his peeps to fix a loader. Would have cost hundreds plus I had to go and pick up the barrier things they use myself from another yard...cos of course they're always around at shows aren't they?! Got my tricky loader fixed kindly and quickly by a nagsman for a tenner lol xxx
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I had one of the IH recommended associates, (they have very close ties with MR) out to my mare and it was £60 + travel, and she was there for nearly 3hrs and the hints and tips she gave me are still helping now.
 
I had one of the RA's out to a very tricky loader. She came from 50 miles away, was here for 6 hours and it cost me £100 altogether. The horse loaded perfectly every time after that - thank goodness, as he had to go to horsepital and I would never have got him there otherwise.

I am not keen on Monty himself - he's not a "people person" apparently, certainly wasn't when I met him! But his RA's are amazing, and don't necessarily run through all their "methods" with every horse they work with - the idea is that they have a virtual "toolbox" of methods and ways of doing things, which they bring out according to the needs of the horse they are working with.
 
I had an RA out to one of mine not to load it but to get the b****r off the lorry she was on there 5 hours before we had to blindfold her and lift her off, so I called out a RA and he taught her to go on and off the lorry as soon as she was asked He was brilliant so I have had him back a few times for ground exercises that I have struggled with. I am a fan of common sense handling and I find most but not all of Monty Roberts methods useful. I like Richard Maxwell best as he makes progress and learns as he goes along putting new ideas and information into his teaching. I do think a one size fits all is not necessarily a correct way with horses as all are different
 
Im a big Monty Roberts fan, i also like Richard Maxwell, i use the bits i like and leave the bits im not sure about. We got interested because we had a horse we couldnt catch, after some idiots chased him around his field in a van. Using different methods works for us. Our friends now call us when they have something they cant catch!
 
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Richard Maxwell used to work for Monty Roberts, so learned a great deal off him, and then added and adapted some of his own - not everyone has access to a round pen for instance.

He was the one who was trying to "join up" with a stallion and was talking to Monty, saying "I think I have join up" and Monty replied "I don't think so" and then the stallion went on the attack; in fact he had been "stalking" Richard and waiting for an opportunity.

I personally think Monty is great, and the RA I have met are great too. Monty has so much understanding and llove of the horse.
 
Ladyinred said:
Smoke and mirrors.
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not sure what you mean to be honest. I am not a sheep follower and make up m own mind about all the various trainers I am very openminded but I cant find anything smoke and mirrors about these trainers it is as far as I can see good common sense and old horsemanship without the violence
 
Go watch a Monty video on YouTube, but turn the sound off... he distracts his audience with his voice and stories while he jerks the hell out of the dually. It is quite subtle and fools most of the people most of the time.
 
I don't like how he and his ilk insult good horse people from all disciplines by saying that traditional methods are cruel and ineffective.
Not true, some TRAINERS are cruel and ineffective, be it jumping, driving or so called natural horsemanship (whatever that actually is)
Equally there are sensitive, thinking trainers of all types, and there have been for as long as horses have been domesticated. Xenophon was one such horseman who lived long before Monty and his merry men.
 
He is probably a good man with horses, definitely an amazing showman, but also a fantasist. If you read his autobiography, it has stories in it that are blatantly not true. Such as James Dean driving to see him when his car crashed. His family have also bitterly disputed other aspects of it.
 
lastchancer said:
I don't like how he and his ilk insult good horse people from all disciplines by saying that traditional methods are cruel and ineffective.
Not true, some TRAINERS are cruel and ineffective, be it jumping, driving or so called natural horsemanship (whatever that actually is)
Equally there are sensitive, thinking trainers of all types, and there have been for as long as horses have been domesticated. Xenophon was one such horseman who lived long before Monty and his merry men.
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Exactly. When MR's first video came out I was watching it with my mother who was brought up with horses. At the end she snorted and said "He didn't invent all that. My Father used to do things like that when he was working with horses". My grandfather worked with horses all his life and was always able to bring on horses even when they'd been written off by others. Even after he retired he was often sent for to help out with difficult horses. He used to say "There's no such thing as a bad horse, only had handlers".
 
He is probably a good man with horses, definitely an amazing showman, but also a fantasist. If you read his autobiography, it has stories in it that are blatantly not true. Such as James Dean driving to see him when his car crashed. His family have also bitterly disputed other aspects of it.
 
WHen MR first came to the UK some 25 years ago, he was working with army remounts at Windsor Castle.
I attended a day session there and will say I found it interesting but was not that impressed as all the horses had been well handled and although not ridden were best part to being so.

The H&H then had him do two two day clinics, the forest at Towerlands and the second at Stoneleigh.
I took two horses to Towerlands, one as a remedial and the other as unbroken.

The untouched filly was just that! She had not been handled much at all. I taught her to lead but had never picked up her feet or even brushed her.
All the others were well handled and groomed. This filly had long feet, a long mane and a tail dragging on the ground.
He started and finished her in 20 minutes.
What impressed me was another remedial there. A big young horse that just bucked everyone off. That horse was fine with his owner but as soon as MR went into the round pen the horse was a nervous wreck. He had that horse being ridden in about 30 minutes both inside the pen and in the arena.
That was impressive.

As I attended several of his clinics, sometimes providing horses, his tales became taller and more unbelievable.

WHat did really put me off was at one clinic there was a problem horse, a big warm blood that preferred walking on his back legs to all four. He even napped in the round pen.
The girl rider was good and MR put a visor on the horse so it could only see a few feet in front of it. It stopped napping and the girl was told to ride him in it and when she wanted to jump to take the visor off, give him a jump and put it back on.

That horse was a lovely looking animal but it moved with a stride like a donkey. It had the feet of a 13.2 pony and to me there lay the problem.
Before the clinic I had been talking to the owners and suggested that they have the feet X-rayed and sure enough he had navicular.
So, the man who talks to horses was out of my book - he needs to learn to listen to them instead.
There is a lot of good in his programme but, now it is all how he set about not only saving the horse but humans too.

You need to read 'Horse Whispers and Lies.'
 
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Of course he's a showman - look at his background.... He's also a man who has spent many many hours observing wild horse behaviour, and he's good at what he does.

If he's good enough for The Queen then he's good enough for me
 
He's getting more and more ridiculous....and whoever allowed a small kid to spend months on his own in the US desert area observing horses??? I'm sure he never did this as he said!! And as for join up....yes it works but then he promptly puts a bit in the horses mouth and starts long reining him......at least Parelli takes it step by step and starts at the beginning!!!!
 
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