An Evening With Monty Roberts

On August 25, 1999, my friend Carol and I were privileged to attend the Monty Roberts Demonstration at the Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. What a wonderful and enlightening evening! Although I had seen tapes, read his books, watched documentaries and specials about Monty and his gentle techniques, seeing him in action, in person, was altogether different.

When we arrived we were happy and surprised to see so many "good ole boys" in their cowboy hats and jeans - this is OKC after all! They were mainly older gentlemen, and were set jawed as Monty started his program. I thought "what are these guys doing here...just checking to see if Monty is for real or not, I guess." But, as the evening progressed, the toughest of the bunch was sitting forward in his seat watching intensely! I overheard one on his cell phone say, "Forget everything I ever taught you about horses!"

Carol and I have been converts for some time. My husband, Everette, has used Monty's training method on both raw and remedial horses. We knew what to do, basically, but this time I spent the entire evening watching MONTY, instead of focusing on the horses. I learned so much that I had missed in the videos.

The first horse was a 3 year old Morgan who had been halter broke, but otherwise was raw. Within 26 minutes Monty had a rider up on the horse! It was awesome (but not as awesome as God!)

The next two horses were ones that had problems loading....as a matter of fact, the owners had a hard time getting the horses to the demonstration! With these horses he didn't spend too much time with "Join-Up", but he did have his specially designed halter on them - the "Dually". The halter has a regular nose band and a special rope nose band that slides, similar to a chain over the nose. The difference between the rope and the chain is that the rope releases much easier.

Monty spent some time teaching the horse he was working to back and come toward him. Monty's assistant worked the other horse the same way. Both horses had learned to pull back and balk...planting their feet firmly and refusing to move. Both horses reared and pulled backed when attempted to load, according to the owners. After about a half hour, both horses would follow Monty and the assistant in and out of the trailer without a lead rope on! It was incredible!

The next horse was one who wouldn't stand for the farrier, especially when the back feet were being done, and even more so for the hammering when shoes are applied. It wasn't 20 minutes and the horse allowed all four feet to be picked up and hammered on! Again, the dually was the answer.

The final horse was a real challenge! He was a high strung thoroughbred with a bucking problem. The horse wouldn't even look at Monty when approached. It took him a little while to get the horses attention with the dually, you really have to see it to understand it's effectiveness. After that, the horse was following him around. The fun really started when it came time to ride the horse to see if he had solved the bucking problem. How did he do it? Well, it was a simple device, you would be amazed, he used a simple piece of clothes line made into a headstall, this device kept the horse from putting it's head down to buck. Monty didn't just put a live person up on such and unpredictable horse, he used a dummy called Herman! It was pretty amusing, but effective, because the horse reared and went over backwards. After it got up Monty sent it around the pen several times. Soon, he did put his assistant on the horse, which was cantered around the arena without a buck. I imagine on such a high strung animal the owner will have to use the anti-bucking device for some time, but Monty does advise it to be removed after a number of rides to test if the horse has learned it's lesson.

All in all it was a wonderful, enlightening evening. Monty explained everything well. He donated about $11,000.00 to the FFA I believe, I am not sure if it was that group, but I think it was. His wife, Pat was on hand to show her beautiful artwork, which was for sale. The lines for autographs and questions were long. Monty answered questions attendees gave him on cards. He gave each answer over the mic so we could all hear. His advice was clear, and he never once claimed anything that didn't make sense. Some people asked about handling their kids, Monty gave solid answers; something I feel qualified to judge as a Pastoral Counselor.

Monty made no claims that the horses were ready to be used and trusted as "trained". He stated that the horses would need more work and stated that he would have his assistants explain to the owners what to do.

I am thankful that I was able to attend this demonstration. And, in spite of what some may say, I am thankful that Monty Roberts has chosen to share his knowledge with the rest of us.

The Controversy...

Look, I just spent 2 hours reading pros and cons about Monty Roberts and the controversy surrounding him, especially concerning the article in Horse and Rider Magazine from February 1999. I found so much hostility and admiration. Hey, the man's methods do work, we use them and have had excellent results. We use any method that is non abusive and produces results. Personally, I have trained horses for 30 years, I have seen mean, horrible things done to horses and I have seen people so afraid they would offend the horse that the animal was an uncontrollable mess. Let's find a happy medium here, eh?

As for the abuse that Monty claims to have suffered at the hands of his father....I can't say! I was hurt as a child, and no one ever wants to admit in our family ANYTHING that is negative, even though it is all there. I once confronted the person who hurt me and he went ballistic! My husband was there and he had to hold the guy back. So, I am telling you, if my own family can hold anger against me for telling the truth, saying I lied, and causing untold emotional pain over the years, why couldn't the family of one as well known as Monty Roberts. It is especially difficult for abusers to accept the truth. When the truth comes out, they get mad, which is how they generally live their lives anyway.

Also, I will never buy another copy of H&R....they were wrong for printing an article like the one they did. If you have any comments to make about this subject, well, I think a message board is in order....please don't email me as I will not be responding to discussions on this subject personally except via the message board link below. NO, I don't worship Monty Roberts, I am a follower of Jesus Christ and He is the only one I worship. Thanks for reading my opinion, now, let's hear yours!

Review of Horse Whispers & Lies (Trading Truth for Glory, About Monty Roberts) by Joyce Renebome, Debra Ann Ristau

Ok, I sent out an email to my mailing list that I was writing this article about my evening with Monty Roberts. I got back a response from a woman who knew Monty and also has a long personal testimony in the book "Horse Whispers & Lies". She was upset that Monty had allegedly lied about his family and his history. You can read that email on the message board.

I responded to her email and she suggested I read this book telling the other side of the story. So, the authors sent me one and I have read it.
What have I decided? It isn't up to me. That is all I can say. The book has a ton of personal testimonies about Monty's past, friends, family. It refutes some of his claims by stating times and dates that don't add up, however it did not include proof of documentation such as actual newspaper articles, school records, hospital records and so on. I would have liked to see copies of those records to make a decision for myself. But, what I was left with was a "their word against his" situation. And, since I wasn't there and don't know any of these people, I can't make a judgment about who is telling the truth.

I also don't believe it is my place to make a judgment on this issue. If Monty Roberts has "sold his soul to the devil" as the authors claim, then he will answer to God just as we all will.

All I know is the methods he teaches work. It makes no difference to me if he learned them from his father or some wild horses. If he has lied, then I can't do anything about it and refuse to take one side or the other. I will continue to learn what I can from Mr. Roberts and his methods...I will not attempt to decide who is right or wrong in his family.

I think the family will find this disappointing...but, I leave it to you to decide. You can buy the book "Horse Whispers & Lies" and read it for yourself. But, before you make a judgment, think about the Lord...that is His department. Anything we can think up to do to someone to punish them for the things they have done wrong is nothing compared to the work God can do in their lives. Pamela Hunter

....visit Monty's website for information - Monty Roberts.

Training

- Monty Roberts