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The Man Who Listens to Horses Mass Market Paperback – November 28, 1998
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBallantine Books
- Publication dateNovember 28, 1998
- Dimensions4.15 x 0.95 x 6.85 inches
- ISBN-10034542705X
- ISBN-13978-0345427052
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Utterly engrossing.... For those who have ridden the high plains country, wide open, atop a horse in the full, mature glory of its strength, the only honest reaction after reading the book is to smile in warm agreement." -Michael Enright, The Globe and Mail
"Mesmerizing.... The kind of life-altering book you never want to finish." -San Francisco Chronicle
From the Trade Paperback edition.
From the Inside Flap
From the Back Cover
"Riveting and inspirational . . . easy to read and hard to put down."
--The New York Times Book Review
"HERE IS A MAN WHO IS A REAL, LIVE HORSE WHISPERER. . . . Monty Roberts takes us from the moment he learned to listen to horses through the development of his skill at communicating with and 'gentling' them rather than breaking their spirits. . . . From those cold nights and blazing days in the desert, he would build a life anchored by his love and understanding of the horse."
--The Washington Post Book World
"ABSORBING . . . ENGROSSING . . . Roberts's story is more fascinating and profound than any told in fiction. . . . The kind of life-altering book you never want to finish."
--San Francisco Chronicle
"THE MAN WHO LISTENS TO HORSES has inspired me to the depths of my soul. . . . One of the most profoundly deep, awe-inspiring, and heart-opening experiences I've ever witnessed. I highly recommend this book to everyone."
--JACK CANFIELD
Coauthor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series
About the Author
He runs Flag Is Up Farms in Solvang, California.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
It all dates from those summers alone in the high desert, me lying on my belly and watching wild horses with my binoculars for hours at a time. Straining to see in the moonlight, striving to fathom mustang ways, I knew instinctively I had chanced upon something important but could not know that it would shape my life. In 1948 I was a boy of thirteen learning the language of horses.
In the wilderness of Nevada, the soil is silky and cool to the touch at dawn, and at midday will burn your skin. My summer vigils were marked off by the heat of the day and the cold of the night and a profound sense of solitude. It felt right to be there under those vast skies on that dove-gray moonscape in the company of wild and wary horses. I remember, especially, a dun mare with a dark stripe along her back and zebra stripes above her knees. Clearly the matriarch of the herd, she was disciplining an unruly young colt who had been roughing up foals and mares. I vividly recall how she squared up to him, her eyes on his eyes, her spine rigid, her head pointed arrowlike at the adolescent. No longer full of himself, he knew exactly what she meant. Three hundred yards from the herd, the outcast would know by her body position when he could return to the fold. If she faced him, he could not. If she showed him part of her body's long axis, he could begin to consider it. Before her act of forgiveness had to come signs of his penitence. The signals he gave back to her--the seeking of forgiveness--would later be fundamental to a technique I would develop to introduce young horses gently to saddle and rider. It was the mustangs who taught me their silent body grammar, and the dun mare was my first teacher.
I grew up in Salinas, California, where wild horses were annually put to other uses. In 1948, the Wild Horse Race was a featured part of the Salinas Rodeo. And because I lived in a house on the rodeo grounds (or competition grounds, as I called it) where my parents ran a riding school, rodeo was part of our lives. Normally, wild horses were cheap and plentiful. Doc Leach, a short, bespectacled man who was our dentist and also president of the association that governed the competition grounds, would have called the usual people and said, in effect, Come on, folks, I need a hundred and fifty mustangs to be delivered to Salinas by July the first and it would happen. But with horsemeat used so extensively during the war, mustang numbers had dwindled significantly, and by 1947 the herds in northern California, Nevada, and southern Oregon had diminished by as much as two-thirds, with the horses now located almost exclusively in Nevada. That year Doc Leach's calls had fallen on deaf ears. What mustangs? the Nevada ranchers had countered. You come up here and see if you can get them yourself. The wild horse race was usually no race at all but a kind of maniacal musical chairs played with mustangs, but that year the Salinas Rodeo Association had to scrape together what they could find, and so it was a fairly tame wild horse race, with too few horses and too many old ones to put on the show required.
The following year I saw an opportunity to provide Doc Leach with a service that would both salvage the reputation of the wild horse race and save the lives of a hundred or more horses. I was only thirteen; he might not listen. But I was driven by both a fierce young entrepreneurial spirit and my love of the horses. In previous years, after the rodeo, the mustangs were sent to Crows Landing to be slaughtered for dog food. If I could somehow make them worth more than that...
What if, I proposed to Doc Leach, I go to Nevada and get the mustangs? Doc Leach's eyebrows popped up above his glasses. How you going to do that, walk? No, I've made a lot of friends from trips to horse shows there. I know I can ask for help from the Campbell Ranch. Bill Dorrance, a remarkable horseman in his mid-fifties who would become my mentor, had contacts at the ranch and would make the arrangements. Ralph and Vivian Carter, good horse people and friends of the family, had business to conduct near there and had agreed to help. Finally, I had a truck driver lined up. Good for you, Doc Leach came back, a hint of mockery in his voice. I was, after all, little more than a boy. I'd ride up to the ranges with some of the day hands from the Campbell Ranch, and I bet I could secure one hundred and fifty head. Head of what? Chickens or horses? He had a sophisticated sense of humour. Strong and healthy mustangs, Dr. Leach. I explained to him that my younger brother, Larry, and I could care for them at the competition grounds until the rodeo was held. They'll be ready on the spot, with the pair of us on hand to see they're all right. Doc Leach shifted his pipe from one corner of his mouth to the other and blinked a couple of times. That meant he was cogitating. Finally he asked, What's in it for you? I was thinking, sir, that after the rodeo Larry and I could break in the mustangs and maybe have an auction sale, so they'd be worth more than Crows bait. That was the euphemism for animals taken to Crows Landing for slaughter. This year, I told him, he would not have to send any animals to the abattoir. There'd definitely be more than a few that would go through the sale ring ridden by my brother or myself and maybe provide someone with a useful mount, sir. He was still cogitating, so I went on. And perhaps the rodeo association could show a profit at the end of the day, more than the slaughter value anyway. Doc Leach weighed the arrangement, turning it over in his mind. He was like the buyer of a used car, kicking the tires and looking for the hidden defect. When he could find none, he agreed.
He offered to call up Irvin Bray and contract him to provide me with transport for the return journey. Finally, we agreed that the net proceeds of any sales were to be divided equally between the rodeo association and the Roberts brothers.
I was on my way to Nevada to gather 150 head of mustangs. It would prove to be the most important opportunity of my life: to study horses in their natural groups, in the wild. For the next three years I would be crossing the Sierra Nevada to the high desert beyond, to live alongside wild herds for several weeks at a time. From that experience I would begin to learn a language, a silent language which I have subsequently termed Equus. With that as a springboard, I would assemble a framework of ideas and principles that would guide my life's work with horses. I would have none of this were it not for my time as a teenager spent in the company of mustangs.
Product details
- Publisher : Ballantine Books (November 28, 1998)
- Language : English
- Mass Market Paperback : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 034542705X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0345427052
- Item Weight : 7.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.15 x 0.95 x 6.85 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,547,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,071 in Biology of Horses
- #1,750 in Sports Psychology (Books)
- #2,150 in Outdoors & Nature Reference
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
Monty Roberts, known as the "Man Who Listens to Horses" has led an extraordinary life. An award-winning trainer of championship horses, best-selling author, Hollywood stunt man, foster dad to 47 children (in addition to three of his own) and creator of the world-renowned and revolutionary equine training technique called Join~Up, Monty Roberts could now, in his later years, be resting on his laurels -- but that's not his style.
Roberts has won countless awards and received immense worldwide press coverage, put three books on the New York Times best-seller list, trained some of Queen Elizabeth II's equestrian team in London and been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Zurich. But if you go looking for Monty Roberts, you won't find him lounging in his favorite chair high up in the hills overlooking his horse-training farm in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley.
Monty Roberts, The "man who listens to horses" is more likely to be found somewhere on the globe continuing to spread his message of nonviolence. You're more likely to find him speaking to incarcerated youth in a juvenile detention facility, gentling his 15,000th horse at a demonstration, teaching his techniques to the growing number of students at his Equestrian Academy in Solvang, California or advising executives at Fortune 500 companies.
Why have millions of people from all walks of life responded to his PBS television shows, books, demonstrations, and media appearances with such passion? What makes Monty's message so compelling that everyone from the C.I.A. to Volkswagen invite this cowboy to share his experiences with their executives and leaders?
Perhaps it comes from the undeniable power of personal experience, of having witnessed too many horses "broken" in using violent, traditional methods. Perhaps it's having experienced an abusive childhood himself.
Monty often expresses that his goal in life is to leave the world a better place for horses and for people. With energy and enthusiasm, he gets up every morning, most often in a hotel in some town far away from his home, his horses, his staff and his farm, to keep talking . . . and listening.
Monty first learned to listen to horses while observing wild mustangs in Nevada at the age of thirteen. Sent there to round up horses for the Salinas Rodeo Association's Wild Horse Race, he spent hours silently watching the feral horses interact with each other. Soon he realized that they used a discernible, effective and predictable body language to communicate, set boundaries, show fear and express annoyance, relaxation or affection. In a moment that would change his life and the lives of horses and people forever, Roberts understood that utilizing this silent language would allow training to commence in a much more effective and humane manner, encouraging true partnership between horses and humans. Later, he would name this moment of partnership "Join~Up," and it would become the foundation of all his work with horses and people.
After this revelatory moment with the wild horses, Roberts returned home to his family's riding school at the Salinas Rodeo Grounds in Salinas, California. There, he had grown up watching his father "break" horses using traditional methods involving pain, control, fear and coercion. Testing his new insights into the nature of horses, Monty tried out some of his new ideas and was promptly punished for challenging his father's traditional methods.
Monty remained undeterred from his vision and later became a champion Western horseman. Hollywood hired him as a "stand in" rider and stunt double for stars such as Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet and many other films. He even worked with James Dean during the pre-production and filming of the acclaimed movie East of Eden.
Monty knew that his future lay in working with horses, and he commenced an incredible career in Thoroughbred racing. Throughout the years he worked with many champions (including the famed "Alleged") and opened a training facility, Flag Is Up Farms, on 154 acres in the Santa Ynez Valley in 1966. He and his wife, Pat, enjoyed immense success training Thoroughbreds, becoming the leading consignor of two-year-olds-in-training at the Hollywood Park Racetrack for 18 years. Even today, the walls of Monty and Pat's offices are covered with artwork, newspaper clippings and other memorabilia from their years on the track.
As the couple raised their own family of three, over the years Pat and Monty also took in 47 foster children. Many of them still return to Flag Is Up Farms for visits, and credit Pat and Monty with helping to turn their lives around. Today, Pat and daughter Debbie (with her husband, Tom Loucks) run the multi-dimensional and international family business from offices on Flag Is Up Farms.
By the 1980s, the Roberts and their extended clan were living their lives on the farm, happily collecting accolades for their work with racehorses. Then a phone call came that once again changed the direction of Monty's life forever.
The call was from the offices of Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning monarch of England and an avid horsewoman. She had heard about Roberts' work and invited him to come to her country and show her staff his Join~Up(R) method. The Queen was so impressed by his demonstration she urged him to write a book. That book became "The Man Who Listens to Horses".
Published in 1996, "The Man Who Listens to Horses" became a full-blown phenomenon. The book went on to sell nearly 5 million copies. Suddenly, Roberts and his training methods had skyrocketed into the limelight. The phone lines were jammed at the farm and the media was clamoring to get an interview; but more importantly, hundreds of thousands of horse lovers heard the message that there was another way.
The PBS and BBC television networks aired documentaries about his work, four more books were published and became best sellers, and countries throughout the world translated these materials, sharing his message that violence is never the answer. Over the past several years, Monty has toured the United States and has raised over $1.6 million for horse-related charities, including 4-H and therapeutic riding organizations.
Monty still demonstrates Join~Up(R) across the globe. His fourth book "From My Hands to Yours: Lessons from a Lifetime of Training Championship Horses," is a textbook format of his Join-Up training principles. His academy, the Monty Roberts Equestrian Academy, located at Flag Is Up Farms, trained more than 140 students last year using his non-violent methods. MREA is run by the nonprofit organization, Join~Up(R) International, Inc. which has set out to ensure that Join-Up principles will be available for generations to come.
Monty never forgets the lessons he learns from the horses. In his fifth book, Monty recounts the stories of his best loved horses, chosen from the tens of thousands he has worked with throughout his lifetime. The Horses in My Life is a celebration of the horses he has learned the most from, as well as those that have impressed themselves most indelibly on his memory and in his heart.
Today, Monty remains steadfast to his goal; "to leave the world a better place than I found it, for horses and for people, too."
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book engaging and educational. They appreciate the well-told life story and the author's insight into working with horses. The book provides a practical approach to caring for and loving horses, opening their minds to the inner thoughts of their animals. Readers praise the author's compassion and kindness in dealing with horses.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They describe it as a captivating story that keeps them hooked. Readers appreciate the good writing style that doesn't distract from the content.
"Amazing and captivating story!" Read more
"...Monty Roberts discovered the language of horses and it's well worth any horseperson's time to understand how he discovered it, how it has deepened..." Read more
"...He certainly knew what he was doing and kept this reader completely enthralled." Read more
"...Wonderful book for a grandson who feels the same love for his horse." Read more
Customers find the book educational and inspiring. They say it opens their minds to caring for and loving horses. The knowledge is kind and incredible, touching hearts. It teaches not only a training method but that kindness will get you farther.
"...This man has lived, is living a good life and doing good work!..." Read more
"...Not only is Mr. Roberts a wonderful storyteller, but his examples are food for thought...." Read more
"I learned a lot from thi book! What a great pathway to caring for and loving horses." Read more
"This is a personal story of horses, loving them, communing with them, respecting, and appreciating them...." Read more
Customers enjoy the well-told story and his approach to working with horses. They find the book engaging, honest, and educational. The author's journey seems realistic and authentic to them.
"Amazing and captivating story!" Read more
"Wonderful- well written, interesting autobiography. This man has lived, is living a good life and doing good work!..." Read more
"I could not put this book down. Not only is Mr. Roberts a wonderful storyteller, but his examples are food for thought...." Read more
"...In the midst of this fascinating autobiography, the reader is introduced to the psychology of the horse and the beauty of its disposition...." Read more
Customers find the book insightful and engaging. They appreciate the author's wisdom and example when dealing with horses. The book provides great insight into the minds of man and horses. It explains the background of the author's life and how he developed his unique perspective.
"...One of my favorite books. Explains the background of his life and how he developed his unique techniques...." Read more
"...The book tells of courage, determination, humanity and triumphs! It is entertaining and a real page turner, while being educational at the same time...." Read more
"...Monty Roberts is a truly exceptional man and a gentle-man in the truest sense of the word...." Read more
"...lead to his conclusions of "horse thought", amount of stories, Monty's personal life, but also degree of commitment to this philosophy...." Read more
Customers find the book's method effective for working with horses. They say it produces desirable results quickly, and that applying its guidance daily is key to success. The book teaches perseverance and gentle techniques that make training animals easy.
"...This man has lived, is living a good life and doing good work!..." Read more
"...their methods of attempting to train animals that can be so easily trained with kind, gentle techniques...." Read more
"...The book tells of courage, determination, humanity and triumphs! It is entertaining and a real page turner, while being educational at the same time...." Read more
"...slower, more gentle way turns out producing the fastest, more desirable result." Read more
Customers appreciate the author's compassion and kindness for horses. They find the book helpful in understanding horses and animals better. The author shows that kindness is better than abuse through an open mind to the animal's perspective. Readers also mention that the gentle way is better in all relationships, even with people with bad dispositions.
"...treatment of horses as well as asserting that this can work on humans with bad dispositions...." Read more
"...Success of kindness over abuse through openness of mind to the animal’s perspective, turning horses’ slavery into partnerships." Read more
"This is a personal story of horses, loving them, communing with them, respecting, and appreciating them...." Read more
"...He also shows the kindness with which humans should regard any animal, and through his life experiences, proves that humans have been very ignorant..." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2024Amazing and captivating story!
- Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2014Wonderful- well written, interesting autobiography. This man has lived, is living a good life and doing good work!
If you love animals, all animals, and obviously if you are a horse person, this book is a must read. Monty Roberts discovered the language of horses and it's well worth any horseperson's time to understand how he discovered it, how it has deepened and evolved and how it can be applied in all situations. Understanding an animal, what they're about is what loving animals is about.
The fact that from the time he was a very young man and that his mission in his life was not only to ride and ride hard but to make training better for all horses by not abusing and violating horses as was the method until he rethought it. He was raised in the business and his father used the "tried and true" methods and they worked bu it was war on an animal and not n the least decent or fair. It was adversarial. We're asking horses to work with us, not to be our slaves
His desire to create an empathetic method demonstrates what a genuinely decent guy he is. He and his father were estranged because he chose his own path away from abusing horses to teach them and the struggle with his father is a very important series of events he discusses in this book.
Monty Roberts is truly a good man and he's dedicated his life to making horse's lives better. I wish I had a horse to bring to one of his clinics.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2022I could not put this book down. Not only is Mr. Roberts a wonderful storyteller, but his examples are food for thought. The story of the horse that was claustrophobic was eye opening for me. I was raised by a pioneer family on the family’s ranch and rode from the time I was 3. Never had I realized a horse could be afraid of tight spaces. The parts of the racing thoroughbreds was exciting and his standing in front of a stallion knowing the horse would not hurt him made me gasp. He certainly knew what he was doing and kept this reader completely enthralled.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2024I laughed & cried. He relates stories just like an old friend. I’ll be trying to implement his methods in my interactions with our horses who are all experienced but I like to think it’s not too late to start for better communications.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2024Very good shape and and received in a very short time.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2020The factual story brings the reader to a place of understanding on the treatment of horses as well as asserting that this can work on humans with bad dispositions. Would be incredible of more social programs used the non violent approach outlined in these pages and perhaps actually reverse cronick bad behavior.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2023A real gem. An illustration of how a child’s pain can turn into love and compassion. Success of kindness over abuse through openness of mind to the animal’s perspective, turning horses’ slavery into partnerships.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2024Fast deliver. Quality of product was as specified.
Top reviews from other countries
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Conrado MercadoReviewed in Mexico on December 6, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars The Man Who Listens to Horses
Gracias a Monty Roberts pie compartir su conocimiento y experiencia a través de un relato tan ameno y comprensible. Es como estar platicando con él.
- LeannaReviewed in Canada on July 15, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars So good! A must read!
This book is so good for horse or animal lovers. Honestly, anyone can read it because it is an interesting story with good lessons to learn. This is one of my favourite books I have ever read. Monty's ability to train horses is amazing, and the training philosophies he developed are so amazing! Monty is an amazing and inspiring person!
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Mariagrazia RocchiettaReviewed in Italy on October 13, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars devi avere tanta pazienza!!!
Per averlo ho dovuto aspettare quasi 40 giorni però il libro è straordinario!
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Cliente KindleReviewed in Brazil on December 7, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfeito
Ótimo livro! Recomendo a todos, seja amante de cavalos ou não. O livro nos mostra uma outra maneira de enxergar as coisas e serve de grande aprendizado
- keyur daveReviewed in India on June 2, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Excellent