Product Description

World-famous horse gentler Monty Roberts reveals the unique rapport he shares with one special horse: a wild mustang

In this beautifully illustrated book, Monty Roberts's be loved horse Shy Boy takes center stage. In a gripping, intimate narrative and in one hundred color photos, Monty Roberts relives their unique relationship, beginning with his first encounter with the wild horse in the high desert. During a dramatic three day ride across a hundred miles, Monty Roberts used all his skill to connect with the little mustang he finally befriended.

Throughout the year that followed, Shy Boy grew to love life on the farm, playfully demanding attention and becoming fascinated by children. During a year of challenges and one frightening illness, the wild horse earned the respect and admiration of his trainers--he had exceptional spirit. And, as his fame grew following the PBS-aired documentary that featured his initial three-day encounter with Monty Roberts, Shy Boy began to receive visitors from all over the world.

Yet throughout Shy Boy's year of fame, Monty Roberts was asked, "Would Shy Boy rather be free!" With trepidation, he took Shy Boy back to the wild to let him choose: Go with your herd, or stay with your gentler. What happened is so exciting and moving that it will surprise every reader.

And like Monty Roberts, readers will fall in love with Shy Boy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #740696 in Books
• Published on: 1999-06-01
• Released on: 1999-05-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Amazon.com Review
Celebrated as "the real horse whisperer," Monty Roberts made his literary debut with The Man Who Listens to Horses--half autobiography, half introductory lesson to "Equus," or the language of horses. In Shy Boy, Roberts returns with the story of a wild mustang he captured and domesticated using his renowned, nonviolent training technique. Beginning with the stunning Cuyama Valley in California, where he tracked the young stallion Shy Boy for three days, and moving on to the horse's gradual acclimation to human contact, Roberts walks the reader through the slow, detailed process. In the course of this equine odyssey, he stitches in inspiring anecdotes, as in the case of Samantha, an ailing 12-year-old who used Monty's method: "She saved a horse from an untimely end in a slaughterhouse and spared herself further harm--and she had done it without ever raising a hand or even her voice." However, the real credit for this book should probably go to the photographer, Christopher Dydyk, whose 100 or so colorful glossies dominate the book's 236 pages, with dazzling shots of the ranch, the range, and Monty at work. With brilliant graphics and easy-to-read language, Shy Boy is ideal for a young horse lover. --Rebekah Warren

From Publishers Weekly
Not just for animal lovers, this delightful and deeply moving page-turner, a sequel to Roberts's bestselling The Man Who Listens to Horses, picks up the story of this California horse trainer's relationship with Shy Boy, a wild mustang whom he "gentled." By mimicking an equine body language that he believes is genetically ingrained in the memory of all horses, Roberts, as detailed in his earlier book, quickly and painlessly transformed Shy Boy from a free-roaming steed of the Nevada foothills into a trusting, cooperative and worthy mount. Roberts's nonviolent approach to acclimating horses to saddle, bridle and rider was highlighted in 1997 and 1998 in a PBS-aired BBC documentary, which led countless viewers to inquire: If given the chance to be free again, would Shy Boy take it and run? Here is the answer to that question: Roberts describes taking Shy Boy back to his original free-range herd. The mustang's choiceAafter an overnight rompAmakes for an unforgettable climax that will leave no dry eyes. Shy Boy, a mix of vigor, strength, innocence, ego and impish high spirits, will win readers' hearts, while Roberts's humane alternative to the harsh treatment of horses holds inspirational lessons about the abuse we inflict on animalsAand on our fellow humans. Dydyk's breathtaking color photographs capture the rugged majestic terrain while exploring, without sentimentality, the spirit of nobility and freedom that the horse represents in America's collective psyche. Plainspoken yet powerful, this remarkable story is one of those very rare books that can restore one's faith in humanity. Agent, Jane Turnbull.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
YA-Having witnessed the cruel treatment suffered by horses being "broken," Roberts has made it his life's work to teach a much gentler training method to all who will listen. Renowned as the real "Horse Whisperer," he describes an experiment he conducted with a wild mustang in Cayuma Valley in Northern California, in 1997. The goal was to train the horse first to accept Roberts, then a saddle, and finally a rider. The entire experiment was filmed by the BBC and photographed by Dydyk, whose stunning pictures add a wonderful dimension to the narrative. The book is fascinating, even for those who know little or nothing about these animals. The writing style is conversational, and there is a somewhat suspenseful conclusion. Young adults who love animals, as well as those who are in need of nonfiction that is comparatively easy to follow, will find this an engrossing story.
Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Beautiful Pictorial of Relationship between Man & Horse
In this book, noted California "horse whisperer" Monty Roberts chronicles how he uses his "Join Up" method of horse gentling on a mustang in the wild. Roberts relates how he began studying communication among horses as a young boy and eventually used that information to begin working with the animals. Roberts, along with photographer Christopher Dydyk, creates a beautiful chronicle of how the horse he calls Shy Boy comes to trust people and become a valuable part of ranch life. The climax of the story is when Roberts releases Shy Boy to the free-range herd where the horse had been living, to see how well the "Join Up" method has worked ... and Shy Boy comes home. This is a beautiful book for anyone who loves horses and believes that gentleness and understanding are the key to relating to both animals and humans.

Monty Roberts' Dream Horse
I recommend that you read Monty Roberts "The Man Who Listens to Horses" whether you read it before or after "Shy Boy..." Having read Monty's earlier book first the story of Shy Boy meant so much more to me. To read that, at the age of 62 with a bad back and not-so-young anymore, Monty relived one of the best times of his life gentling a wild Mustang as he did as a kid, but for a BBC Documentary as well. The gentling and training went better than he expected and he created a friendly and willing partner out of a wild horse. Not only that, the BBC special and the book continues to change the lives of many people and horses around the world as Monty's way of working with horses becomes known and accepted. The book itself contains spectacular photography of Monty, Shy Boy, other horses, and the beautiful country filmed in the BBC special. It is a heartwarming and inspiring story to say the least.

HORSE FANS, READ THIS BOOK!!!
Shy Boy is a book about a horse that was brought in from the wild by means of join-up, a way of communicating with wild horses using there own body language. The author explains about how to communicate with horses using their own language which he calls equis. I highly recommend this book if you would like to learn more about horses in their own "home field", or if you like a good story. It made me sorry to finish it. Truly I believe anyone who has even the slightest interest in horses should strongly consider this book. It is an inspirational book for horsemen and women of all ages. The pages are full of beautiful pictures of the mustangs in their own home. Please read this book next time you get a chance. It is definitely worth reading.