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The Man Who Listens to Horses
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Product Description
"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. . . ."
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #31830 in Books
- Published on: 1998-11-28
- Released on: 1998-11-28
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Mass Market Paperback
- 352 pages
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Monty Roberts is, as they say, the real horse whisperer--even if he does revile the last third of Nicholas Evans's romance. Yet Roberts also makes clear from the start that listening and close attention have more to do with gentling an animal than soi-disant whispering. As far as he's concerned, silent communication can "effectively cross over the boundary between human (the ultimate fight animal) and horse (the flight animal). Using their language, their system of communication, I could create a strong bond of trust. I would achieve cross-species communication." And achieve it he does. After one short session, he has even the wildest stallion nickering with ungulate abandon.
Roberts's descriptions of "joining up," as he calls it with horses--as well as with the deer who cavort on his California farm like so many hyperintelligent Bambis--are inspirational in the best sense of the word. Surprisingly, though, it took him long years to persuade most of the humans in his life that pain and punishment are not the way to go. Indeed, the author expends many a page on past mistakes and disasters, familial and professional. Yet The Man Who Listens to Horses remains a powerfully positive document--and not just for Mr. Ed. Best of all, when it comes to his life's work, Roberts is far more practical than mystical. Instead of portraying himself as Equus's messiah, he'd rather share his hard-won knowledge. Having overcome years of rejection and ridicule, the author is certainly not short in the self-esteem department, as some passages in this book demonstrate. No matter. He always checks his ego before entering the corral. --Kerry Fried
Amazon.com Author Profile
Read about the author.
From School Library Journal
YAABy the time he was seven years old, Roberts knew that he wanted to work with horses for a living. An experienced rider, competing in horse shows since age four, he began to understand how horses communicate by observing wild mustangs on the Nevada range. How he progressed from child rodeo star to horse trainer for Queen Elizabeth II is an inspiring story of quiet persistence in dealing with an abusive father, losing his first horse, and facing rejection and ridicule because of his unique, nonviolent training methods. Told in a matter-of-fact way, this narrative looks into the horse business from rodeo to racetrack as experienced by a "real-life horse whisperer." The appendix offers a guide to the join-up method of training that Roberts developed. Young adults will enjoy the story and gain insights into dealing with adults and following their dreams.ABetsy E. Pfeffer, Northern Virginia Community College
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Customer Reviews
Monty Roberts: This man is the Real Deal
Having seen Mr. Roberts on television demonstrating his "Join-Up" technique with unruly horses, I'm a little bit shocked at the number of accusatory & negative reviews I'm reading on this page. Especially from people who seem to have never actually read his book.
For those of us who believe that horses are naturally social creatures, and that a little gentleness & patience towards any animal is a far better training technique than trying to force a creature against its will, this is a terrific book.
Fantastic story of Monty's life
It's been years since I read the book, but when I first got it, I read it twice in its entirely. The Man Who Listens to Horses is actually two books in one: It's an autobiography, and it's a how-to manual for gentling horses and speaking their language. It's just a wonderful, wonderful book, and I can't recommend it enough.
very helpful
I think this is a very good book on horse husbandry. The story is rather sad in many ways but for people who want to be kind to their horses, it's a very informative book.
