The Man Who Listens to Horses

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Summary: Best Horse Book!
Review: This book was great! It's amazing how Monty Roberts communicates with horses in their own language. I wish I could do that! This book is great if you have your own horse and want to connect with him/her. Also, it's a great read if you just love horses!

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Summary: Very informative
Review: Excellent book for anyone that wants to learn the language of horses in order to better train and work with these highly sensitive animals. Mr. Roberts has developed an intelligent and humane method of working with horses that is extremely effective - he has the records of success to illustrate that. This is one of the best books I've read on how to win the trust of a horse and have a wonderful companion as a result.

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Summary: Communicating With Horses
Review: Recently I read Monty's book 'The Man Who Listens To Horses' and could simply not put it down. It opened my mind as to how horses and humans can work in harmony together, developing trust and respect. Since then I have purchased all his videos and have watched each at least four times to make sure I took it all in. As a result I have been working with young thoroughbred horses on a Stud here in New Zealand using Monty's Join Up & Follow Up methods with great success. I do it for my own personal satisfaction and have gained a wealth of knowledge. All thanks to reading Monty's wonderful book which I have recommended to numerous people and believe me they have all been immensely impressed.

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Summary: LIMITED VALUE
Review: If you must read this check it out from the public library.
Too much self-promotion for my cup of java.

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Summary: This book literally changed my life!...
Review: I got the book from my brother for christmas a couple years ago, and when I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. In my opinion, it was a great book! After I read it, I kept thinking about how I could communicate with horses better. I had never thought too much about horses having their own language, but after reading this book I ALWAYS thought about it. I started to do things about horse slaughter, such as finding this really sad poem and posting it all over the internet, and signing petitions and such. I have read "The Man Who Listens To Horses" five to ten times and I'm in the middle of reading it now. I love stories where people, or animals, do things differently than society is used to. I really appriciate the fact that Monty explained the Equus language at the back of the book. I started trying them out with the horses at the stable I rode at and I grew obsessed. I went and saw Pat Parelli a couple days ago, and now I know for sure that if I ever get a horse and I train him, I'll combine Monty Roberts and Pat Parelli's methods to train him. I STRONGLY recommend you read this book. It'll open your mind...

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Summary: This only got 1 star because they didn't have 0.
Review: Research this man before spending. I think you'll find it eye opening.

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Summary: Just a load of...
Review: This book really belongs in the fiction section! While the methods do work, it's mostly because they've worked for hundreds of years before Roberts came around. He just happens to be taking all of the credit for it. He admitted years ago in an article to Horse & Rider that most of the story part of his book was falsified -- he never studied wild horses as a 13-year-old, he never lived off of cheap diet drinks just so that he could afford to work with horses. It's a cute story, but it's not true! He used it simple to help his wallet. The only difference between Monty Roberts, and John Lyons, Pat Parelli, and all of the other trainers is that Roberts goes out of his way to dream up ideas to make himself more marketable. Of all of the pages in this book, the only ones that are worth the paper they're printed on would be the ones that explain the methods, and even those are not necessarily his own. Don't waste your money!

Rating:
Summary: Pretty much worthless
Review: This book contains about 7 pages of useful information about horses & training (and 5 of those come in an appendix at the end). Otherwise, it is a poorly written, stilted autobiography that probably contains less truth than fiction.

I have worked with horses for 17 years, and what little horse information is found in the book is illogical to me. Yes, there are some interesting insights to be found, but only if you're in the very unlikely situation of being suddenly presented with a 4 year old horse who is completely untrained and who you MUST ride TODAY. Given any other situation, there are much better philosophies of training that will make the horse happier and saner, and will keep the rider/trainer safer.

After having struggled through this awful book, I am completely stumped as to what other people have found worthwhile in it.

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating read
Review: Roberts' story is fascinating, and I have found his advice and observations helpful in understanding my own horse, a smart 15-year-old Arabian gelding with an ornery streak a mile wide.

I have read Web sites from his detractors in which they cite unattributed newspaper articles, open lawsuits and other meaningless documents as "evidence" to back up their claims. They also claim that they would have more evidence to show the world if the all-powerful Monty Roberts hadn't magically squelched, stolen or destroyed it.

If you're concerned about Roberts' veracity, my advice would be to do your homework. If his critics show you a newspaper article, get the name of the paper and the reporter ... and make sure the paper and reporter actually exist.

If his critics show you a court document, call the courthouse and ask for a copy of the whole case file, including the verdict.

Beware of sources who feed you a bunch of outrageous accusations, partial court documents and conspiracy theories about why they can't prove their claims. I'm not saying they're lying. I'm just saying that in 17 years as a journalist, I've met a lot of people who make claims like this, but I've never met one who was telling the truth.

Yes, Roberts is controversial. Yes, he has turned his success into quite a little cottage industry. Yes, his methods are variations on older themes. Yes, he preaches in spots. Yes, he sounds a bit arrogant in places.

The same could be said of Barbara Woodhouse. I don't buy animal training books because I'd like to have a beer with the author. I buy animal training books because I have animals and would like someone else's insights on what's going on in their heads.

Roberts' words are well worth the price of the book, and if you can tune out his critics for just a minute, you might learn something from him. I know I did.

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Summary: The only way to handle horses
Review: After a life-long facination with horses I felt this book to be a revelation of their nature and how man can communicate so completely with them. Monty Robert's life has been an ongoing research project whether he intended it or not. I believe that he has somehow uncovered a great secret in relating to horses that no one else has quite been able to attain. Then he shares this information with all who wish to listen. He has proven thousands of times over that by starting a horse through his gentle methods, virtually any horse can be persuaded to cooperate and never has to be "strong-armed" into submission.
This book not only reveals Monty Robert's insight into horses, but also tells his remarkable life story. I will recommend it to everyone I know, even those who are not horse lovers.