Guide Monty Roberts
Horses have accompanied Monty Roberts on his life’s journey since his early childhood. His father ran a farm in California as a horse trainer, so Roberts was already sitting in the saddle as a small child. He took part in rodeo competitions at an early age and later worked as a stuntman for major film productions.
As a teenager, he became intensively involved with training methods, which were very rough and brutal at the time, and tried to develop more sensitive concepts in dealing with horses. The basis of his method, which he called „Join Up“, was the close observation of wild horses. He tried to understand how horses communicate with each other and actively used this language – called „Equus“ in Monty Robert’s jargon – in his work with horses.
His way of dealing with horses became known worldwide. Not only the media became aware of him, but also the English Royal Court was interested in his expertise. For decades, Monty Roberts has travelled the world to present his training method first hand.
Training basics according to Monty Roberts
Monty Roberts‘ childhood and youth were marked by violence at the hands of his father. Both in raising children and in working with horses, physical and also psychological pressure was exerted.
It was therefore of great concern to him to exclude violent influences of any kind from his concept:
„None of us humans has the right to say to a fellow human being or an animal: either you do what I say or I will hurt you.
Monty Roberts
Horses teach us that violence is not a solution – neither for the perpetrator nor for the victim. If the use of violence is such a burden for humans and animals, then it is time to finally break the spiral of violence. With my join-Up method, trust can be built, relationships can be restored and improved.“
Join Up is usually done in a round pen. The principle is based on the fact that horses, as herd animals, have an instinctive need to join up. The horse is given the choice of fleeing or joining the human. With the help of specific signals, the horse is repeatedly „invited“ to join the human. For example, when the horse is on the lunge line, the pressure is immediately released as soon as the horse turns towards the human. In return, the pressure is increased again as soon as it turns away from him. In the long run, the horse learns to accept the human as its leader.
The accessories – what do I need for Monty Roberts‘ work?
Monty Roberts deliberately does without many accessories. In fact, he often only uses a halter, (double) lunge and a training stick in his demonstrations. Through his years of experience, he has developed equipment that can be used in a variety of ways and has been specially optimised for Join-Up.
Monty Roberts Dually Halter
The Dually halter can be used in many ways. It is a pure working halter, which is characterised by an additional soft noseband made of rope material, which is directly connected to the rings. If a rope or lunge line is attached to these rings, direct action can be taken in this way. Due to the different buckling possibilities, the Dually halter can not only be used for leading, but also for lungeing, working with the double lunge and also bitless riding.
Please note that the Dually halter must never be used in the stable, tie-up or when turned out.
The correct fit of the Dually halter:
- The upper noseband should lie directly under the cheekbones.
- The lower noseband made of rope material rests on the bridge of the nose.
- The horse’s breathing is not restricted
- The noseband should not be buckled too tight or too wide.
Monty Roberts Long Lines
The Monty Roberts Long Lines follow the principle of the double lunge. They are slightly shorter than the conventional double lunge. Due to their own weight and the reinforced ends, they lie ideally in the hand and allow an exact influence on the horse. They can be used for double lunge work, but also individually for lungeing.