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Monty Roberts Equus Online University
Horse Training Video Instruction Program

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My Join-Up® Experience

Join Up Joy!

By:
Stuart (North Wales)
Date:
Hello! 2014 Cyberhunt winner 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed

As a relatively new member, (2 months or so), after viewing the join up vids I decided to have a try with our lovely 15.2 ten year old Irish Cob, Doodle. I followed the instructions as best as I could remember them about a week ago but had a failure, (learning opportunity!). I remembered Montys advice of coming back to the videos and studying again and again to see what I had done wrong, which I did and armed with a bit more confidence I tried again this evening. I do not have access to a round pen, just a ménage, but felt sure the problem was with me the first time. The flight distance was certainly further than I had anticipated, but he showed me all four signs and did join up / follow up at first attempt. I found the whole experience incredible and unexpectedly emotional. Just had to post as on cloud nine!

vicci - UK (North Wales)
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed

Aww how wonderful, thank you for sharing your experience and welcome to the Uni :-) Looking forward to hearing some more about your Monty journey over the coming months!

lothlorien
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed

Wow !! So lovely to hear. As a new owner and new member I am encouraged to move forward and try join up soon!!

JoHewittVINTA
Please upload your photo 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed 650 lessons completed

Hi. Welcome. You are to be commended. To get that much right on the first attempt is great& without support - you did well. Clearly you have an eye for detail. Follow the posts on hardly untouched 4 yr old gelding. You will find this useful. Yes, I'm the Jo in question. Your journey will be long but very fruitful. Cheers, Jo.

MaggieF, Melbourne - Australia
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed

What a feeling, hey Stuart! Well done. Going back to the videos is the secret. So pleased you had success.

Stuart (North Wales)
Hello! 2014 Cyberhunt winner 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed

Thank you for your kind comments it's a wonderful feeling. Having experienced it you can really see why Monty has been using join up as a tool to help the recovery of those suffering with PTSD/ PTSI.

vicci - UK (North Wales)
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed

I've noticed you are a fellow North Walian! We are a small bunch us Monty - ites in North Wales ;-)

JoHewittVINTA
Please upload your photo 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed 650 lessons completed

Hi Stuart. Want to give us an update on how it's going - well I hope. Remember, Join up only needs a few repetitions, 4-6. That will build a strong bond for you to work from. Look forward to hearing how you're progressing. Cheers, Jo.

Stuart (North Wales)
Hello! 2014 Cyberhunt winner 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed

Hi Jo sorry not to have replied sooner but I've been so busy with it all! Yes only a couple of join ups necessary and he was listening well to me so I left it at that. Most of my time since then has been taken up with long lining him and trying out many of the techniques Monty shows in the videos. I'm trying to get the feeling of PICNIC concept into my hands. It really works. He wouldn't back up at all at first, (I think I didn't release the pressure request soon enough). Second go he started to take a step backwards, which we have now built up to a reasonable reverse! My next goal is to get him reversing through some poles around a corner. This is just the most fun. I'm still going back to some of the early videos for some revision. Most significantly, I've booked to see Monty later on this month at Hartpury and am very excited about the whole event. I've joined intelligent horsemanship and understand that members get to see an extra bit before the main show also. Many thanks for taking an interest!

Debbie Roberts Loucks, USA
Hello! 2014 Cyberhunt winner 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed 650 lessons completed

Hi Stuart - Say hi to Monty at Hartpury for us. And please share your accomplishments with him. He loves to hear it!

Stuart (North Wales)
Hello! 2014 Cyberhunt winner 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed

As a final post script to the above, I did indeed meet Monty before the show and told him how in love with the online university I was. Little did I know he would pull me out of the crowd during the show and get me to tell everyone what I thought about it! Apparently there were about 1000 people in the audience. Apparently the University is being underused in the UK - hard to believe given what a great value resource it is. What a night. An honour to meet one of the last true 'gentle'men. A huge inspiration to see him still so passionate about horse welfare and training worldwide and determined to make a difference to horses and humans alike.

JoHewittVINTA
Please upload your photo 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed 650 lessons completed

Hi, Stuart, please don't make this the last post, I'm loving it. You're working away as best you can, like me. I'm having fab success up in Fife in Scotland. I've got 5 but try to help others, with mammoth problems. I've given up the day job & so happy to do so. Now all I need do is offer my help to those who find themselves out of their depth. It's incredible! And the best part is I can do it for sweetie money coz I have early retirement/redundancy so, having studied at great length, can offer help at an affordable level. It really makes a difference & it makes me feel awesome. Cheers, Jo.

vicci - UK (North Wales)
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed

HI Stuart - sadly I am not surprised that it's underused in the UK. despite there being many who have 'converted' to Monty's ways or learnt them from the beginning it is a tiny drop in the ocean. I come across people often who have never heard of Monty Roberts or Kelly Marks despite having had horses most of their lives. My clients will always tell me that they have had at least 2/3 people tell them that it's "rubbish" and only when the person has realised that these so called "helpful" people are in fact making it worse do they come looking for a non violent approach. There is a long long way to go.

Stuart (North Wales)
Hello! 2014 Cyberhunt winner 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed

Jo and Vicci I couldn't agree more. I am a dentist and I treat a lot of horse owners and talk frequently about Monty and his techniques to them. What I hear time and time again is 'It doesn't work for me', 'it doesn't work for every horse, 'it's a set up', ' you need to have the right horse for those techniques', etc. Surely the beauty of Montys approach is that he has taken the time to learn the language of the horse, so if we take the time to learn enough of the language to communicate effectively with our horse, we can't fail, (perhaps with the exception of horses which have been purely hand reared from a very early age with no other horses around). In my own limited experience of the techniques, when they haven't worked for me I have gone back to the videos and it's always been something I haven't done correctly. It is incredulous that so many people have a lot invested in the techniques failing. It should be axiomatic that if you could use a technique that avoids violence and it is better for the horse, that technique should be the way forward.

JoHewittVINTA
Please upload your photo 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed 650 lessons completed

Hi All. Yes, I've been on the committee of my local riding club for more than 30 years. In 2012 I was asked to compile & deliver a quiz at our pre Christmas trophy presentations. This gave me an opportunity- quizzing gains prizes! I gave vouchers for free visits with a view to enlightening my 'friends' in Monty ways. There is still one voucher to be claimed. I worked on an untouched, rescued, orphaned mini Shetland colt, successfully. Gots thanks but never heard more. I was asked to get a pony to load itself as this person works alone. I not only achieved this but also got simultaneous Join up with a very sceptical Shetland mare who had not been excluded from the paddock. I've never been invited back. The third one was an ex racer. Looks like, 2 years on, I will have more to do with Louis- not because I made things better, which I did but because I've just moved him to the yard in Fife where Montys methods are welcomed. It's a very long road to get people to trust you not to damage their horse in some way. Non violence makes sense to most horse owners, but they won't do research as they think they are already ok & we all live busy lives. Perhaps when my youngsters start going to shows & out perform them they'll have a change of heart. In the meantime, I'm going to concentrate my efforts where I am welcome, in the Kingdom of Fife, where Monty is definitely on the up! Cheers, Jo.

linda
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed 650 lessons completed

Hi Frst i am not good at spelling and its hard for me to right things down and that is y this is my first atemt to tell you allabout it.please forgive my spelling.
I have done join up and it went well.
And i got follow up and it do's feel good evry time.
I am still helping people with the translating of the horse langwich.

MaggieF, Melbourne - Australia
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed

Oh Stuart I had a good laugh. When reading your last comment I had a mental image of you trying to convert non Monty types while they were in your dental chair. If you can't succeed how can the rest of us!

JoHewittVINTA
Please upload your photo 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed 650 lessons completed

Hi Linda. Welcome. Spelling is not important- it's the message that is. Please, now that you've joined in with us, continue - we appreciate the different ideas, views & comments. Stuart, yeah the picture in my minds eye of you masked & gowned, leaning over your patient with a drill in your hand will stay with me for sometime. Keep us updated. Cheers, Jo.

Kicki -- Sweden
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed

About the dentist stuff, that is a real hoot to me because there is this classic scetch with a famous Norwegian comedy actor, Rolv Wesenlund, who bullies his patient into saying his car is not a Swedish Volvo Amazon, but an Italian Volvo Sonett. You can watch it here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMLokprH304
I know is is in Swedish/Norwegian but I think it can be understood by anyone.

Stuart (North Wales)
Hello! 2014 Cyberhunt winner 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed

Hi All I've been chucking about you guys thinking I'm a 'Marathon Man' esque torturer of non followers of Monty! I'm guessing he wouldn't approve of those violent ways lol! Mr Doodles journey continues apace. He is finally coming round to the idea that he can go backwards as well as forwards. He was generally cautious taking backwards steps on the longlines but using Montys principles, (Not the dental drill!), his confidence has steadily grown. We've struggled with going from walking to trotting to cantering on the long lines, but again I think I must have been sending mixed messages as this is also steadily improving. I've booked myself on to Kelly Marks horse psychology course with Intelligent Horsemanship next year and am very excited at the prospect of that weekend. In the mean time we shall carry on working. Also Linda above I'd have to echo the sentiments already expressed that spelling is unimportant it's just wonderful to see someone else experiencing the joy of join up. There really is nothing like the feeling of a horse taking a chance on you.

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