Monty Roberts Equus Online University | Monty's Horse Training Post: Preparing for Join Up or other lessons in a ring

Learn all about Equus • Dually Halter • Shy Boy Mustang • Jumping Horses
• Story of a Horse Whisperer • Riding Horsemanship • Dressage Horses • Willing Partners
• Horse Training • Round Pen Lessons • Performance Horses • Join-Up

Watch Monty's horse training videos to learn how he demonstrates communication through horse training techniques that the amateur and professional alike consider to be the trainable skills of a horse whisperer yet Monty calls it horse gentling.
Monty's horse training techniques are non violent with intelligent natural horsemanship. In addition to video instructions, Monty has written many books related to natural horsemanship. Monty trains safe horses for nervous riders called Willing Partners. Monty trains world class race horses for sale.
“I am very proud to be a part of Her Majesty’s horse training and her passion for their welfare. I believe she is the leading monarch for the advocacy of horses in the world. She is a thought leader in this field. Her Majesty's horses are trained using the Dually Halter, making a difference in the training of sensitive animals by giving the horse the choice to partner in the training.” ~ Monty
“I communicate with a horse in what I call the Language of Equus; a silent language of gestures that is discernible, predictable and effective. Now you can learn from my videos, audio and notes to help you understand the horse as I do. This language is really quite simple, but simplicity becomes its greatest strength.” ~ Monty
Monty Roberts is a renowned horse trainer known as the man who listens to horses and the original horse whisperer. Monty's horse training instructions are accepted worldwide.
Monty has helped thousands of people globally through his Monty Roberts Online Videos to learn how to Join-Up with horses, training young horses, spooky horses, horses that bite. His mustang , Shy Boy , is his most famous horse.
Join-Up methods help horse and trainer to establish a bond of communication and trust. “You must somehow understand that we as horsemen can do very little to teach the horse. What we can do is to create an environment in which he can learn.” ~ Monty
Monty says, “We hear that ‘actions speak louder than words,’ but generally we do not live by it too successfully.” Now Monty has taught thousands of people worldwide how to build trust in animals through our actions and body language.
Monty’s principles really amount to common sense and immense patience. He believes that children and horses have the same behavioral patterns. They are both naturally “flight” animals. "If you frighten them and resort to confrontation, you’ll lose their trust." ~ Monty
"Simple one-on-one reassurances and praise reap long term dividends that can all be undone with the quick slamming of a book on a desk or shouting back." ~ Monty Roberts
"No one of us was born with the right to say 'You must or I'll hurt you' to any other living thing, animal or human". ~ Monty Roberts
"My life's goal is to leave the world a better place than I found it, for horses and for people too". ~ Monty Roberts

← back

University Suggestion Box

Preparing for Join Up or other lessons in a ring

By:

jamiehblack

Date:

2023-May-15 at 12:21PM

Dear Mr Roberts,

I had a great time last year with Chris Morris in England with some one to one time learning how to train horses (I'd never worked with horses before).

Since coming home (to Scotland), I've been able to work with some horses near me. One challenge I've found is how to get them 'ready' for a lesson. My big friend 'Sid' the Cob, I found, liked to blow off some steam before being the most obliging horse to work with. Other horses are similar and it made me realise that in all the 225+ videos I've watched thus far, none focus on 'pre-session warm up'. What happens BEFORE you are at an event or before you bring a horse into the round pen at Flag?

I'd like to suggest such a session - to discuss how to setup your sessions for success., Should I led them round the ring both ways? Get them up to a trot to loosen off? Should I let them loose and simply move them around? Given that Join Up can see them up to a canter, I feel this valuable piece of training for me is missing and I think would be really useful. At the moment I guess and it seems to work, but I like to be more structured and who better to show us?

Best wishes, Jamie

jamiehblack 2024-Jan-15 at 02:32PM

My assumption is that this function of the website is not monitored - this is a real shame.

Miriam (Holland&Germany) 2024-Feb-20 at 09:06AM

Hi Jamie,

Sometimes yes, questions like the one you sent in May 2023, just slip through...
Sorry if you felt not seen!
If anything, you can always ask direct questions clicking the SUPPORT button, this takes you immediately to the team.
I'm sure you could come back with any question to Chris Morris, anyway.
Now to your question, it's never bad to do some warming up, even before bringing a horse into the roundpen for assessment. You could also just let the horse explore the roundpen on its own, or in any field where it's safe, to blow off some steam.
It's never meant to exhaust the horse during Join-Up, the whole procedure should never become a routine or boring to either of you. Some horses tend to be very 'fresh' when starting to work, use your own judgement which horse needs a little pre-work.
You want the horse to express itself in Join-Up (since it is a comunication!), but it's only fair to warm up, before asking more.
Kind regards,
Miriam