Monty Roberts

Biography

Monty Roberts, known as the "Man Who Listens to Horses" has led an extraordinary life. An award-winning trainer of championship horses, best-selling author, Hollywood stunt man, foster dad to 47 children (in addition to three of his own) and creator of the world-renowned and revolutionary equine training technique called Join~Up®, Monty Roberts could now, in his later years, be resting on his laurels -- but that's not his style. Roberts has won countless awards and received immense worldwide press coverage, put three books on the New York Times best-seller list, trained some of Queen Elizabeth II's equestrian team in London and been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Zurich. But if you go looking for Monty Roberts, you won't find him lounging in his favorite chair high up in the hills overlooking his horse-training farm in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. The "man who listens to horses" is more likely to be found somewhere on the globe continuing to spread his message of nonviolence. You're more likely to find him speaking to incarcerated youth in a juvenile detention facility, gentling his 15,000th horse at a demonstration, teaching his techniques to the growing number of students at his Equestrian Academy in Solvang, California or advising executives at Fortune 500 companies. Why have millions of people from all walks of life responded to his PBS television shows, books, demonstrations, and media appearances with such passion? What makes Monty's message so compelling that everyone from the C.I.A., to Volkswagen invite this cowboy to share his experiences with their executives and leaders? Monty still demonstrates Join~Up® across the globe. His fourth book was recently released, "From My Hands to Yours: Lessons from a Lifetime of Training Championship Horses," a textbook format of his Join-Up training principles. His academy, the Monty Roberts Equestrian Academy, located at Flag Is Up Farms, trained more than 140 students last year using his non-violent methods. MREA is run by the new nonprofit organization, Join~Up® International, Inc. which has set out to insure that Join-Up principles will be available for generations to come. Today, Monty remains steadfast to his goal; "to leave the world a better place than I found it, for horses and for people, too."

Publications

In Horse Sense for People, Monty asks us to rethink the way we use power over others and shows you how with people, as with horses, the gentle way is the better way. Practical, philosophical and provocative, Horse Sense for People demonstrates how trust, respect and communication -- not coercion -- are the keys to fruitful relationships. This book is rich in anecdotes about both horses and people; it applies the lifetime of lessons Monty has learned from horses to the way we relate to each other in the workplace and at home. These metaphors illustrate a new way of seeing and experiencing your relationships. For example, Monty tells the story of the wild mustang mare that connected with him so quickly that she protected him from what she perceived to be a terrible threat. Monty guides us to understand and empathize with his stories and to transfer this learning to more effective human communication.