Horse Sense for People

by Monty Roberts

This is Monty Roberts's long-awaited sequel to The Man Who Listens to Horses. In this fascinating book, Monty Roberts shows us how to use the "Join-Up" technique-his amazing method for persuading a wild horse to accept a saddle, bridle, and rider-as the model for how best to strengthen human relationships. Full of memorable encounters with horses and humans, Horse Sense for People has at its core a belief in the power of gentleness, positive action, nonviolence, and trust. Roberts provides thought-provoking guidelines for improving the quality of our communication with one another, for learning to "read" each other effectively, and for creating fear-free environments. With demonstrations of the Join-Up technique selling out arenas all over the world, Monty Roberts continues to inspire enthusiasts and convert skeptics. Sure to draw many new readers, Horse Sense for People is the book Monty Roberts's fans-be they horse enthusiasts, business managers, or book lovers-have been waiting for.

Genres: Horses, Nonfiction, Animals, Psychology, Memoir, Sports, German Literature

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Monty Roberts was an American horse trainer, author, and educator whose pioneering work in natural horsemanship has influenced horse owners and trainers around the world. Best known for developing the Join-Up method, he advocates a compassionate approach that replaces force and intimidation with trust, observation, and communication. Roberts maintains that horses communicate through a subtle, nonverbal language he calls "Equus," and that people can learn to understand these signals to establish willing partnerships with horses. His philosophy emerged from years of observing wild mustangs and has since been demonstrated through clinics, educational programs, and international tours. Roberts operates Flag Is Up Farms in California, where he teaches students from across the globe, and has expanded his educational mission through online courses and public demonstrations. His bestselling autobiography, The Man Who Listens to Horses, introduced his ideas to a worldwide audience, remaining on The New York Times bestseller list for fifty-eight weeks and selling millions of copies in numerous languages. He later published several additional books, including Shy Boy, Horse Sense for People, From My Hands to Yours, The Horses in My Life, and Ask Monty, each exploring different aspects of humane horse training and the bond between horses and humans. Roberts has also been the subject of documentaries and television programs that showcase his methods and their practical applications. His work attracted the attention of Queen Elizabeth II, who invited him to demonstrate his techniques at Windsor Castle and encouraged him to document his philosophy in book form. Their enduring professional relationship led to his appointment as an Honorary Member of the Royal Victorian Order in recognition of his services to the royal racing establishment. Beyond the equestrian world, Roberts has applied his principles of trust, leadership, and communication in schools, youth programs, correctional facilities, and corporate settings, demonstrating how lessons learned from horses can inspire more respectful and effective relationships between people.

Reviews

[Karina]

WOW! Thank you Monty Roberts. You have reiterated what I have always known as a horse trainer. It is never just about the horses and we have more in common with our equine friends than we know.

[Ron Crouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read.

[Drew Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monty should stick to horses...in join up; eyes to eyes. look for ear. licking. Turn away; wrist and fingers closed. eyes on the ground in front of feet. emotions to reason ratio in society is to high; horses advance/retreat. Fear is antecedent of violence and ignorance is antecedent to fear. trim tab concept; only need to motivate 5 percent to turn the ship; animals smell fear.

[Fee-Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wer in den anderen Büchern von Monty eine "Gebrauchsanleitung" für seine Methoden vermisst, wird mit diesem Buch höchst zufrieden sein. Detailliert wie immer beschreibt Monty seine Herangehensweise hier Schritt für Schritt, begleitet von beschrifteten Fotos und Illustrationen. Toll!

[Ingrid Woermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to learn how to apply Monty Roberts techniques of non-violence, patience and accountability to people.

[* Bar * · Rating 5 out of 5]

voglio un cavallo!

[Andrea F J · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book intends to be a revolutionary manual pairing up horse training to corporate leadership.
Monty Roberts claims to have invented a method to break horses though gentle manners rather than force. Maybe this could have been surprising in the US of mid-60s, but nowadays it is well renowned that the most effective way to start a foal is though gentle persuasion leaving to the foal the responsibility of the decision.
Same for corporate leadership: any leadership class I have attended in the past 10 years expressed the importance of trust on colleagues, of collaboration rather than imposition, of learning more than preaching. Further, any horseman knows that if you learn dealing with horses you learn dealing with people through kindness and firmness.
The whole book can be summarized with a motto: there is no teaching only learning. Thus I would have cut self-promotional claims (I have won so much, I have raised dozens of foster children, I Have helped so many people,… ) episodes impossibile to be believed in (like the mare spilling milk once close to a young MR, or MR remembering the layout of his first house got burnt when he was 18 months!!), or emotional episodes placed to impress the reader (e.g. the lady abused for years by her father, his friends, the priest, etc; a man successful despite being quadriplegic) or stretched to support the book’s theory (a young man turned into a loser because his parents were not firm enough in his adolescence).
Today the manual sounds paternalistic and outdated.

[Rodrigo Polacco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horse Sense for People, de Monty Roberts, é um livro mais profundo e ambicioso do que o título pode sugerir. Não se trata apenas de cavalos, mas de poder, liderança, comunicação e da forma como seres humanos escolhem se relacionar uns com os outros.

Depois do sucesso de The Man Who Listens to Horses, Roberts expande sua filosofia do método Join-Up — baseado em confiança, respeito e cooperação voluntária para contextos humanos: família, trabalho, educação e gestão. A ideia central é clara e poderosa: pessoas respondem melhor à segurança psicológica do que ao medo, e autoridade verdadeira nasce da conexão, não da intimidação. ()

O livro tem valor especial para líderes e gestores porque antecipa discussões que hoje são centrais no mundo corporativo: ambientes tóxicos, liderança coercitiva, engajamento e cultura organizacional. Em vários momentos, Roberts mostra que o impulso de dominar frequentemente destrói aquilo que se deseja desenvolver.

Dou 4 estrelas porque a mensagem é excelente, mas a execução nem sempre acompanha. Algumas analogias entre cavalos e pessoas parecem alongadas demais, e certos trechos soam repetitivos ou excessivamente centrados na imagem do autor. Além disso, uma das histórias narradas é especialmente pesada e desconfortável, o que quebra um pouco o ritmo da leitura.

Ainda assim, é um livro inteligente e provocador. Para quem gosta de temas como liderança humanizada, influência sem agressividade e comportamento humano, continua bastante relevante... talvez até mais hoje do que quando foi lançado.

[Megflythe_cut · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very excited to read this book and soon got disappointed unfortunately.
I love Monty Roberts' Join Up method but I guess I know too much about the "language" of horses already so there were not a lot of new elements in there.
Good book to start on horsemanship I reckon.
And a whole lot of ideas to deal with a variety of problems that may come up. So it`s a good book for finding solutions for problems. But there was too much advertising in the book for me. The Dually halter seems to be the best thing ever invented for the author but I just can't agree with that.
I will definitly try doing Join Ups and may get back to the book if I should have to deal with very bad habits or manners.
But I liked the way he explained the bodylanguage. Just nothing new for me!

[Jim Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lent this book by an extended family member who had involvement with horses in earlier life. I picked it up expecting it to be insights into improving my ground work with my horse. However, the book is much more than that. It covers everything from corporate management to child rearing.

Very insightful and I am considering lending the book to my CEO so she can read the parts on business management!

Be warned, there is a section around the middle of the book that retells the graphic details of a woman who was sexually abused as a child. If you're a bit squeamish, probably best to skip that section.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a good message, but I think I should have read the previous book "The Man Who Listens to Horses" instead. I thought this was that book at first glance but realized the difference after borrowing it. I don't relate to the chapters intended for work leaders and parents, but the advice still seems sound. The only part I didn't like was the author's comment on violent videogames and movies relating to violent actions. That talking point is often used as a scapegoat by people trying to distract from larger issues, even if that wasn't the author's intention.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love how Monty promotes no violence to anyone or anything.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on how to translate horsemanship skills to human relationships

[Brooke Neilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bit dark in the beginning but it made me totally understand my horse 100%!

[Matthew G. Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly good book.

[Jörg Schumacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein Klassiker der Pferdebücher. Sehr lehrreich und menschlich.

[David Hammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Natural Brilliance

He is the Jane Goodall of horses, with an intuitive nature and keen observational skills. Like Goodall, he succeeds because his heart is in his work and he deeply cares about his fellow creatures.

[Lisa Betteridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book and not necessarily about horses. The focus lies on what Roberts learnt from the horses and what everyone should learn from then. Discipline and most of all communication is key in our society today and I think for humans it's always hard to handle situations when things don't go the way we want them to. But Roberts explains why it is not necessary and more importantly why violence and anger is contra-productive when it comes to communicating and handling a horse- and another human. So many things can be learnt from this book and I appreciate the new way I look at things now that I understood.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Monty Roberts should stick to writing about horses. The book's best parts were only about horses. I am a domestic abuse survivor, so I know that much of the techniques described here for people would never have worked on my abuser. This is one of those ho-hum self-help books that you may have read ten years ago but forgot mostly about until you start to read it again. Not much about horses, sadly. Skip it.

[Gabriel Dobrev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monty Roberts makes a convincing case against violence and while his arguments are anecdotal they are very convincing. The truly interesting part is his wealth of experience living a life without violence: the challenges and solutions he came up with. Some examples of his failures would have been also welcome.
If you're a parent, a manager or simply interested in improving your interactions with humans and animals alike - get the book and enjoy a wonderful read. It's worth reading only for the multitude of stories from his rich life.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book and found it very intersting and after reading this book. When being around a horse it makes life a whole big dffferance to me. I can read what the horses it thinking and talk to him and he can read me too. As before I could not do this at all. I would have to say thank you for writing an awesome book and I have learned quite a bit from this book also. I read this book last year. It took me till this pass march to finsih it Great read too.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book very much, except for one entry he makes that is not needed. You will know what I mean if you read the book. I learned from this book. And I will read his other books. I am especially anxious to watch the video/c.d (whatever form it is in) "Shyboy" the story of his first mustang to "Join Up".

[Fee-Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wie alle Bücher von Monty ist auch dieses angenehm flüssig zu lesen. Bei diesem Buch ist es wichtig zu erwähnen, dass es weniger um die Arbeit mit Pferden geht, sondern viel mehr darum, wie man Montys Methoden auf den Umgang mit Menschen übertragen kann. Für mich persönlich etwas weniger interessant als andere Werke von Monty, dennoch toll zu lesen und wissenswert mit vielen Erfahrungsberichten.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would probably be more interesting if I hadn't read Monty's first book, his memoir. This is more of a repeat that doesn't meet my expectations of sharing how Monty's strategies with horses can be used as we interact as people. Darn.

[Elisa Arrighetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most important book that I have ever read. It gives you not only a different sight and perspective on the horse world, but also on the social sphere of the human being, and teaches you the basis of an healthy communication among living beings, also scientifically speaking.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monty explains more about how he uses trust & respect to work with both horses and people.

[Kimberly]

I really liked this book, but I seem to have miss placed it. I think maybe I lent it to Holly and forgot. mmm.....

[Chels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, but I'm a horse lover.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

oops. I'm actually reading "The Man Who Listens to Horses". I don't know how I got this one on here.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the book convinced me that violence is not the answer. It has effected me in how I will interact with people. I enjoyed this book.