Customer Reviews

Horse Sense for People : Using the Gentle Wisdom of Join-Up to Enrich Our Relationships at Home and at Work

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Monty has an easy writing style. It is not eloquent, but it is gentle and easy to understand. I liked the book because he describes, in full, how the language of Equus works. Then, by comparing horse stories and human stories, both from his experience, he shows how a non-violent, positive relationship builds rapport and effectiveness in dealing with people and animals alike.

The book felt pretty repetitive about half way through. That is why I was glad that I had checked it out at the library instead of spending twenty-some bucks on it at a bookstore. Although I didn't agree with every one of his points, I liked his message and having the opportunity to see issues, such as parenting, from another point of view.

Monty Roberts finally crosses from the realm of horses to that of people. It's about time. His non-violent approach to horses and his lessons well learned and described in "The Man Who Listens to Horses" are finally extended to the world of human interactions, from family dynamics to the corporate sky scraper. How will we survive and flourish together? Monty goes to the heart of these issues and brings a philosphy necessary for Millennial Man. We can live by Monty Robert's philosophy or wallow in the muck of the disintegrating status quo. If everyone who reads this book comes away with one new idea then it is a resounding success.

Monty maintains his easy style and voice and uses the anecdotal approach to teaching. It is extremely readable. Some people may not be comfortable with Monty outside of the horse world, but in fact he never leaves it, using analogies whenever appropriate.

I hope that this book is one of many where experts in empathy, understanding and non-violence leaves the niches and comes to the forefront so we can all learn to make the world a better place for all living things.

Monty Roberts' "Horse Sense for People" is a good book about an extraordinary person. Rising above his own abusive childhood where he suffered 71 broken bones by age 12 from his father's beatings he has shown that his Join-Up method with horses can be used to "tame" unruly children. He and his wife Pat raised 47 foster children plus three of their own. Roberts said, "I had show there is a better life if you get rid of violence."
Roberts turned the horse world on its head and gained international fame when he developed a technique called Join-Up based on communicating with horses using their natural body language. He says communication among humans and horses enables Join-Up and has identified 187 signs with which he can communicate with a horse. He says, "The language of the horse is the language of gestures. It is a gift we all have."
Roberts has trained over 70,000 wild horses and usually gets and out-of-control horse to accept saddle, bridle and rider in 30 minutes. He learned to "listen" to horses by paying attention to the way they communicate with each other with their ears, eyes and body postures. An essential part of Join-Up is the breakthrough moment when a horse bonds and nudges him.
Now 70, Roberts rode his first horse at age three, won his first riding trophy at age 4 and spent most of his life working as a competitive rider trainer, winning four world championships and training hundreds of stakes-wining racehorses.
Roberts is the author of three best sellers including the book "The Man Who Listens to Horses" that sold 4.5 million copies. He wrote the book at the urging of Queen Elizabeth II who invited Roberts to train her equestrian staff. His work inspired "The Horse Whisperer" a best selling novel by Nicholas Evans that was made into the movie starring Robert Redford.
Roberts travels the world giving lectures and demonstrating his techniques. Much of the money from his non-profit organization goes to local charities and communities he visits. He also holds dozens of workshops at his "Flag is Up" farm in California for corporate executives (representatives from over 200 corporations attended the past decade), businesses, educators, social workers and other leaders who want to create conditions that foster trust, cooperation and partnership to improve efficiency, motivation and satisfaction.
For years the educational authorities were skeptical about Roberts' discipline methods until a failing British School adopted his practices in a last-ditch attempt to evade closure. The results were spectacular. In less than four years the Kingshurst Junior School in Solihule was transformed into a center of excellence. The 290 pupils with 40% special needs children love going to school now.
Roberts, a grandfather with a cowboy hat, is now inundated with requests for help from schools all over the world. For discipline he uses signed contracts titled "A Road Map to Excellence" that outline the effects of children's positive and negative behavior. Roberts says, "Before they act they must know the consequences of their actions. Contracts allow kids to manage their own lives. It's about assuming responsibility...there is no such thing as teaching-only learning."
Roberts discovered that many people who cry or faint when the horse nudges him in Join-Up have experienced mental or physical abuse.
Roberts says people, like horses, perform better in environments that "request" rather than "demand" where they are willing partners.
Central to Roberts' horse training methods is the complete elimination of physical and emotional violence. He says, "The more you use pain, force and coercion, the more the horse holds back and tries to fight."
Roberts admits that applying pain may result in obedience and compliance but says it is ultimately counterproductive as there is no choice. Teaching through partnership allows the freedom to choose and produces a sense of accomplishment that is more productive than force and intimidation.
Roberts has performed his horse-gentling techniques before hundreds of thousands of people around the world. He says, "Remaining cool and getting out of the punishment business is critical to having an effective relationship with horses and children."

I haven't read his other books and didn't expect him to be Ernest Hemingway. I know him as a magician with horses, not words. However, I was very impressed with his simple style; he doesn't belabor a point or show-off with big words. Therefore, his message shines through loud and clear; our general thinking about how to raise kids and relate to each other has much to be improved upon and he shows us a way to do it that is miles ahead of anything I've read anywhere including the mental health field. I understand Publisher's Weekley's criticism from a literary point of view but, heh, let's focus on the message; a message that is the answer to our present 'civilized' society's major problems. Any criticism of his book manifests a tenacity to hang on to traditional ways of thinking, thinking that has taken us to war overseas, in our schools, and into our own backyards. Monty is simply telling us to learn from nature, and its telling us that violence disrupts, gentleness and patience restores.

Less Horse, More People

I'm not that interested in social reform, so I liked this book least of the three written by Mr. Roberts. It's about applying Join-Up principles to people, at all levels of society. Philosophy is interspersed with stories of the author's experiences with remedial horses and people. Key statements are 'Violence is never the answer', 'Violence is always for the violator and never for the victim', and 'No one of us was born with the right to say 'you must or I'll hurt you' to any other creature, animal or human'.

The book is not clear on exactly what it means by violence. (Page 68: -quote- All of this raises the question, "How do you define violence?" It's a very difficult question with no simple answer. -endquote-) 'Coercive Violence', is my best guess. I am unsure if the nonviolence statements were meant to extend to human self-defense.

The author himself describes man as 'fight', horses as 'flight'. Thus, they're very different. It seems logical that horse-human analogies must fall apart eventually, specially if you believe (as I do) that people are moral beings and can choose to do right or wrong in ways that horses cannot. The book also gives brief opinions on a few subjects that really deserve thorough study and discussion before conclusions are drawn; firearm restriction, criminal incarceration, tracking devices for offenders, spanking.

*Content Note: Parents getting this book for pre- or young teens should know that it includes a vivid story of sexual abuse, told in the victim's words.

If you are looking for information on horses and Join-Up, I suggest you buy Mr. Robert's other fascinating books "The Man Who Listens to Horses" and "Shy Boy". Give "Horse Sense for People" a test run at your library before parting with cash.

These are my personal opinions only and you may react to the book quite differently. This review is not intended in ANY way as a detraction of Mr. Monty Robert's fine work with horses or even of the application of some "Horse Sense" (common sense?) to people.

This book will appeal to people who love animals and children. It has a genuinely sincere voice that engages the reader despite the ghostwriter's slightly offputting imprint. I was charmed, moved, and inspired by Monty Roberts' common sense advice. If this book lacks literary eloquence, it is more than made up for in the meaning of the stories it tells.
"Gentle Wisdom" may be redundant, but this book is not.
If you have children, or animals, or you know someone who does, this book deserves to be placed in your library right next to Dr. Spock.

Monty Roberts is a master in all methods of knowledge (horsemanship, writing, etc.). This book, although not quite to the level of his great The Man Who Listens to Horses, still contains vital information for all those who would like to learn about the many lessons that life has to offer. His books should be read by all, including those who have to knowledge or interest in horses.

Monty Roberts has crossed the line from horses to the realm of people. It is about time. Monty reaches down to take out everything the horse have taught him and gives a straight-forward and pragmatic description of how people can better interact without physical violence or emotional domination. How easily his ideas move to families and the work place!

This book is long overdue. While other books try their best to unearth their way into an aspect of human behavior, Monty uses his gentle style to sketch the framework for an entirely new way for human to relate with as little friction as possible.

Books like this don't come often and are rarely couched in a way that is easy to understand and intuitive. It is truly a backbone work for Millennial Man.

A man who had the ability to successfully buck the horse training methods of the past 8,000 years because he knew he was onto something really caught my attention. I just loved his assertion that violence is never the answer, and I can't help but wonder how his methods can be translated into a new way of viewing other problems for new solutions.

Poorly organised and written, interminable yarns from his stables, and one not particularly original idea (willing cooperation is better than coercion).
There is one practical application offered, the positive and negative contract blackboards for children, which may be worth a try.
The horse starting/breaking stuff is interesting (if you haven't heard it before) but also frustrating because he leaves out so much detail. For example he keeps referring to giving horses the choice of joining up or work, but doesn't say what work for an unbroken horse means.