Customer Reviews

Shy Boy: The Horse that Came in from the Wild

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

In this book, noted California "horse whisperer" Monty Roberts chronicles how he uses his "Join Up" method of horse gentling on a mustang in the wild. Roberts relates how he began studying communication among horses as a young boy and eventually used that information to begin working with the animals. Roberts, along with photographer Christopher Dydyk, creates a beautiful chronicle of how the horse he calls Shy Boy comes to trust people and become a valuable part of ranch life. The climax of the story is when Roberts releases Shy Boy to the free-range herd where the horse had been living, to see how well the "Join Up" method has worked ... and Shy Boy comes home. This is a beautiful book for anyone who loves horses and believes that gentleness and understanding are the key to relating to both animals and humans.

I recommend that you read Monty Roberts "The Man Who Listens to Horses" whether you read it before or after "Shy Boy..." Having read Monty's earlier book first the story of Shy Boy meant so much more to me. To read that, at the age of 62 with a bad back and not-so-young anymore, Monty relived one of the best times of his life gentling a wild Mustang as he did as a kid, but for a BBC Documentary as well. The gentling and training went better than he expected and he created a friendly and willing partner out of a wild horse. Not only that, the BBC special and the book continues to change the lives of many people and horses around the world as Monty's way of working with horses becomes known and accepted. The book itself contains spectacular photography of Monty, Shy Boy, other horses, and the beautiful country filmed in the BBC special. It is a heartwarming and inspiring story to say the least.

Shy Boy is a book about a horse that was brought in from the wild by means of join-up, a way of communicating with wild horses using there own body language. The author explains about how to communicate with horses using their own language which he calls equis. I highly recommend this book if you would like to learn more about horses in their own "home field", or if you like a good story. It made me sorry to finish it. Truly I believe anyone who has even the slightest interest in horses should strongly consider this book. It is an inspirational book for horsemen and women of all ages. The pages are full of beautiful pictures of the mustangs in their own home. Please read this book next time you get a chance. It is definitely worth reading.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's even better than Mr. Roberts's first book. I was incredibly moved by the story of Shy Boy, and I was inspired by Monty Roberts's overall message. What a great book!

I couldn't wait to bring this book home and read it. I read it in one sitting and cried at the ending and then I thought about it all day. Monty Roberts is amazing--the story of Shy Boy is unforgettable. Read it! You won't be sorry!

Animal lovers everywhere--not just horse lovers--will fall in love with this book. I didn't want it to end. What Monty Roberts can teach us is priceless. I loved this book.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Its a must read for every horse crazy person out there. Its filled with great stories about Monty's life while growing up, how he came to working with wild horses, and how he met Shy Boy. There are stories about others who have tried his methods, and how they worked for them. This book is one that you will help you to gain your horses trust, and to help you bond with them. Every horse crazy person will fall in love with this book.

I reccomend this book to any horselover. Beautifully illustrated and many inspiring words. A must-have for anyone!

To all the critics who thought that Monty had no business in capturing this wild mustang...Shy Boy was ALREADY in the BLM adoption program and was lucky enough to have Monty adopt him! After adoption, Shy Boy was re-released into a captive wild herd on thousands of acres, and from there Monty fulfilled his dream of joining-up with a wild horse (he had done so as a child, but felt the need to do it again as an adult). This is an awesome true story of a horse and horse-lover, it will keep you interested until the end.

As a teenager, author Monty Roberts once managed to gentle a mustang, using methods developed from close observation of equine interaction in the wild, a sharp contrast to the harsh practice of "breaking" a horse used by most ranchers of the time. Ultimately he was able to ride the horse back to his father's ranch. He had hoped this feat would win him some respect from his father, but instead no one could believe it. They ridiculed him, saying he must have chosen a horse that had already been handled by humans. Disheartened, Roberts pursued the matter no further, but did go on to use his experience with the mustang as the model for Join Up, his method of gently getting a horse to the point where he trusts his human handlers and allows himself to be ridden.

Roberts never really expected to duplicate that childhood experience, but got a lucky chance to do just that when the BBC contacted him in 1996, interested in doing a program about his training methods. It took some convincing to get them to agree to the idea of actually working with a wild mustang, but in the end they were won over, and the story that follows is what makes up this book. Periodically the Bureau of Land Management rounds up a number of mustangs and adopts them out to qualified individuals, as a means to keep the wild horse populations at a sustainable level. At one of these adoption events, Roberts acquired a small mustang gelding whom he named Shy Boy. In order to ensure that the horse did not become accustomed to humans, and especially to himself, he stayed away from the horse during his short period of human contact, and made arrangements to have him turned out with a wild band of horses roaming on a large private area of rangeland. Shy Boy remained with this band, untouched by people, for many months before the experiment began. He may have been briefly exposed to humans during his initial capture from the wild, but when Roberts began his work with the horse, he was certainly nowhere near trusting these strange two-legged creatures, which is exactly what Roberts needed in order to prove that his methods really work. And prove it he does, with this touching story as the outcome.

The story is not portrayed in a great amount of depth here, nor does Roberts describe his training methods in great detail. For a more thorough account of his Join Up system, and how he came to develop it, I'd recommend reading Roberts's other book, "The Man Who Listens to Horses," which is excellent. "Shy Boy" is something of a lighter version of that book, relying more on pictures to tell the story. The text is sparse and simple and the book can easily be finished in one day. I was slightly disappointed that the story of Shy Boy was not told at greater length, but it was still an enjoyable read. Roberts also punctuates the story with asides about a few other training experiences he has had. The two that stand out are his experiences with an unmanageable racehorse by the name of Blushing ET, who almost had even Roberts in despair over whether this horse's trust could ever be gained, and another tale about a tiny, sickly 12-year-old girl who contacted him after successfully using Roberts's methods herself on two of her own formerly unmanageable horses.

The photography is another great reason to get this book. While not the very best I've ever seen, most of photographer Christopher Dydyk's work is quite nice, and they really bring the book to life. There are images of Shy Boy in the wild before Roberts began his work, during the gentling and training period, and afterward, living and working successfully with his human family. The beautiful California mountain scenery in these is stunning. In addition, there are photographs of other mustangs in the wild, and of Roberts working both privately and in clinics with a number of domestic horses brought to him for that purpose. "Shy Boy" would definitely make a great coffee table book for any horse lover, and for those that want more detailed information on Roberts and his methods, I also recommend "The Man Who Listens to Horses."

"Shy Boy" is both a heart warming story and an entertaining look at the newer methods of horse training work. Mustangs have been legendary for their iron wills and intelligence and the difficulty many people experience when they try to "break" them. This story is especially interesting because instead of fighting against the animal, the training process partners with him, letting him stay in his own comfort level; the horse has the choice to learn or leave. You can almost see the gears grinding inside Shy boy's head as he makes decisions about what to do. I really enjoyed this book both as a story and as a tool; I'll remember Monty Roberts and Shy Boy the next time I come across a wild or difficult animal. Very recommended for the equine-minded.

I thought the story of Shy Boy was fantastic and I was inspired by Monty Roberts' overall message. What a great book!