Wednesday April 17, 2019

Greetings!
Question 

Hi! I had a question concerning Join-Up, and it is, can you do Join-Up with an already bomb proof horse? My horse is a 18 year-old Quarter Horse, and he's about as solid as they come. It's like nothing fazes him, when I try to send him away, he just stands there and does nothing. Am I not being clear enough in my signals, or is he confused by what I'm trying to get him to do?

Thanks for any input you have.
Christina


Answer 

Dear Christina,

While it's true that I believe Join-Up is most important in the young or untrained horse, I often do Join-Up with older horses that have been thoroughly trained. If a horse is bonded to human beings to the extent that they have lost their desire to flee, I often use plastic shopping bags on the end of a stick, which are generally quite successful. Please don’t feel it is necessary to cause pain by striking the horse. If he does not respond to the shopping bags or the normal clicking sound or line tossing that I use, then just love him and accept the fact that he is a wonderful horse. 

Sincerely,
MONTY'S EQUUS ONLINE UNIVERSITY
THIS WEEK'S EPISODE
UPCOMING EVENTS   
USA
April 29 to 30, 2019:  The Movement at Flag Is Up Farms, Solvang, California
USA
May 1 to 3, 2019:  Equine Assisted Intro to Motivational Interviewing  at Flag Is Up Farms, Solvang, California
USA
May 25, 2019:  Night of Inspiration  at Flag Is Up Farms, Solvang,California
USA
July 22 to 26, 2019:  Monty's Special Training Brazil  at Flag Is Up Farms, Solvang,California
USA
July 29 to August 2, 2019:  Monty's Special Training  at Flag Is Up Farms, Solvang,California
USA
August 5 to 16, 2019:  Gentling Wild Horses  at Flag Is Up Farms, Solvang,California
THE MONTY ROBERTS INTERNATIONAL LEARNING CENTER
April 15 to 19, 2019: Introductory Exam
April 25 to 27, 2019: Join-Up Course
May 9 to 11, 2019: Monty's Long Lining Course
May 17 to 19, 2019: Horse Sense and Healing
May 20 to 31, 2019: Advanced Certification Exam
May 24 to 26, 2019: Introductory Course: First Steps to Monty's Methods
May 31 to June 2, 2019: Introductory Course: Join-Up
THE MOVEMENT SYMPOSIUM  
April 29 to 30, 2019, Monday and Tuesday, www.TheMovement2019.com


"Hi to all the people who made the movement possible! It was a pleasure to be part of that wonderful event. My favorite of course is Monty's work, again and again. But it was inspiring to listen to Dr. Miller, whose book I ordered immediately and Kris Robins who was a pleasure to listen to. To talk about her work and mine and to see all these parallels. She found words for that: horses look past the injury, they see the person not the injury. And Eduardo Moreira is a fantastic story teller, it was fun to listen to him and he is also a brilliant example of resilience. I hope that The Movement goes on and look forward to be there again!"

Best regards from Munich,
Doris Semmelmann

  
MONTY'S CHALLENGE

Test yourself each week as I challenge you to answer the question below. I mean this. Sit down and write an answer. Don't wait for my answer next week. If you have been reading my Weekly Questions and Answers for the last six months, you should be in a position to do this. Send your answer to my team at:  askmonty@montyroberts.com  
 
Why should you bother? Because it will help you focus. There is probably a comparable question in your life that needs answering... or will be. If you can gain insight into how to go about answering a practical question that is loosely related to your problem, this exercise will help you answer your nagging question. Then read my answer. I want all of my students to learn to be better trainers than me.That's good for you and good for horses! 
 
~ Monty 
  
NEXT WEEK'S QUESTION

Dear Monty,

Today I tried your suggestion of bumping the Dually halter instead of a steady pull. It seemed to work better and I think we can make progress. But I’m also trying to make sure I don’t ask too much of him, like trying to keep his nose at the perfect spot by my shoulder.

Also, does a horse not concentrate or behave as well when he is worked with in his “own” pasture? What I’m trying to ask is if he thinks he doesn’t need to behave/listen to me because “ It’s my pasture”; kind of like a territorial problem?

By the way, I also have a Giddy-up rope. I have read “The Man Who Listens to Horses” and “Shy Boy”. I’m also subscribed to the weekly Ask Monty emails. I look forward to them each week.

I love my Dually halter! I hope you didn’t mind this long email but I love to hear your opinions. 

Thank you,
Quincy from Iowa
  • Claire Connaghan from Donegal, Ireland, Certified Monty Roberts Instructor, teaches courses on how groundwork with horses is key to improving your time in the saddle. 
  • And Pat Roberts goes over key points of how she and Monty Roberts have managed the successful horse training center for over 50 years.