A Critical Comment on the Monty Roberts Interpretation of Equine Behavior

Abstract

The aim of this article is to conduct a critical analysis of the equine behavior interpretations present in Monty Roberts’ publications. To begin with, a selection of examples from historical sources is presented displaying the prevalent treatment of horses in European culture. In the light of these examples, the natural training methods of horses appear not to introduce any revolutionary new qualities. Next, an attempt was made to question the existence of the language Equus in a piece written by Monty Roberts. Monty Roberts’ centaurism (i.e., the assumption that horses recognize people who send certain signals as members of their own species) was challenged using scientific research results, with the conclusion that it was a dangerous over-interpretation of horse behavior. The idea of non-violence in Monty Roberts’ writings can be misguiding to the reader due to conceptual confusion. As a consequence, the issue of partnership and dominance in handling horses is unclear. Research and historical data show that antiauthoritarian treatment of horses lacks sense. Working with a horse in a round pen without a line, in comparison to traditional lunging, does reduce stress, but maybe the real cause of that is not using the whip. Applying a relevant dose of stimuli depending on the horse’s temperament or character is more important than working with a line or lunge line. The final part describes a join-up, but in the round pen the human trainer is substituted by an integrating horse. The pilot experiment revealed that the trainer-horse did not chase the other horse for “misbehaving”, but instead mostly bucked and squealed. The entire join-up was stationary. Monty Roberts’ prescriptions were not followed by the horses. Certain contents in Monty Roberts’ publications can imperil both those who lack experience in working with horses and the animals themselves.