Renee taking her morning ride.Video clip from youtube uploaded by Renee's dad(Krattli).Thanks daddy!Nice song..

love horses ...they bring out the magic in you

This is Renee....a very special child, that I have got to know for some time now. I was riding Samdolphin (my horse)around the neighborhood,when I met Renee and her mother,they were on their way to attend speech therapy.I was told that ,she had cerebral palsy,I then offered, if she would like to go on the horse,it's amazing at how she immediately connects to the horse.From that moment,I knew that,she has to continue riding,and since then Renee has been riding Sam once every week.According to her mom,she has been progressing great.Horses ...they bring out the magic in you!!!!!!

love horses ...they bring out the magic in you

The benefits of Therapeutic Horseback Riding

By-- Jennifer A. Bream, FBHS, MCSP, LPT
and by William Q. Spangler, Jr.

The benefits of Therapeutic Horseback Riding are threefold: physical, psychological and social. The first of these is applicable only to the patient; the second and third are more transferrable to people around the patient. More will be said of this shortly.

In most of the conditions and disorders specified above, there has been a serious disruption in the ability of the patient to perform basic purposive functions. Balance, proprioception, ambulation, posture and manual dexterity are limited, many times severely. Therapeutic Horseback Riding is well suited to treating the patient with some or all of the dysfunctions cited when used in conjunction with a planned, progressive exercise program.

The aim of any treatment program is to improve circulation, respiration, balance, coordination, proprioception, agility, self-confidence and mental relaxation. In addition, one would hope for significant carry- over of improvements from the therapy sessions to activities of daily living.

By forming a partnership with a horse or pony, several of these goals are brought into focus: by eliminating the need to concentrate on standing, the handicapped rider can devote his efforts and attention to refining his balance and coordination and improving his ability to function in a more rhythmic manner. Once astride his or her horse, the animal functions as a surrogate cerebellum, providing the rider's neuromuscular system with varying inputs that closely approximate those that are experienced during normal human ambulation. Sensations are transmitted from the stirrups and through the rider's feet and legs that reflect the surface being traversed by the horse. The rider is thus exposed to differing qualities, textures and grades of surface, a new experience for many of the handicapped. Moreover, the motion of the horse brings into play spinal reflexes, especially the righting reflex, which are rarely, if ever, used by wheelchair-bound persons.

It should be pointed out that it is important to approach the process of Therapeutic Horseback Riding with an eye to treating the abilities, as well as the disabilities, of the rider. In many cases, a diagnosis is allowed to eliminate therapeutic possibilities that are quite feasible if given the opportunity to develop. We will return to this aspect in a moment.

The warmth and motion of the horse's body can significantly reduce spasticity (especially in the adductors of the legs) and enhance coordinated action in other muscle groups. Head and trunk control can be improved as a result of the need for the rider to look up in order to see where he or she is going. Learning to manipulate the reins facilitates upper extremity and hand control.

The second major benefit of Therapeutic Horseback Riding is concerned with the psychological state of the rider. While this aspect of Therapeutic Horseback Riding is more subtle and less suited to quantification, there is nevertheless a definite relationship between the psychological set of handicapped person and exposure to the riding experience.

At the outset it should be understood that much of the life experience of a handicapped person consists of learning that they cannot participate in most physical activities. They are solitary spectators for all their lives, isolated from their peers in a way that seems insurmountable. By introducing a horse into this situation, the nature of the circumstances is altered radically. To be sure, the handicap is still precisely the same, but the individual's perception of his limitations and capabilities will never be the same.

Once mounted, the handicapped rider no longer looks up at other people; they look up at him or her. Visual obstacles become fewer; the rider's view of the world is literally expanded by a dramatic margin. Astride a horse, the spectator becomes participant in a sport in which few, if any, of his peers have any experience. Equitation, regardless of the level of expertise at which it is being practiced, carries with it overtones of elegance, grace, risk and power that few other activities can claim. The positive effects on self-esteem, self-image and self-confidence in the handicapped rider cannot be overstated.

Moreover, the ability to take an active role in moving from point to point without the necessity of relying on assistive devices and other people is of immeasurable value to the morale of the handicapped rider. Add the benefit of exposure to fresh air and sunshine (at least part of the time), and the result is an experience that is anxiously anticipated by handicapped riders each week.

The third main area of benefit is that of social adjustment. As in the case of physical activities, the scope of most handicapped people's social experience is quite limited, in many cases restricted to family members and a small group of medical specialists. As a result, many handicapped persons, both adults and children, are further impeded by a lack of communication and interpersonal skills.

The placement of the handicapped in new surroundings with new people is the first step in the process of learning to deal with the demands and pressures of a more "normal" social atmosphere.

Quite understandably, at the outset most new riders are very apprehensive and insecure. In younger persons this may persist for quite some time, but eventually it is possible to detect a genuine change in the attitudes of the riders from introspection and reluctance to a more confident and outgoing mental set. It is not unusual, especially in the case of autism, for the child to verbally communicate spontaneously for the first time with "his" horse.

Many significant advances in inter-personal relationships are made as a result of positive interaction with volunteer aides and instructors. Through such contact, the riders begin to experience goal-oriented behavior. The attitude of the able-bodied helper is of paramount importance in this process. It is essential that the aides and instructors be firm and consistent in their dealings with the handicapped rider; it must be made clear to him or her that a certain level of performance is expected (within, of course, the rider's limitations). The point is that the riders must learn that their abilities and capacities are greater than they think and that they must strive to improve the level of their performance just as an able-bodied rider would. Once the first goal is achieved, it becomes progressively less difficult to work toward and accomplish subsequent objectives.

An important aspect of Therapeutic Horseback Riding is the fact that it is a legitimate form of therapy "hidden", so to speak, in the process of mastering riding skills. Most physical therapy patients associate treatment with specific, repetitive and highly structured exercise regimens. Riding is seen as a recreational activity, and therefore it is not connected with therapy by the patients. In this way, many preconceived ideas and established negative attitudes toward therapy can be effectively eliminated. In many cases, the handicapped rider will be more enthusiastic, will make a greater effort and will derive more benefit from such self-motivated therapy than from more conventional modes of treatment.

Finally, the effects on the members of the handicapped person's family should be considered. A common reaction in parents to the fact of a handicapped child is a sense of being alone with a problem of unmanageable proportions. This feeling, along with feelings of guilt and helplessness, can be as emotionally crippling to the parents as the physical problem is to the child.

Therapeutic Horseback Riding, because of its intrinsic group orientation, can provide significant help to parents and other close family members on at least two important levels.

First, the sense of isolation being experienced by parents is dispelled. They are afforded the opportunity to share experiences, ideas, successes and disappointments with people who are able to lend understanding and support, particularly in times of stress. The parents are, in the final analysis, the most important source of motivation and support for the handicapped child. It is of the utmost important that they be given as much assistance as possible in fulfilling this role.

Second, by participating in the program, family members see for themselves the possibilities for improvement that Therapeutic Horseback Riding offers. In many cases, the manner in which the family perceives the handicapped member is altered substantially. As this occurs, the self- image and self-confidence of the handicapped improves, thus opening the way to more improvement and achievement. This attitudinal change is the key to a continuing process of improvement and accomplishment that can last over the course of a lifetime.

TECHNIQUE

Before dealing with the specifics of the technique of Therapeutic Horseback Riding, it should be made clear that the primary concern of all involved must be safety. As has been mentioned above, one of the benefits of Therapeutic Horseback Riding is the element of risk inherent in the activity. In the case of the handicapped rider, it is significant that the risks referred to are perceived risks. Exercises and activities are designed to reduce actual risks to an absolute minimum. It is for this reason that the single most important piece of equipment used used in any program is the helmet. Under no circumstances should a rider be treated without one.

The next consideration should be the ponies and horses intended for use in a Therapeutic Horseback Riding program. The basic quality to be sought is docility and even temper. For example, the animals that are used in our program at TEC are employed on a regular basis as school horses and as such are accustomed to a wide variety of riders on all levels of skill and experience. As a result, they are very accepting of handicapped riders, whereas more high-strung, finely trained horses might not tolerate the unusual sensations handicapped riders might cause in mounting and sitting them.

Another consideration to be taken into account is the conformation of the animal. The size and build of the horse ought to be matched to the rider's size and handicap. For example, for a 4 year old child with severe scissoring spasticity of the legs, the ideal mount would be a small to medium sized pony with narrow shoulders. The small size of the pony would facilitate treating the patient, reduce the degree of apprehension in the child and reduce the amount of stress on the adductor muscles in the child's legs.

As has been pointed out above, the act of sitting astride a moving horse has an intrinsic therapeutic value. It is possible, however, to use this basic benefit as a foundation upon which can be built a progressive, planed, goal oriented program of exercise.

Our specific exercise programs are based on proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, which maintains that motor activity is organized into patterns of flexion-extension, abduction-adduction and rotation components. Movement in these patterns against minimal resistance guided by a trained physical therapist will enhance motor control in deficient muscles. When employing PNF, the resistance offered to muscular action should be proportional to the strength of the muscles involved in order to avoid damage to bones, joints or musculature.

In the course of a session of Therapeutic Horseback Riding the ideal objective is to bring the appropriate therapeutic exercise into play while providing effective instruction in horsemanship. As has been pointed out, a major advantage of Therapeutic Horseback Riding is that it is not perceived as a conventional session of physical therapy; therefore, the more emphasis that can be place on the horsemanship aspect of each session, the better.

Therapeutic horseback riding

Therapeutic horseback riding, also known as an equine-assisted activity, is for individuals with a range of physical, emotional, cognitive, and social special needs. There are several different kinds of programs that utilize horses and horseback riding for therapeutic benefits. Equine-assisted activities, including therapeutic riding, driving, and vaulting are not therapy but sport and recreational activities that have therapeutic value. Equine-assisted activities, therapeutic riding is usually most effective in children because of the nature of mental, and social development. However, equine-assisted activities produce very favorable improvements in riders of all ages.

There are hundreds of programs around the world as well many organizations dedicated to the various forms of equine-assisted activities. "Therapeutic riding" refers specifically to horseback riding lessons for people with special needs in which the therapeutic benefits of riding are a result of learning riding skills. Licensed therapists who incorporate the horse as one of their tools during therapy sessions conduct equine-assisted therapy. This is different from therapeutic riding where the rider influences the movement of the horse. Forms of equine-assisted therapy include hippotherapy, in which a certified therapist uses the horse as a therapeutic tool, and equine-facilitated psychotherapy in which a certified mental health professional uses the horse in various ways for therapeutic benefit. Hippotherapy is a treatment strategy used by occupational, physical and speech therapists. The movement of the horse is carefully modulated to influence neuromuscular changes in the client.

Overview

The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) maintains centers providing a variety of beneficial services to people with special needs.^[1] These services fall into two general categories, equine assisted activities and equine assisted therapy. Equine assisted activities are those services provided by a trained professional focusing on recreational, leisure, sport or education. Examples of Equine Assisted Activities are: therapeutic riding, therapeutic driving, vaulting and equine facilitated learning. These activities are guided by an educational or learning model. Skills are taught to riders, vaulters and students. The professional guiding the experience is a specially trained NARHA certified instructor. The professionals’ expertise provides them with training in specialized, adaptive teaching methods that allow people with a variety of disabilities to learn horsemanship skills and experience the equine environment.

The other category is Equine Assisted Therapy. These services are provided by licensed medical professionals. In order to provide equine assisted therapy the professional facilitating the service must have proper training, education and state licensure appropriate to their own scope of practice. Examples of equine assisted therapy include: hippotherapy and equine assisted psychotherapy. These services are guided by the medical model. Treatment is provided to clients or patients based on the professionals area of expertise and utilizes the horses’ movement or equine environment to meet the patients’ goals. Therapeutic riding is considered an animal-assisted activity. However, horses provide more than just skills acquired from a relationship with an animal or learning to care for an animal. Riding a horse provides a unique and often profound activity for many people. The motion of the horse, concentration needed to acquire riding skills, and the communication between instructor and rider allow people with a variety of disabilities to benefit from riding.

History

Historical overview

Therapeutic riding is greatly beneficial for the rider, through the ages it has been used as a way of improving the health and well-being of people with handicaps and disabilities.(Puente)Therapeutic riding can be traced throughout the ages. There is documentation of individuals exploring the various therapeutic benefits of horsemanship as far back as 600 B.C. The first modern study of the therapeutic benefits of horseback riding can be traced back to 1875. Cassaign, a physician, prescribed riding for his patients believing that riding would benefit individuals with such issues as neurological disorders, joint pain and immobility and balance. Oxford Hospital in England suggested riding therapy for soldiers injured in World War I. Because of the unique bond that is often formed between human and animal, people throughout the ages have recognized the importance of riding for people with special needs. This knowledge has grown throughout the ages and been used in various different ways.

Modern roots

Therapeutic riding is most often attributed to Lis Hartel, a woman from Denmark who used a wheelchair and was determined to ride despite her disability. In the mid 1940s, there were significant outbreaks of polio in Scandinavia. Hartel was stricken with this illness, which limited her mobility. Hartel was successful in her efforts to rehabilitate herself using horseback riding--so successful that she went on to win two Olympic silver medals for Grand Prix Dressage (1952 & 1956). Her fortitude and remarkable achievement caught the attention of therapists, doctors and horsemen alike. Hartel paired with a physical therapist named Ulla Harpoth; together the women started one of the first therapeutic riding programs. Word quickly spread of this success and riding programs developed all over Europe, North America and Australia. "Rideterapi" is offered free of charge to severely handicapped individuals in Denmark. The costs are covered by the National Health Insurance.

Advantages of therapeutic riding

Physical

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007)

Therapeutic riding can be beneficial to many people with special needs. The most obvious and often the most immediately recognizable benefit is physical. Because riding is a very physical activity, children and adults with special physical needs and various physical impairments can benefit from riding. Instructors employ a variety of physical tasks that help improve balance, muscle strength, flexibility, joint movement, and posture. Therapeutic riding can benefit people with many different physical disabilities, including muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy,^[2] multiple sclerosis, amputation, paralysis, spina bifida, down's syndrome, etc.^{[citation needed]}

Balance and posture

Because horseback riding requires balance and good posture for all riders, students lacking good balance and posture will be working on their balance issues from the very moment they mount. The exercise of riding grounds the rider in his or her hips. The movement input from the horse causes the rider to strengthen core muscles (postural muscles along the spine) and the movement offers input to both sides of the rider so they are more likely to improve their upright position. This connection between horse and rider is a fundamental element in building balance in riders with and without special needs. Instructors often employ various exercises and riding skills that work on balance and posture in multiple ways. Because therapeutic riding is fundamentally flexible to the student's needs, balance exercises are quite varied. Exercises can range from simply sitting atop the horse, to walking, to trotting. The combination of supporting as well as challenging the rider enables the rider to improve their physical capabilities.

Muscles and joints

The movement of the horse also requires good strength and flexibility. The most obvious muscle regions that benefit from such exercise are the back, buttocks and legs, as well as the ankles, knees and hips. Riding also affects smaller muscles and joints throughout the body as riding is an activity that requires the participation of the entire body. Riders with low muscle-tone and loose flexibility will work on strengthening and tightening the muscles primarily in the back, neck, buttocks and leg regions. Riders with very high muscle-tone work on relaxing the muscle and moving with the gait of the horse. The different gaits of the horse can be used to make the student aware of different muscle groups. As the rider learns different riding skills, muscle strength and flexibility are increasingly improved. The flexibility of equine-assisted activities enables riders with very different needs to benefit from learning the same skills.

Cognitive and sensory

People with various cognitive and sensory disabilities can be helped with riding activities. Examples of some disorders include: mental retardation, autism, brain damage, Down Syndrome, developmental disorders, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, learning disabilities

Riding requires attention, reasoning skills and memory. Because riding builds knowledge as time progresses, simple tasks grow into complex skills that provide the rider with intellectual stimulation. Riding incorporates a lot of information into a fairly small amount of time. In a session (which varies depending on the student and the program) an individual is asked to both interpret sensory information they are receiving from the horse, instructor, environment, etc., and use this information in a manner that is appropriate for learning riding skills. The motion, feel, smell, sound and sight of a horse is a lot to absorb; however, lessons can be simplified giving the student time to process this information. Higher-functioning riders use riding skills and tasks given by instructors to help integrate this sensory information in a way that makes sense to the individual student. According to the Equine-Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA), a section of NARHA, Riding is both relaxing and demanding for students of all cognitive abilities, depending on the focus of the lesson.

Emotional, social and psychological

Individuals with emotional, social and psychological disabilities all benefit in similar ways. A study conducted by Hannah Burgon found that therapeutic riding participants experience increased confidence and improved self-concept, and that these activities aid social stimulation and leads to acquisition of transferable skills. Riding helps the student interact with others and to form meaningful relationships with horses and people. Building a relationship with an animal is very rewarding in many aspects; for a person with an emotional, social or psychological disability, the trust and loyalty an animal shows for people demonstrates to the student how important these attributes are in personal relationships. Horses also help people feel in control of their situation because there is a direct correlation between action and reaction. To learn how to care for and ride a horse, a student must also be able to communicate efficiently with the horse and the instructor. In this way, riding is a very social activity, but is less daunting to people who are uncomfortable in social situations. However, the experience of riding a horse is very different. Riding helps to empower people and enables them to connect on a personal level. The sometimes unpredictable nature of animals and situations also creates a real-life environment in which students will be able to confront fears and make adjustments to situations beyond their control.

The world famous Lipizzaners..

The Lipizzaner Stallions are on their 37th Anniversary Tour in 2007. In 1970, Producer Gary Lashinsky created a new family arena attraction, starring The "World Famous" LIPIZZANER STALLIONS.

Many horses and riders were brought from Europe to perform in this unique family oriented arena attraction. Over the years, twenty-three million people throughout North and South America, Great Britain, Europe, Australia and Hawaii have seen this internationally acclaimed spectacle.

2007 represents the 37th Anniversary season of The Lipizzaner Stallions. All new music, choreography and routines have been incorporated in this anniversary edition with a major emphasis on the historical background and foundation of the Lipizzaner breed, from its original breeding and use as a horse of war to a horse of nobility and aristocracy to a living form of equestrian art. The show emulates the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria, in its presentation of Lipizzans, and maintains a traditional as well as entertaining performance similar in many ways to what you would see at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna.

Also included in the performance is a segment called the "Airs Above the Ground." These are the spectacular leaps and maneuvers, once used by riders in saddle to protect and defend themselves on the battlefield, which are now preserved as an equestrian work of art. When you see the Lipizzans perform, it is like stepping back four hundred years and viewing one of the greatest equine ballets in history.

The Lipizzan is a rare and unique breed; its history and culture is known worldwide. The Walt Disney movie The Miracle of the White Stallions, depicting General George S. Patton saving them at the end of World War II from certain extinction, created an even greater world-wide interest in the Lipizzaner breed. Had it not been for Patton, there would be no Lipizzans today.

Although the Lipizzans star in this presentation, the ancestral forefather of the Lipizzan, the Spanish Andalusian, is featured in a high school presentation with special wardrobe themed to traditional Spanish music.

Not only is the Andalusian shown in saddle, but also in a unique presentation where the rider performs all the maneuvers of the Grand Prix Olympic level dressage on the longline, while walking behind the horse and guiding him through his paces.

The current tour features 12 to 14 stallions performing selected maneuvers as described above in an exciting presentation.

The conclusion of the performance of The Lipizzaner Stallions is the traditional Grand Quadrille, featuring six to eight Lipizzaner Stallions with their riders performing an intricate, equine ballet, exhibiting maneuvers through the highest level of dressage. The Lipizzans prance, march and intricately weave their way across the floor to the music of the Masters in a spectacular ballet of four-footed white dancers.

Harkening back to time when the horse was a symbol of grace and majesty, the Lipizzaner Stallions are truly a great experience to be enjoyed by the entire family. One does not need to be a horse lover to enjoy "The Equestrian Treat of the Century"!


original source:
http://www.lipizzaner.com/lipizzaner_frameset.asp

Seabiscuits

Seabiscuit:
The Story of The Horse, America Fell In Love With
By: Dave Cole


In the latter half of the Depression, Seabiscuit,
an undersized and crooked-legged horse, had become a
household word in America.

He was adored by fans, his appearances breaking attendance
records at nearly every major racetrack. There was even
a special cross-country train named "Seabiscuit Limited"
that shuttled fans to his races.

His four-year rise in the world of racing was one of
the most notable and widely followed struggles in sports

Back in the 1930's the realities of the Great Depression
had driven deep into most men's hearts. At the time the
average American worker was earning about $500 a year.
At least those who were fortunate to find work.


Times were hard, there was little to cheer about.
Adolph Hitler was in the news and everyone knew
trouble was brewing in the world.

Ten years of hardship had just passed, the hardest
economic times in our history. Americans needed something.....
something that they could relate to, something that they
could find hope in.....something that would give
them encouragement.

Encouragement....hope.....faith, that the little guy
could pull out of this depression and make a go of it,
that men who were formerly down and depressed could
come from behind and make a decent life for himself
and his family.


America found it's hero in a rather unique form.

A horse named Seabiscuit.


He had short legs, asymmetrical knees that didn't
quite straighten all the way giving him a crouching
stance and an odd, inefficient "eggbeater" gait
that one writer likened to a duck waddle.

No one ever thought Seabiscuit would amount to much,
his career had been noteworthy only in its appalling
rigor.


Seabiscuit was a horse that no one really wanted.


Yet, he had something inside of him that was inherited
from his grandfather, the immortal racehorse,
Man O' War. That something was a tenacity, a bull dog
determination, a spirit of winning.

With that spirit and the determination and patience
of his owner, trainer and jockey, Seabiscuit began
his rise to fame and fortune.

Seabiscuit was something that folks could relate to.
Something that had been given little chance of ever
succeeding, something that had a lot of problems
and adversity to overcome.....Seabiscuit was now
the little guy who came from behind and beat the odds.


Seabiscuit gave people hope. Hope that they too could
come from behind and win in life.

In 1937 Seabiscuit garnered more newspaper column
than Hitler, Mussolini, Roosevelt, Churchill, or any
other public figure. He had won 10 major events, broken
5 track records and taken in the most winnings of
any race horse that year....yet he was not named
Horse of the Year

Seabiscuit & War Admiral

An eastern black beauty that had won the Triple Crown
named War Admiral was instead, picked as Horse of the Year.

But, Seabsicuit was rapidly becoming the heart throb
of America. His owner, Charles Howard was a worthy
salesman who knew how to "play the press" ...
America soon clamored for a match up.

On November 1, 1938 the two horses went head to head
on a small race track that held just 16,000 seats.
By race time there were 30,000 fans in the stands
and another 10,000 in the infield. The rest of
America virtually shut down to listen to the broadcast.
Even President Roosevelt delayed a press conference
to listen.

It was no contest. Seabiscuit hit the finish 4 full
lengths in front and had ran the race in near world
record time.

The little horse from nowhere, the little guy with
the wobbly gait, the horse nobody wanted, beat War Admiral,
the big strong guy with all the right moves and with
the big money behind him.....Seabiscuit had become the
long shot that captured America's hearts.


By the end of 1938, Seabiscuit had won 33 races,
set 16 track records and equaled another. He was
literally worth his weight in gold, having earned
a world record $437,730, nearly 60 times his purchase
price.

With the looming war in the papers, America now
had something they could relate to, something that
gave them the hope and determination they needed
to understand and know they could survive whatever
would soon come and know that they could come out
of the Great Depression on top and victorious.

After his racing days were over, Seabiscuit spent
his time lounging around the pasture, herding
cattle, and greeting some 50,000 fans who came
to see him.

On May 17, 1947 America lost one of it's heroes.

Seabiscuit had died at only 14 years of age from a
heart attack. He was buried in a secret spot on
Mr. Howard's ranch with only an oak tree planted
over his grave as a memorial.

Seabiscuit
Born: 1933
Died: 1947
Trainer: Tom "Silent Tom" Smith
Owners: Charles & Marcela Howard
Jockeys: Red Pollard & George "The Iceman" Woolf

"Horses stay the same from the day they are born until
the day they die... They are only changed by the way
people treat them."

~ "Silent Tom" Smith ~


"Praise be to God for creating such wonderful creatures " Oh I love horses.........

The horse whisperer

Man Who Listens to Horses - Monty Roberts

About Monty

Monty Roberts, known as the “Man Who Listens to Horses” has led an extraordinary life. An award-winning trainer of championship horses, best-selling author, Hollywood stunt man, foster dad to 47 children (in addition to three of his own) and creator of the world-renowned and revolutionary equine training technique called Join~Up, Monty Roberts could now, in his later years, be resting on his laurels -- but that’s not his style.

Roberts has won countless awards and received immense worldwide press coverage, put three books on the New York Times best-seller list, trained some of Queen Elizabeth II’s equestrian team in London and been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Zurich. But if you go looking for Monty Roberts, you won’t find him lounging in his favorite chair high up in the hills overlooking his horse-training farm in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley.

The “man who listens to horses” is more likely to be found somewhere on the globe continuing to spread his message of nonviolence. You’re more likely to find him speaking to incarcerated youth in a juvenile detention facility, gentling his 15,000th horse at a demonstration, teaching his techniques to the growing number of students at his Equestrian Academy in Solvang, California or advising executives at Fortune 500 companies.

Why have millions of people from all walks of life responded to his PBS television shows, books, demonstrations, and media appearances with such passion? What makes Monty’s message so compelling that everyone from the C.I.A. to Volkswagen invite this cowboy to share his experiences with their executives and leaders?

Perhaps it comes from the undeniable power of personal experience, of having witnessed too many horses “broken” in using violent, traditional methods. Perhaps it’s having experienced an abusive childhood himself.

Monty often expresses that his goal in life is to leave the world a better place for horses and for people. With energy and enthusiasm, he gets up every morning, most often in a hotel in some town far away from his home, his horses, his staff and his farm, to keep talking . . . and listening.

Monty first learned to listen to horses while observing wild mustangs in Nevada at the age of thirteen. Sent there to round up horses for the Salinas Rodeo Association’s Wild Horse Race, he spent hours silently watching the feral horses interact with each other. Soon he realized that they used a discernable, effective and predictable body language to communicate, set boundaries, show fear and express annoyance, relaxation or affection. In a moment that would change his life and the lives of horses and people forever, Roberts understood that utilizing this silent language would allow training to commence in a much more effective and humane manner, encouraging true partnership between horses and humans. Later, he would name this moment of partnership “Join~Up,” and it would become the foundation of all his work with horses and people.

After this revelatory moment with the wild horses, Roberts returned home to his family’s riding school at the Salinas Rodeo Grounds in Salinas, California. There, he had grown up watching his father “break” horses using traditional methods involving pain, control, fear and coercion. Testing his new insights into the nature of horses, Monty tried out some of his new ideas and was promptly punished for challenging his father’s traditional methods.

Monty remained undeterred from his vision and later became a champion Western horseman. Hollywood hired him as a “stand in” rider and stunt double for stars such as Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet and many other films. He even worked with James Dean during the pre-production and filming of the acclaimed movie East of Eden.

Monty knew that his future lay in working with horses, and he commenced an incredible career in Thoroughbred racing. Throughout the years he worked with many champions (including the famed “Alleged”) and opened a training facility, Flag Is Up Farms, on 154 acres in the Santa Ynez Valley in 1966. He and his wife, Pat, enjoyed immense success training Thoroughbreds, becoming the leading consigner of two-year-olds-in-training at the Hollywood Park Racetrack for 18 years. Even today, the walls of Monty and Pat’s offices are covered with artwork, newspaper clippings and other memorabilia from their years on the track.

As the couple raised their own family of three, over the years Pat and Monty also took in 47 foster children. Many of them still return to Flag Is Up Farms for visits, and credit Pat and Monty with helping to turn their lives around. Today, Pat and daughter Debbie (with her husband, Tom Loucks) run the multi-dimensional and international family business from offices on Flag Is Up Farms.

By the 1980s, the Roberts and their extended clan were living their lives on the farm, happily collecting accolades for their work with racehorses. Then a phone call came that once again changed the direction of Monty’s life forever.

The call was from the offices of Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning monarch of England and an avid horsewoman. She had heard about Roberts’ work and invited him to come to her country and show her staff his Join~Up® method. The Queen was so impressed by his demonstration she urged him to write a book. That book became “The Man Who Listens to Horses”.

Published in 1996, “The Man Who Listens to Horses” became a full-blown phenomenon. The book went on to sell nearly 5 million copies. Suddenly, Roberts and his training methods had skyrocketed into the limelight. The phone lines were jammed at the farm and the media was clamoring to get an interview; but more importantly, hundreds of thousands of horse lovers heard the message that there was another way.

The PBS and BBC television networks aired documentaries about his work, four more books were published and became best sellers, and countries throughout the world translated these materials, sharing his message that violence is never the answer. Over the past several years, Monty has toured the United States and has raised over $1.6 million for horse-related charities, including 4-H and therapeutic riding organizations.

Monty still demonstrates Join~Up® across the globe. His fourth book "From My Hands to Yours: Lessons from a Lifetime of Training Championship Horses,” is a textbook format of his Join-Up training principles. His academy, the Monty Roberts Equestrian Academy, located at Flag Is Up Farms, trained more than 140 students last year using his non-violent methods. MREA is run by the nonprofit organization, Join~Up® International, Inc. which has set out to ensure that Join-Up principles will be available for generations to come.

Monty never forgets the lessons he learns from the horses. In his fifth book, Monty recounts the stories of his best loved horses, chosen from the tens of thousands he has worked with throughout his lifetime. The Horses in My Life is a celebration of the horses he has learned the most from, as well as those that have impressed themselves most indelibly on his memory and in his heart.

Today, Monty remains steadfast to his goal; “to leave the world a better place than I found it, for horses and for people, too.


”http://www.montyroberts.com/ab_about_monty.html

"Wild Horses"
Hmmm woah yea...

I feel these 4 walls closing in
My face up against the glass
I'm looking out... hmm
Is this my life I'm wondering
It happened so fast
How do I turn this thing around
Is this the bed I chose to make
Its greener pastures i'm thinking about hmm
Wide open spaces far away

All I want is the wind in my hair
To face the fear but, not feel scared

[Chorus:]
Wild horses I wanna be like you
Throwing caution to the wind
I'll run free too
Wish I could recklessly love, like I'm longing too
Run with the wild horses, run with the wild horses!
Ohh yeaaa yea

I see the girl I wanna be
Riding bare back, care free along the shore
If only that someone was me
Jumping head first headlong without a thought
To act and damn the consequence
I wish it could be that easy
But fear surrounds me like a fence
I wanna break free

All I want is the wind in my hair
To face the fear but, not feel scared
Hoohhh woah woah

[Chorus:]
Wild horses I wanna be like you
Throwing caution to the wind
I'll run free too
Wish I could recklessly love, like I'm longing too
I wanna run with the wild horses, run with the wild horses!
Ohh yeaaa yea

I wanna run too.
Hohhh woah oh woah oh

Breaklessly abandoning my self before you

I wanna open up my heart tell him how I feel

[Chorus:]
Wild horses I wanna be like you
Throwing caution to the wind
I'll run free too
Wish I could recklessly love, like I'm longing too
I wanna run with the wild horses, run with the wild horses!
I wanna run with the wild horses, run with the wild horses!
Hooaah woah ohh woah
Yeeaaaah

I wanna run with the wild horses