September 2007 E-Newsletter

Contents:

• Dear Friends: Employ motivation rather than legislation
• Ask Monty: My horse won't Follow-Up
• Monty's Principles for People: Is it education or just a show?
• Monty’s Challenge: My horse tunes me out
• Whitelist Monty’s E-Newsletter to ensure its arrival!
• Mouse adopts a dog family! Click here.
• Where in the world is Monty on tour next? Click here!
• Upcoming issues

Dear Friends

When should young horses begin their training? This is my third and final installment on this subject for now.

To reiterate some earlier points, the decision as to when to begin training with the young horse including that aspect of training that would involve riding is in fact relatively subjective. Until science becomes a good deal more advanced in this area there are only a few benchmarks available to us which are based on objective, proven science.

The procedure whereby we x-ray the growth plates (epiphyseal closures) is now about 40 years in use. This science has not been encouraged sufficiently in my opinion. It is a relatively easy test of the skeletal maturity of young horses. It is my opinion that virtually every youngster that we begin to train seriously should undergo observations in this area. It is my opinion that there has not been enough educational effort to inform owners and trainers of the value of this analysis. The various associations involved should be immediately willing to address this issue.

My third consideration would take the form of being adverse to legislating morality. I am strongly of the opinion that we should try at all times to cause people and horses to want to do the proper thing rather than telling them they must do the proper thing. Rules and regulations that would ban anything are often looked upon as challenges and are more often than not broken. In addition, one could anticipate enormous resistance to this idea and in my opinion it would be very difficult to prevail as a legislative edict.

It is probably true that much less opposition would be exerted against this idea because in order to oppose it one must take the position that it is OK to risk the health and safety of these young horses. As I see it there would be so few 2 year olds eligible to race that this category of competitions would disappear until the August and September meets were in progress. With this system in place the 2 year olds could race a little before their 3 year old career begins. With these tests the 3 year old category would have a chance to take shape before the classic races begin in spring of the 3 year old season.

It is beyond imaginable what a cavalry charge would result if there was no 2 year old racing and then in first couple of months of their 3 year old year every owner believing he had a classic horse would issue orders to run in the Kentucky Derby in the first weekend in May., We would then be grinding up horse like hamburger. It is simply not effective to advocate for their banning of any particular division until one examines the consequences of the decision.

A caring person might say just make the 3 year old classics later in the year. This, in my opinion, is a great thing to do. The logistics of it however would throw us right back in the area of trying to pass legislation that would equal the effort of climbing Mount Everest. We need to remember that the Breeders Cup is in October and is deigned to find a Champion and Classic winner of the 3 year old season. To move races like the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont would be akin to moving mountains. Personally, I would try to do it, however I would make that attempt after the rule to race only Category A 2 year olds was in place for a season or two. I believe that once caring owners saw how it worked it might not be so difficult to put pressure on race organizations to move their classic dates. It would be a much more user-friendly world if the Classics began in July.

Recently I was told by an Olympic Medal Winner that the 3 year old futurity for cutting, reining and working cow horse competitors was a year too early. It seems to me that it is a slippery slope to begin criticizing competitive efforts by simply saying make them a year later. It wouldn’t bother me to see these futurities one year later and I believe that on balance the horses would be better off. It is a subjective call however and difficult to defend on specific scientific grounds.

In this particular case I would once again employ motivation rather than legislation. Interested owners and trainers should petition the association to offer greater amounts of prize money and prestige to the 4 year old derbies than they currently offer for the 3 year old futurities. I have personally advised corporations to guide their sponsorships to the later age groups in an effort to start the ball rolling in the direction away from demanding 3 year old competitions. Recently there was a 100,000 reined cow horse event open to all ages. Much talk has ben generated subsequent to this event which would indicate that people are beginning to save their more promising young horses for the more mature competitions.

-Monty

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September 12 , 2007 Question and Answer

Question: I can get my horse to Join-Up just fine, but he will not follow. What should I do?

Monty's Answer:
When I hear this query, I find that the student is telling the horse not to follow with the gestures he or she uses. Most often, it will be bad eye movements. The student will take a step or two and then snap his or her eyes back toward the horse to see if he is following. This tells the horse not to follow. I often explain that within a few minutes I have no doubt this horse would follow me. This means that my movements better execute the Language of Equus.

-Monty

Monty's Principles for People

Is it education or just a show? – Or, what is the message of Monty Roberts' demonstrations?

Part 3 of 3
by Brigitte von Rechenberg*§, PD, Dr.med.vet., Dipl. ECVS, Head of Musculoskeletal Research Unit
Erhard Olbrich§, Dr.phil., Professor of Psychology
Jörg A. Auer*§, Dr.med.vet., MS, Dipl. ACVS/ECVS, Professor and Director of Equine Hospital; President Foundation
Hans-Dieter Vontobel, Dr.iur, Vice-President Foundation
Mathias Ackermann*, Dr.med.vet., Professor and Director of Veterinary Virology
Felix Ehrensperger*, Dr.med.vet., Dipl.ECVP, Professor of Immunpathology
* Vetsuisse Faculty ZH, University of Zurich, Switzerland
§ Foundation: Research for horses, Switzerland

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge (Albert Einstein).

Monty's art of teaching is in contrast to many other methods, where the answers of the horses are not understood and constantly ignored and where the unfortunate attitude – so common in many training stables throughout the US and Europe – is “no matter how, but he (the horse) HAS to do it”. The shows also demonstrate that training is not restricted to techniques of classical and instrumental conditioning, which make use of simple, even rather mechanistic forms of learning. Here, communication between humans and horses is brought into training interactions. These interactions allow the horses to react and to act as horses with all their behavioral potentials. The training does not only imply functioning of the horses according to signs and commands from the trainer as in a one-way street. Monty’s Join-up demonstrates true interaction. It’s a two-way street of communication, where the horses keep their dignity, can talk back, and their concerns are taken into consideration. The spectators also learn that this type of interaction and communication will not only maintain, but also strengthen the horse’s trust, and create an important motivational basis for future interactions.

As for didactics and methods, Monty’s shows combine verbal explanations for the audience with non-verbal language between him and the horse, and these go together with surprisingly efficient interactions during his round pen work. This highly efficient form of learning through the 3 synchronous use of three channels of teaching provides an impressive way of “model learning” for the audience. The verbal teaching is lively, well understood by the audience, and more importantly: it is well related to the non-verbal communication. This allows the audience to encode information in the explicit-cognitive as well as the implicit-experiential modes of functioning. Monty’s well-tuned verbal and non-verbal communications get the full attention of the audience, another prerequisite for model learning. Watching his performance, listening to his comments, and observing how the horses “talk back” is fun, - a rather exotic learning experience in today’s classrooms!

There is another educational aspect of Monty’s shows that touches many horse owners, riders and other people drawn to animals and nature deep down emotionally. It raises the awareness of biophilia in people in the sense of Wilson (1984) meaning the ancient awareness of affinity and connectedness to other forms of life. Monty’s teaching not only changes interactions between humans and horses, but also between humans and other species, and even between humans and humans. His message of non-violent interaction between species is extended to a modern world where violence has unfortunately become the rule rather than the exception.

Coming back to our original question: Are Monty’s demonstrations (just) a show? Yes, they are, but with all positive aspects of competent teaching and essential learning, and for those who listen, they open a door to a better understanding of horsemanship. However, to speak with famous writer Gail Godwin, the answer may also be no. According to her, good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater.

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Monty’s Challenge: Next Week’s Question to Answer

I find that after a few minutes of dealing with my horse he tunes me out. He becomes what I would call resistant. He ignores me and I cannot seem to get his attention. What have I done wrong?

Test yourself!
I want all of my students to learn to be better trainers than me! Test yourself each week as I challenge you to answer the question from below by writing to newsletter@montyroberts.com. 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.

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. Then read my other answers at this link: Ask Monty. The closest answer to mine each week will be awarded a DVD but more importantly you will learn! That's good for you! That's good for horses!

-Monty

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Look for these upcoming issues!

• Monty is adding Special Clinic dates to 2008 calendar!
• Follow-Up story to King’s Alchemist
• Six Necessary Steps For Any Horse to be Reasonable to Ride

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