Love the book . Every person that love horses need to read this.
What a kind man , The horse are amazing creature so noble.
My grand father love horse he have a horse so strong to pull a tree trunk.

This was a powerful and deeply emotional look at one of the greatest horsemen to ever live. His journey from abused child, to James Dean's riding coach, to framed for embezzlement by a psychotic millionaire, Official trainer of the Queens horses, to induction into the Horsemanship hall of fame only to see it taken away after he speaks out against abuse, is one of the most inspiring journeys I've ever read. I know you will all enjoy it.

I was surprised at how easily I engaged with Monty’s style of storytelling. It felt like he was talking to us, letting us in on his life, his secrets and his methods. As soon as I heard he was brought up in Salinas, I was hooked: it brought back memories of John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’, which I have read and taught many times. He even lived near to Soledad Street!

I found Monty’s vivid descriptions of his father’s cruelty (to him and to the horses) very upsetting. I can see why his methods are so in demand and why he’s been such a success, even wowing the Queen and her Mother. You can tell he is genuinely proud to have been associated with the royal horses.

Naturally, I enjoyed reading about his views on his favourite teacher, Sister Agnes Patricia (page 133), who believed that a teacher should create an environment in which a student can learn – my own philosophy! It was also fascinating to read about the original use of pot pourri (page 294) as a hand cleaner!

But by far my favourite section of the book was Monty’s account of ‘East of Eden’ - how he met his wife and how he featured in films because of his skills with horses - how wonderful to be associated with John Steinbeck and James Dean.

This is a book you can dip into and out of. You don’t have to read it chronologically or linearly. It’s a heart-warming, human story of a man who overcame a violent, cruel upbringing to learn to treat horses with humanity and respect. You don’t have to love horses to love the warmth of his storytelling.

As someone who has met Monty Roberts and attended several clinics, I can confidently say that how his voice is expressed in this book matches how he speaks in person.
Traditional horse-breaking continues to this day and this novel as well as the hundreds of clinics and thousands of horses Monty Roberts has worked with- are forever changing the equine industry. In this book he details the story of his life and most importantly, expresses how he was brought up with violence, and that the horses in his life pushed him toward nonviolence. I recommended this book to several of our instructors at a local equine assisted learning program and they found it to be so inspiring because in equine therapy and equine assisted learning, they are working with individuals who are struggling to change from maladaptive coping mechanisms.
The story of his life is inspiring because it is true. And it is inspiring because he breaks down exactly how horses and people in his life moved him away from the path of violence and self-destruction. How horses are treated in every discipline is a discussion all eqeuestrians will run into. Whether it is banning racing or banning bits, the science and the methods we are using to get performance out of horses is constantly changing. Monty Roberts was one of the pioneers of using nonviolent methods to work with horses and this is the story of how he became who he is.
Every equestrian and non-equestrian who is looking for the story of a legend, and a deeper message that will motivate you to get your life right- should read this book.

A fantastic book from a man who has inspired so many; who has revolutionised the way we see our relationships with horses.

Excellent instructions on the habits of horses. All horsemen need to read this book.

I read this book back in 99 or 00 and really loved it. His personal history is sad but his story is amazing. His love for horses is apparent and easily seen in the pages. The book reads easily and gives you a simple picture of equine behavior and an approach to natural horsemanship.

I expected it to be a book that would mainly talk about the mysterious world of horses, but I found this book gave so much more. Monty Roberts gives his life story in this book, and that involves a good deal of interesting American history from the Old West through to the 1990s. It gave an interesting view of the changing relationship between Americans and horses during this time and a view into how rodeos were run over the years.

Early in the book, Monty takes the reader out into the wild where he observes the behavior of horses. Monty explained how he watched a herd of horses deal with an obnoxious male colt. He talks about the experience as if the body language the horses used were so obvious to see. When I later saw a video of Monty "starting" a horse while explaining his and the horses actions as things were happening, I could hardly see the signs he pointed out. And yet, here he was as a kid figuring this language out with no one to help him.

In fact, it wasn't just that no one helped him figure out the language of horses, hardly anyone believed him at the time, and so they often worked against him--including his father. As I read the book, I gained a lot of respect for this man who found a way to communicate with horses by first finding a way to listen to them. I'll never look at horses the same again.

This man and the way he has studied these horses to enable a mutual language and understanding between man and horse is unique and incredible!
An amazing read for horsey or non-horsey people.

As a horse owner, I have a HUGE problem with so-called "gurus". I've seen to many people who follow one guru this week, the next one next week, all without any regard for what their horse needs and certainly without ever questioning the "guru's" methods.

Roberts is not really one of those people I'd call a "guru". Sure, he sells, but then, everyone's gotta make a living. But in everything I read from him and about him, I had the feeling that he cares first of all about the horses - unlike "gurus", who care mostly about their money and brand.

Roberts' books and methods may not have been as groundbreaking in Germany as they were in the states, but they mark nonetheless a time where the voice PRO horsemanship started to get stronger. No, he isn't the only one, and he isn't the first, but, justified or not, his name is inseparably attached to the horsemanship movement, and because of that alone, I think everyone who is interested in horses should read at least one of his books.

As for his method, well, here we come back to the guru-thing. You are dealing with horses. That means, you have to carefully rethink everything you hear or read and see if it applies to your particuar situation and horse. If I were to start join-up with my horse, I'd probably traumatize the poor guy once and for all - he has just reached a point where he trusts me implicitely. That doesn't mean we can't learn from Roberts, but that's the thing - you have to THINK, not just follow. No one, not Roberts, not any other expert, guru or not, has THE method that will magically make you and your horse the best team ever. But you can probably learn from all of them, if you think about what they are doing.

Nonetheless, I found Roberts experiences and perspective interesting and thought-provoking, and I certainly learned something from reading it. It's one of the few, really important books in horsemanship, and, I'm repeating myself, everyone who has a horse or deals with horses should read it.

Just, think, before you act on what you read. (that should go without saying, shouldn't it?)

Not just a book for the horsey set (I had read his "From My Hands to Yours: Lessons from a Lifetime of Training Championship Horses" before), this is an very interesting autobio.

I enjoyed the life and times described of his childhood in California during the 40's and 50's, his experiences in the movie world and as a competitive rider (all as a child ... it was definitely a very different time!) and later his work in Europe with horses.

Something I did not know about him was that he is completely colorblind (not just different shades than we see, it is a black and white world for him). Also his Cherokee grandmother did not speak English so he had to read her body language. Both probably contributed to how he can "read" horses.

I did know of the physical and emotional abuse he endured from his father which certainly had such an impact on his life. I have always been interested in the psychology of the father/ son relationship and,yes, his was horrific, but I don't get why this grown man who enjoyed an incredible and successful life is still so, so bitter about that even as he recognizes that he broke that cycle of abuse. Horses will have differences and compete for herd hierarchy but their herd still functions - like a family should. Why was Monty still estranged from his father at that man's death? Why didn't he learn the real lesson from horses .... how generous they are, that they will forgive?!?

AND I don't get his position that rodeo bronc riding is not cruel and those horses have a good life.

Monty Roberts' 'The Man Who Listens to Horses' proved to be one of the most exciting additions to the field of equine/human inter-communication. It destroyed the myth that horses need to be forced into submission to get them to do the bidding of humans. Through his teachings, Monty Roberts has taught thousands of people that the best way to interact with a horse is to learn its language; that the key to a good, stress-free relationship between man and horse is to study the communication system of the horse and to use that knowledge in any human/equine relationship. Monty Roberts helped people understand that dominance is not the answer and that working with a horse through understanding it produces a far happier result for man and animal.

This seminal work has helped people better interact with all sorts of animals and, today, we have books, blogs, vlogs and classes given by people almost worldwide on how to improve understanding of, and communication with, dogs, cats, birds and many other creatures. 'The Man Who Listens to Horses' proved invaluable reading and couldn't be more highly recommended.