This chunky book had been sitting on my selves for years when I finally decided to read it. Needless to say, I regret waiting for this long.
Based on the title I wasn't expecting a biography but an introduction to his methods. Well, the story of his life is what lead to his discovery in communication with horses.
It was by far the most entertaining biography book. Monty Roberts' writing is simple but amazing and often amusing. I couldn't put down this book. He's an incredible man with an incredibly tough past.
Every single equestrian should read it!

Is this a crime drama or a book about a horse whisperer? Sometimes I can't tell!

Monty Roberts has had an incredible life including being the victim of domestic abuse, the witness of a murder, and involved in the blackmail of a racehorse trainer, amongst other un believable events, all against the ever-evolving back drop of his extraordinary ability to communicate with horses in their own language. His writing is personable, relateable, and engaging, and his methods, whilst seemingly impossible, make perfect sense once explained. A book not just for the horse lover, I would recommend this autobiography to anyone.

This was one of my favorite books growing up. I idolized Monty Roberts and dreamed of running away to help on his ranch.

I've read this book several times, and it's been a great source of inspiration for the horse part of my life, for the past 11 years. It's time for my daughter to get her first horse, and I figured that it was time for me to re-read this excellent book.

There's so much I can relate to when it comes to Monty Roberts childhood with an abusive father (in my case it was step-father,) and how this affect his way of thinking about both people and horses. It's difficult to understand that the cruel way of horse training that Monty's father represented still is the norm. (Or variation of that training.) This book should be among the classic "must read" for every child in school. Even the ones not interested in horses have a lot to learn from Monty's philosophy.

I can't wait to join-up with our new horse!

I found this book by accident because I was looking in the wrong section of the library for another book for someone else. I'm so glad I did. Not only was it an engaging account of an extraordinary life, it was a clear, simple articulation of a method for creating connection and trust with a horse.

I've recently taken a course on taming mustangs that was based on Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) principles. The aim of this method is the humane training of horses (and other animals) based on gaining trust and then teaching using the behaviorist methods of Skinner and Pavlov to pair positive stimuli with the training process. It's interesting and effective, but I found that when I was studying the process, it seemed...convoluted. Like it was more complicated than it had to be.

When I read Monty Roberts's method, I saw what was missing. He speaks to the horses using their own language, not our complex vocabulary of psychological terms. Having spent so much time observing mustangs in the wild and understanding how they interact--for example, how a matriarch mare disciplines the problematic behavior of a young colt--Roberts was able to learn how to make a connection with horses in terms that they understand. There's a part where he talks about a tutor he had when he was young, who says that you can't teach someone anything, you can only create an environment where he can learn. That is what strikes me as the difference between the ABA approach I studied and Roberts' approach. Instead of repetitive, scientifically-constructed scenarios aimed at getting the horse to do what you want, Roberts' method is essentially a conversation. It's saying to the horse, "Trust me; I'll take care of you," when the horse is at his most vulnerable. After he trusts you, he'll willingly want to learn.

Starting a horse from scratch has always been my dream. Reading this book makes me long for the opportunity to do that even more.

This is an engaging read that offers insight into the fascinating life and methods of a real-life “horse/ deer whisperer.” The book is digestible and keeps the reader interested with Roberts’ anecdotes and personal experiences, and I found myself wishing for more explanations of more technical depth and behavioral aspects of horses. It’s a good read for horse enthusiasts or those curious about surface animal behavior.

Good book

This ewas a very interesti g especialky for horse lovers and those wanti g to treat them well.. i furst heard of this author on the BBC series The Victorian Farm.

Monty Roberts tries to come across as the only person who knows about horses and acts as if he invented the concept of "be kind to horses" and "don't abuse them when you train them". That's good advice except I have known people who gave him their horses for his demonstrations and he lied about them being never saddled and so forth. I read extensive articles countering much of what he wrote in this book. Is it a good adventure story and memoir - yeah it's pretty good. But is it truthful. Sorry, it is not. I don't recommend it on any level.

a must read for horse lovers and anti-violence advocates.

A real gem. An illustration of how a child’s pain can turn into love and compassion. Success of kindness over abuse through openness of mind to the animal’s perspective, turning horses’ slavery into partnerships.

Loved this book. Referred to as a parenting book actually! And good take on how we break the cycle of violence. A good story about a man breaking his own cycle, and being different and thereby influencing the world. Some nice horse stories that are understandable to horse and laymen alike. A more informal writing style that was sometimes choppy but just contributed to the authenticity.

Periodically we stop by our mountain public library to peruse the shelves for recent additions to their rich dvd collection. We always know we'll find a treasure or two but are repeatedly surprised by the details. Our discovery this time was The Cowboy and the Queen", the story of an extraordinary relationship between two unlikely soul-mates: a horse trainer from California and the Queen of England.

Watching this simple story unfold in an elegantly produced film launched me into a three-week research and reading project to learn about this simple cowboy and his work with horses. What would so captivate the Queen of England that would lead to a decades-long friendship and him with a ringside seat at her funeral? What better place to start than the book he wrote at the bequest and support of the Queen herself?

The Man Who Listens to Horses is that book.

On many levels it is well-worth reading. Told in the characteristic modest, generous style so familiar in the American West, it's a pleasurable read with one surprise after another.

A rodeo champ at age four--with pictures to show--stand-in for Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet, coach for Jimmy Dean in East of Eden, Monty Roberts is the real deal. Defying the vicious horse training methods his father inherited from centuries of tradition and perfected--including using it on his own son--Cowboy Monty devised a method of settling a horse to saddle and rider using love and carefully honed listening.

His life led him to the conviction that horses have a distinct language, which he identifies as Equus, and that they will do what he calls join-up with a human who hears that language and speaks it with them. The results he demonstrates over and over, endlessly through his life, with thousands of horses, under the most challenging of conditions. Most surprisingly, he brings his horses along in less than 30 minutes each time, not the usual weeks or months the more brutal training methods require.

In the larger picture, he has dedicated his life to sharing his findings and his methods as widely and generously as possible, feeling a mission to bring a new level of understanding and relationships between humans and horses.

And so the Queen, who had loved horses her entire life, heard of his work and invited him to England to demonstrate it. She adopted his methods in the Royal Stables, and a life-time friendship was born.

The story here is a loose set of anecdotes and memories of events, roughly told in chronological order, of how he came to be Monty Roberts. These are great stories, well-told and fun to read.

The continuing story of this cowboy is told in his website MontyRoberts.com. Reading about the whole story of his life is inspiring, and times like these in the winter of 2025, it's important that we allow ourselves to spend time with such examples of true moral beauty.

Monty Roberts shows us what human beings at their best can be.

I really enjoyed this very personal autobiography with a focus on discovering & using equine language to improve lives & experiences both for horses & people, with a few deer in the mix too. A truly interesting & amazing life packed with experiences, perseverance, set backs and successes.