TITLE:
A Critical Comment on the Monty Roberts Interpretation of Equine Behavior
AUTHORS:
Paweł Muller, Anna Chrzanowska, Wojciech Pisula
KEYWORDS:
Round-Pen, Equus Language, Negative Reinforcement, Join-Up, Horse, Non-Violence
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.7 No.4,
April
13,
2016
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.