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2/25/05: Herbal remedies are a controversial issue. I have been doing some research about them and was wondering what you thought about these remedies such as Lavender oil or Bach flower remedies, Rescue Remedy etc. Do they really work or will they hurt my horse?

2/18/05: I was just wondering if you have to use an enclosed area for join up, as I live on a Scottish island and it is hard to get access to one. Would a small field do?

2/11/05: My horse Figaro is scared of cows; do you have any advice of how we can help him to overcome his fear?

2/04/05: What gives you the patience to repeat training exercises again and again with the horses? And how do you see progress?

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Question: Herbal remedies are a controversial issue. I have been doing some research about them and was wondering what you thought about these remedies such as Lavender oil or Bach flower remedies, Rescue remedy etc. Do they really work or will they hurt my horse?

Answer: I have no evidence that herbal remedies have ever hurt a horse. I use Rescue Remedy for myself. I have used Rescue Remedy for horses, too. I also use Rescue Cream and an assortment of Bach flower remedies. It is very difficult to prove that they are effective, but I feel certain that they are of no harm. The evidence in favor of Rescue Remedy is quite heavy, and I know that many people are using it worldwide for many purposes.

I am a strong believer in grape seed extract (oligomeric proanthocyanidins). There is an enormous bank of evidence being logged as we speak about how effective this natural substance is when it comes to bolstering the immune system. I have some very strong evidence of how effective it is. My wife, Pat is active in helping me study many of these natural substances such as CoQ10 and Transfer FactorTM .

I believe that I can say with strong conviction that many of these natural substances work, and I do not know of any that would hurt your horse.

~ Monty

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Question: I was just wondering if you have to use an enclosed area for join up, as I live on a Scottish island and it is hard to get access to one. Would a small field do?

Answer: If you read the book 'Shy Boy' or saw either of the documentaries, you would realize that I did Join-Up with him with virtually no enclosure whatsoever. The fact is that it was nearly 12 miles to the nearest fence when I was causing him to Join-Up with me. I suppose it is a possibility that your Scottish island is even smaller than the 42,000 acres where I worked with Shy Boy! Every time you approach your horse, in the field, the stable or the round pen, you are communicating in the language of Equus - the way you hold your body, the placement of your eyes, and the movement of your hands - all tell the horse your thoughts and intentions. It is important to remember that your communication with your horse is a continual one, and that as long as you have a safe environment, Join-Up is possible. If you have a large field in which to do Join-Up, you may need to walk a little bit further than if you were in a round pen, but you will be amazed to see the horse begin to move in circles and arcs around you as it communicates. Good luck with your Join-Up, and if you need any tips on your body language please read Chapter 4 of my book "From My Hands To Yours", detailing the exact procedure of Join-Up.

~ Monty

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Question: My horse Figaro is scared of cows; do you have any advice of how we can help him to overcome his fear?

Answer: Fortunately, I had the opportunity in October 2004 to work with a horse that had a phobic fear of cows. It happened to be in the north of England in a small village called Osbaldeston. I did Join-Up® with the horse, and it went well. After Join-Up® I schooled the horse to the Dually™ halter so he would respect the lead. When I had full control of the horse, I asked my assistants to open a door about 50 yards away and to bring in a young cow that was broke to lead.

My horse was at once a bundle of nerves and wanted, it was clear to see, to bolt right through the side of the round pen. I put Vicks, a popular cough remedy with a strong menthol scent, in the nose of the horse so that the smell of the cow would be minimized. Once the Vicks was in place, I had only the sight to contend with. I began to work in such a way that I asked my attendant to turn the cow away from my horse every time the horse looked in the direction of the cow. I was creating a Join-Up of sorts between the cow and the horse. I worked for approximately 30 minutes and ended up with the horse calmly following the cow around the round pen.

Horses are frightened of things they are not familiar with. It turns out that this horse had been scared by a group of cows in a field; injuries to both the rider and the horse occurred. Subsequent to that time the horse was terrified of the smell or the sight of cows. Once the horse was satisfied that the cow wasn't going to hurt him, he accepted the animal comfortably. I often advise people to borrow a calf and keep it in a stable near the horse for a period of time until the horse is familiar with the sight and the smell of the calf.

You can have fun with your horse dealing with these challenges if you get your work right. There is no reason to act in any way violent. It is a must to raise the level of trust within your horse to overcome fears of this nature.

~ Monty

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Question: What gives you the patience to repeat training exercises again and again with the horses? And how do you see progress?

Answer: A strong belief in my concepts gives me the patience to repeat procedures again and again. I know that they will ultimately be successful, and once I come to that conclusion it is much easier to express the patience required in this effort.

The loss of patience, particularly in non-violent training, is counter-productive. I have had a lifetime to discover that losing ones patience will eventually be viewed by you as a mistake. It is my opinion that we should practice the art of observing our mistakes, allowing us to feel the hurt.

It is my strong recommendation to every horseman that they learn the language Equus. Once we know the instinctual patterns of the horses’ brain and the way they communicate, we are far less likely to experience a loss of patience. The dictionary of the language Equus can be found in Chapter Two of my textbook “From My Hands To Yours”.

A profound statement was made to me in this area, and that is “A good loser is a consistent one.” We must not be good losers. This does not mean that we fall on the ground pounding our fists, acting in an immature fashion. It does mean, however, that we should replay mental videos of the procedure in question. When we view ourselves losing our patience, we should carefully note the consequences.

I have found over the decades that any time I lost my patience, my mental video re-run would show that my horse and I took a step backwards. Horses are forgiving individuals, and if we are quick enough to rectify our mistakes they will soon be back on a positive track.

~ Monty

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