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12/28/05: "How often do you do Join-Up with a horse?"

12/21/05: "How does someone introduce your methods to those people who would sing the praises of traditional methods?"

12/14/05: "Do you recommend tying your horse in a trailer?"

12/7/05: "How does one apply the Join-Up method without a round pen?"

Answers to December 2005 Ask Monty Questions

Question: "How often do you do Join-Up with a horse?"

Answer:

I do the full complement of Join-Up in my operation four, five, maybe six times and that is all. Then, you live by the concepts of Join-Up for the balance of the horse’s life. This means when you go into the box stall, you do not just walk in, grab hold of him and pull him around. You walk in, and when he moves away, you look him in the eye, square-up, and move toward him. When he looks back at you, you walk away and let him catch you. I cannot teach you the Language of Equus any more than I can teach you to speak French. You have to learn it, it’s a long process, and it’s not something someone can teach you overnight. There is a process for learning it, and the potential is available to you now.

- Monty

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Question: "How does someone introduce your methods to those people who would sing the praises of traditional methods?"

Answer:

I think that the key premise in answering this question is to say that I would like my horses to do the talking for me. I believe that if I hold true to my concepts, the horses will continue to learn and perform well. There is no forcing the traditional horseman to accept my concepts. Just as I work without forcing a horse to do anything, I will never demand that another equestrian should use my techniques. I would much prefer to be a good role model advocating a nonviolent approach to training and experiencing cooperative horses for the effort.

- Monty

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Question: "Do you recommend tying your horse in a trailer?"

Answer:

Sure, I recommend that you tie your horse in the trailer for several reasons. One reason is that if you have to stop very suddenly and the horse happens to have his head down between his front legs, he could be injured. Do not over-restrict your horse; the tie should be used to keep him from dropping his head down between his front legs.

- Monty

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Question: "How does one apply the Join-Up method without a round pen?"

Answer:

The round pen is not the critical factor in applying these concepts. It is a convenient place in which to work. Should you use a square pen, horses will tend to “stop down” their energy in the corners. If you take a square pen and panel the corners off, you effectively create an octagon. This nearly round enclosure will work very effectively. If you choose to work with horses in a wide-open space, their natural tendency will be to work in very large circles, and you must be in very good shape to go the distance with them.

- Monty

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