A paper entitled âMonty Robertsâs public demonstrations: Preliminary report on the heart rate and heart rate variability of horses undergoing training during live audience eventsâ has been accepted for publication in the international journal âAnimalsâ.
Horse training with Monty Roberts
Although training horses during public demonstrations is a mild stressor, the stress responses observed during the Join-Up® study showed that the method did not present psychological or physical stressors which would negatively affect the horse's welfare.
© 2016 by Monty and Pat Roberts
âAnimals' is an international and interdisciplinary scholarly open access journal concerned with publishing high quality scientific papers within the field of âanimalsâ, including zoology, ethnozoology, animal science, animal ethics and animal welfare.
In particular, this journal showcases scientific study describing animals' interactions with the outside world, including humans. âAnimals' is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and takes the responsibility to enforce a rigorous peer-review together with strict ethical policies and standards to ensure the addition of high quality scientific works to the field of scholarly publication.
This new paper describes the opportunistic collection and analysis of heart rate (HR; beat-to-beat intervals) and heart rate variability (HRV) of 10 horses being trained during Monty Robertsâ public demonstrations within the United Kingdom and is authored by Loni Loftus, Kelly Marks, Rosie Jones-McVey, Jose L. Gonzales and Dr. Veronica L. Fowler (lead author).
- Stress responses recorded in this study were comparable (e.g. when compared to horses undergoing foundation training) or more favourable (e.g. when compared to novel object tests, handling tests or horses anticipating competition) to previously reported studies in the literature.
- Stress responses during public demonstrations were proportional to low-moderate exercise intensities described in other training methods where horses were under similar levels of physiological stress as reported in literature.
- The stress responses during a specific training method known as âJoin-Up®â were comparable to other methods of training used by Monty Roberts during public demonstrations, and were consistent with exercise intensity (physiological stress). There was no evidence that Join-Up® altered HR and HRV in a way to suggest that this training method presents the horse with psychological or physical stressors which would negatively affect welfare.
- There was preliminary evidence that training undertaken in a roundpen, including Join-Up® controls or inhibits the flight response (limits the fear response).
In conclusion, training of horses during public demonstrations is a mild stressor for horses. However the stress responses observed within this study were comparable or less to those previously reported in the literature for horses being trained outside of public audience events and was indicative of exercise at low-moderate intensity (physiological stress), rather than psychological stress.
The full paper will be available open access within 10 days.
MONTY ROBERTS first gained widespread fame with the release of his New York Times Best Selling book, The Man Who Listens To Horses; a chronicle of his life and development of his non-violent horse training methods called Join-Up®.
Monty grew up on a working horse farm as a firsthand witness to traditional, often violent methods of horse training and breaking the spirit with an abusive hand.
Rejecting that, he went on to win nine world's championships in the show ring. Today, Monty's goal is to share his message that "Violence is never the answer." Roberts has been encouraged by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with the award of the Membership in The Royal Victorian Order, as well as becoming Patron of Join-Up International. Other honors received were the ASPCA "Founders" award and the MSPCA George T. Angell Humanitarian Award. Monty is credited with launching the first of its kind Equus Online University; an interactive online lesson site that is the definitive learning tool for violence-free training.
Join-Up philosophies can be seen at work with both humans and horses across the world, from farms to major corporations. To learn more about Monty Roberts or the many applications of his Join-Up training methods, visit www.montyroberts.com .
Horse Sense and Soldiers aired on Discovery Military highlighting the therapeutic effect that horses and Monty Roberts' Join-Up® have on PTSD.
Monty developed his Horse Sense and Healing program for military and first responder personnel with stress injuries detailed here http://www.join-up.org/veterans.html . Join-Up International holds a Gold Rating on GuideStar for transparency https://www.guidestar.org/profile/77-0459889 Join-Up International is a California 501 (c) (3) organization (tax ID 77-0459889) founded by world renowned horse trainer Monty Roberts.
Join-Up is dedicated to promoting gentle, effective alternatives to violence and force in both equine and human relationships. In 2012 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II became a patron of Join-Up International and we are deeply grateful for the support we receive from both Her Majesty and the members of our board.