Findings of Australian researchers using a remote control car to mimic the actions of a trainer suggest that two techniques in Monty Roberts’ training apply emotional pressure to horses, and their response is based on their natural instincts related to fear and safety.
Focus on fear and safety in horse training
Study using remote controlled car to mimic actions of a trainer differs from study that supports Monty Robert's round pen method of training.
Aspects of the horse training method made famous by Roberts, who wrote “The Man Who Listens to Horses”, has been questioned by the reasearchers.
“This training technique was popularized worldwide by Roberts as the Join-Up method and was used by him to train Queen Elizabeth’s horses at her personal request,” said Cath Henshall, a Master of Animal Science candidate in the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney.
According to Cath Hensall, who led the remote control car study, “Two main features of the method, also known as round pen horse training, are that it depends on the human trainer being able to communicate with the horse using ‘horse’ body language, and that it is a humane form of training.
“Our study casts doubt on both those claims,” she says.
“We believe that our research highlights the unpleasant underpinnings of round pen horse training and for that reason we caution against its widespread use because it uses fear to gain control of horses.”
"As currently practiced, the technique relies on the trainer using movement and noise to drive the horse around the perimeter of the pen. The trainer gradually reduces their aggressive movements, after which the horse will eventually slow down and approach them.
The researchers used remote control cars to mimic the technique and to eliminate the assumed essential role of the humans speaking the language of the horse.
“We ‘rewarded’ the horses for stopping and turning towards the car with a period of ‘safety’, when the car didn’t chase them as long as they kept facing it. We trained some horses to actually walk up to and touch the car,” said Henshall.
“Given that we could train horses to produce similar, though not identical responses to those seen in round pen training, but in reaction to non-human stimuli undermines the claim that the human’s ability to mimic horse behaviour is an essential component of the technique.”
The researchers believe that the training outcomes were achieved as a result of ‘pressure-release’ and not the ability of the trainer, or a remote control car, to mimic horse behaviour.
“Put simply, pressure-release works because the horse finds the pressure applied unpleasant and therefore the removal of the pressure rewarding,” said Henshall.
The response the horse makes immediately before the pressure is removed is what the horse thinks made the pressure go away. When put in the same situation in the future, it is likely to perform that same behaviour to obtain the outcome that it values – safety.
“Although neither Monty Roberts’ method nor ours uses pressure applied directly to the horse’s body, both apply a form of emotional pressure by scaring and then chasing the horse.”
Proponents of Join-Up and similar methods claim not only that they are humane because no equipment is used on the horse’s body, but also that the horse can choose whether to approach the trainer.
“Although it is appealing to think that horses in the round pen choose to follow their trainers because they are responding to us as though we are a horse, we believe that the use of fear has no place in genuinely humane and ethical horse training.”
Results of another scientific study of intial training of horses:
However, in a scientific paper authored by Drs. Veronica Fowler, Mark Kennedy and David Marlin entitled ‘A comparison between the Monty Roberts technique and a conventional UK technique for initial training of riding horses, Dr Fowler comments: “This study describes a comparison of the efficacy of the Monty Roberts horsemanship technique in comparison to a UK conventional training technique for the initial training of horses.
Initial training of young horses, in particular the first time a horse is saddled and ridden has been recently reported in the scientific literature as a significant stressor in terms of the impact on the welfare of the horse. It is therefore vital that we fully evaluate the techniques which are practiced around the world to identify those which have the potential to cause compromised welfare and suffering during foundation training of horses.
Our study reports that horses trained using Monty Robert’s methods had significantly lower maximum heart rates (bpm) during both first saddle and first rider when compared to a UK conventional training method. Monty Roberts trained horses did have significantly lower heart rates during first saddle and first rider backing process (i.e. heart rate reduced between first saddle and first rider), a finding which has never previously been reported in the scientific literature.
Thus the heart rates observed from Monty Roberts trained horses during first saddle and first rider are currently the lowest reported for any training regime reported in the literature to date.
The use of the round pen and in particular the technique of Join-up have been frequently criticised and reported in the literature to be another significant stressor due to the perceived opinion that this environment and method overtly activates the flight response.
Our study could find no evidence that the use of the round pen or, indeed the technique of Join-up, was fear inducing and thus a significant stressor to the horse based on heart rate alone. In fact, we found that the heart rate of horses during this technique were considerably below the maximum heart rate for horses of this age and breed.
Following 20 days of training (30 minutes/horse/day) the study horses undertook a standardised ridden obstacle and flatwork test and a ridden freestyle test. Heart rates recorded during these tests for both training regimes were not significantly different; however Monty Robert’s trained horses scored significantly higher in all three tests as determined by a panel of judges who were unaware of the study or the trainers involved in the study.
Our manuscript therefore provides peer reviewed scientific substance to indicate that that the Monty Roberts training technique is highly efficacious in terms of the effect on the welfare and performance of the horse undergoing foundation training.”