by John Dolan
The Citizens for Justice website is beginning a campaign to pressure mega book publisher Random House to recall all of its copies of Monty Roberts’ “The Man Who Listens to Horses” from around the world.
It has become clear that Monty Roberts lied repeatedly and extensively in his book about events in his life that he purports to be factual. There have been multiple lawsuits against Monty Roberts for fraud, a counter book called “Horse Whispers & Lies” has amassed scores of documents as well as people who have contradicted statements made by Roberts and events depicted in his life and people who worked with him directly are prepared to testify against him in court that the so-called “Join-Up” of the wild mustang Shyboy was a complete hoax.
Monty Roberts knew he could not complete this ‘great mission’ with the mustang so to ensure his success in the British Boradcasting Company’s (BBC) videotaping of the event (for eventual sale and profit to Monty Roberts), Monty Roberts did place the mustang in a holding pen about a month earlier to the event and worked regularly in a round pen with him and a buddy-up horse to comfort the mustang. Monty Roberts then turned the mustang loose, chased him away and then worked with the BBC cameras to secure the capture of this “WILD” horse and perform his world famous technique called “Join-Up’ that has impressed so many followers. Mr. Roberts’ book contains extensive passages regarding this event.
One has to wonder how this ‘WILD’ horse that Monty has talked about in radio and TV interviews (saying it had never been handled) could be so wild, when it had been castrated, freeze branded, coggins tested, received 4 way and strep vaccinations, booster shots, veterinary exams, worming, was loaded onto a trailer at the adoption site and eventually unloaded again at two friends’ ranches, and eventually worked in a round pen – did they do it all by wishful thinking (horse whispering?) – or did they perchance have to put a halter and lead onto it and actually HANDLE IT?
In the counter book “Horse Whispers & Lies”, its authors detail numerous alleged events in Mr. Roberts life and prove that they did not, in fact, happen.
While Mr. Roberts has become a very popular figure to the horse-loving public, he remains far less respected in the professional horse arena where peers describe in detail his use of techniques that not only disrespect the horses he works with but may and have been considered cruel and inhumane, in addition to numerous charges of business fraud and unethical behavior both in the show ring and horse community in general. This is certainly not a case of ‘professional jealousy’ – it’s a case of professional concern that someone so tainted can corrupt the industry and then profit so hugely from it because the public is largely unaware of the myriad aspects of fraud surrounding this man.
The reason the horse-loving public knows so little about these charges is that Mr. Roberts has numerous people in his pocket that he paid off and threatened with destruction should they ever talk; others are simply riding his coattails to their own fortunes (people like his son Marty who fronts for him at Monty’s live demonstrations or his farm manager Crawford Hall who has perjured himself in legal depositions).
People who do want to remedy the situation simply have not had the opportunity or the large amounts of money needed to pursue a course of action against Mr. Roberts. That has left Monty Roberts with the ability to continue perpetrating his hoax.
While knowledgeable horse people admit that “Join-Up” may work to some extent, it is not an original concept of Monty Roberts (as so stated in his book) – it was stolen from his father (the man he alleges beat him within an inch of his life).
Furthermore, it is not even a complete training system. When asked by a client, ‘what happens after the initial “Join-Up” – how does one continue to train the horse?’ – Monty Roberts’ main man down at the farm, Crawford Hall, stated “well you just keep doing more of the same thing”. That would mean that the preferred Monty Roberts’ training method is to place a horse in a round pen and for the duration of its life in training – you chase him with a leadline and wait until he licks his lips and walks over to you. That assumes you are not one of the unlucky many who have nearly been killed trying to copy this technique.
Said one victim of his fraud who’s spearheading the campaign against him: “I know he has lots of supporters out there, but his book and his fraud on all levels cannot be justified under any circumstances. It is repulsive to think that Monty Roberts has and can continue to get away with this just because some people what to turn a deaf ear to the truth.”
Citizens for Justice is urging all citizens who want their non-fiction to be just that – NOT FICTION – (all those who are disturbed by the false claims in Monty Roberts’ book) to write to Random House protesting their continuing to distribute his book.
Mr. Peter Olson President / CEO
Random House, Inc.
201 East 50th Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 751-2600
(212)572-8700 fax