Monty Roberts Equus Online University | Monty's Horse Training Post: What if I do not have a round pen?

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Watch Monty's horse training videos to learn how he demonstrates communication through horse training techniques that the amateur and professional alike consider to be the trainable skills of a horse whisperer yet Monty calls it horse gentling.
Monty's horse training techniques are non violent with intelligent natural horsemanship. In addition to video instructions, Monty has written many books related to natural horsemanship. Monty trains safe horses for nervous riders called Willing Partners. Monty trains world class race horses for sale.
“I am very proud to be a part of Her Majesty’s horse training and her passion for their welfare. I believe she is the leading monarch for the advocacy of horses in the world. She is a thought leader in this field. Her Majesty's horses are trained using the Dually Halter, making a difference in the training of sensitive animals by giving the horse the choice to partner in the training.” ~ Monty
“I communicate with a horse in what I call the Language of Equus; a silent language of gestures that is discernible, predictable and effective. Now you can learn from my videos, audio and notes to help you understand the horse as I do. This language is really quite simple, but simplicity becomes its greatest strength.” ~ Monty
Monty Roberts is a renowned horse trainer known as the man who listens to horses and the original horse whisperer. Monty's horse training instructions are accepted worldwide.
Monty has helped thousands of people globally through his Monty Roberts Online Videos to learn how to Join-Up with horses, training young horses, spooky horses, horses that bite. His mustang , Shy Boy , is his most famous horse.
Join-Up methods help horse and trainer to establish a bond of communication and trust. “You must somehow understand that we as horsemen can do very little to teach the horse. What we can do is to create an environment in which he can learn.” ~ Monty
Monty says, “We hear that ‘actions speak louder than words,’ but generally we do not live by it too successfully.” Now Monty has taught thousands of people worldwide how to build trust in animals through our actions and body language.
Monty’s principles really amount to common sense and immense patience. He believes that children and horses have the same behavioral patterns. They are both naturally “flight” animals. "If you frighten them and resort to confrontation, you’ll lose their trust." ~ Monty
"Simple one-on-one reassurances and praise reap long term dividends that can all be undone with the quick slamming of a book on a desk or shouting back." ~ Monty Roberts
"No one of us was born with the right to say 'You must or I'll hurt you' to any other living thing, animal or human". ~ Monty Roberts
"My life's goal is to leave the world a better place than I found it, for horses and for people too". ~ Monty Roberts

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My Join-Up® Experience

What if I do not have a round pen?

By:

malinbond

Date:

2010-Mar-08 at 09:27PM

I would love to try the join up with my horse but I have no roundpen - how can I do this?

bruno 2010-Mar-09 at 03:04PM

I will quote Monty’s words from page 230 of his book “From My Hands to Yours:
“The round pen is not the critical factor in applying these concepts [i.e.: Join-Up 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.”
Also see Q&A Feb 18.05 - "Join-Up in a small field"

malinbond 2010-Mar-09 at 07:56PM

Thanks for your reply. I will try it out this week in the field after reading the chapter about body language in 'From My Hands to Yours,

cadobson 2010-Mar-09 at 11:01PM

Dear malinbond,

Please let us know how you get on, as I too have no suitable enclosed space to work in as yet, and I am anxious not to start a lesson which has the opposite result from good communication!

Carol

linda 2010-Mar-11 at 10:08PM

Dear malinbond
Linda 2010-mar-11-at21:42
Dear malinbond
The place where i work has squer pens and i just put jumps in the cornas to make the one i use round.
The problem i have is the lady who owns the horse's is old fashoned and doe's not like chang,she says no dont use my horses,use the privatley owned horses so i did start on one named Bella.
And i have done join-up and folow-up with Bella.
it went well after 3 times.
Hope this helps.

Dippy's mum 2010-Mar-17 at 09:39PM

Dear Malinbond,

I have a small sand schooling area which is square and I use poles on barrels to block off the corners. I have had successful join-up with three horses so far, one experienced, one broken but green and one we are breaking in. The last one has been my most successful so far and she is progressing really well. We do longlining in this same pen with the poles on the corners and I have had no problems with this.

Good luck.

renjaho - Hamburg, Germany 2010-Mar-27 at 05:16PM

Dear Malinbond,
I did my frist Join-Up in a riding corral, and it workt nearly as well as in Monty's videos.
Until now I'm doing my ground exercises in this corral, because we've no round pen.
Best regards,
Jasmin

Charlie 2010-Mar-31 at 09:38PM

About a big, massive, Frisian Horse. We had no round pen, but an riding corral, rectangular. When I send him away on the right lead, he goes, stopped a several times in a corner, I walked to him and send him away, again etc. But when I turned him and wanted to go on the left lead, he turned his tail and hind quarters to me and try to kick me. It wasn't very dangerous but I was not amused with that kind of behaviour. What should I do better the next time?
Thanks, Els