Does Anyone use Clinton Anderson or Monty Roberts?

Question

Im looking to have the best relationship as possible with my new horse, and so i want to do a lot of natural horsemanship with her. Which methods work best in your opinion? Should i combine some methods. what do you think?

Answer 1

YAAAY, Albert! I fully agree with your assessment of the clinician/"teaching materials"/brand "training equipment" machine, whether it's CA, MR, PP, DR, or any of the others out there.



The other problem with following any of these guys to have the best possible relationship, is that they all work with some level of negative reinforcement, that is, they do something to the horse until it figures out what they want, then they stop doing it. That "something" is almost always unpleasant, either physically uncomfortable or psychologically abusive and fear-inducing.



You can clearly see CA's and PP's horses showing fear reactions to his actions. They toss their heads up and back in reaction to most human movements near them. Monty R tells people at his public demos that his outstretched hand represents the claws of a wild cat or other predator, so the horse runs away until it starts to figure out ways to appease this threatening predator. By that time, the horse is running on adrenaline, which interferes with the ability to think and learn.



Positive reinforcement (adding something to the horse's environment when it has done what you want) is a much better way to create a positive relationship with a horse (or person, or other living being).



There is a range of positive reinforcement and mixed positive- and negative-reinforcement 'training techniques'. The best of them are more 'relationship-building techniques', which have as a side-effect the creation of an attitude of happy cooperation in the horse, and an eagerness to please and figure out what the person is asking for.



The site friendshiptraining.org has links to both a Yahoo and Facebook group where members share some incredible stories of their horses learning to identify children by name and blocks by color, changing from mankiller-dangerous to solicitously protective of their human, and happily choosing to take their people for the safest rides of their lives, without tack.



Check it out and decide for yourself.





ETA: Hi Albert! I haven't been online much lately, and hadn't see you much before that. Good to see you again!



ETA 2:

OMG, I just TUed Lilian! Look out world, planes will start falling from the sky and there'll be tropical weather in the Arctic Circle and icebergs forming on the Equator!

Answer 2

It's all the same.

Clinton Anderson

John Lyons

Craig Cameron

Chris Cox

Parelli

etc

Etc





If you think it's different, you are not looking into it close enough.



That said, Monty Roberts is full of crap and he's a liar. He is not a "horse whisperer" he's a cheat, a liar and a fraud. He uses gimmicks too.



All he's known for really is, running a horse in a round pen, til the horse gets winded and wants to stop, and then "oh the horse is following me!" (join up)



It's a bunch of crap.



Clinton Anderson has put all the main steps in training a horse into a simple step by step lesson plan that anyone can follow.



He can be a bit rough, but you don't need to be. Just take your time.



So yeah, buy CA DVDs and follow the steps, but take your time.

Go to youtube to see some people and their horses and their results.

Answer 3

I did natural horsemanship too, using both Clinton Anderson and Monty Roberts (with a little Parelli thrown in), so yes, combining methods can definitely work and, for some people, may work better than sticking to just one trainer. It really depends on what works for your horse and for you. In my experience Clinton Anderson is the most straight-forward, easy to understand. Monty Roberts is excellent too, his method probably made up about 80% of my system. Try a few different methods and see what makes your horse "tick".



A couple good books:

"Teach Your Horse Perfect Manners" by Kelly Marks (this is Monty Roberts horsemanship)

"Establishing Respect & Control for English & Western Riders" by Clinton Anderson



Hope this helps, good luck!

Answer 4

Monty Roberts Videos

Answer 5

Albert and Bliss get my vote.

Clinton Anderson says that his method is the best there is and will work with any horse. Yea right.

A few years ago I went to a free demo by Clinton Anderson. It was well worth the price.

Monty Roberts gained fame and fortune through lies and fraud.

http://montyrobertslies.com/

If you really want to learn something useful about horsemanship check out Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, and Bill Dorrance. None of these guys are with us anymore but they left behind some books and videos.

Answer 6

I personally use Clinton Anderson's method. I find most other methods are confusing and make the issue much more complicated than it needs to be. CA's way is effective and simple. Your horse learns to respect you and he begins to appreciate and love you.



From my experience, this way is the most effective. Without CA's specific training, my horses wouldn't be near as responsive or trusting of my leadership. Also, his method doesn't say "this is what you do for the abused horse who fears you" and "this is what you do for the lazy and aggressive horse." What is simple is the fact that you use the same method on every single horse you train, no matter how different they may be, and you attain great results from it.



Other methods may require different ways of training. For example, they'll train a horse who is disrespectful in a different way than a horse who is afraid of people. CA's method trains every horse the exact same way to get the desired results.



Don't get me wrong: other methods are effective as well, but they are often more time consuming than CA's. Of course, keep in mind training a horse is a lifetime thing. They will always require training and thus any method you choose will take a lot of your time if you want a well-trained horse.



While I prefer CA's method and find that it is the simplest, other methods are equally likely to get you a positive relationship with your horse where he understands your leadership and you understand the reasons behind him behaving a certain way.



An additional thing to be aware of is how do you behave around your horse? Are you the type to baby the horse and do you feel that positive use of a whip is cruelty? If so, Clinton Anderson is not for you. His method is clear-cut and if the horse shows aggression, CA is quick to correct him with the use of a handy stick. He does not allow for disrespect (which could eventually lead to an unsafe situation), but he does treat the horse with the attitude of a kind, disciplinary father. Other methods may not use a handy stick at all, while others may use them incessantly. I find CA's way is a good equilibrium between completely babying your horse or completely abusing him.



If you educate yourself entirely to a method you have a much higher chance of succeeding with your horse. Don't partially commit to one method and partially to another when you know only the basics of either method. However, that's not saying you can't combine a few methods. Just make sure you're well educated on both before you venture out to combine them.

Answer 7

I first saw Clinton Anderson on cable tv where I live, then found some videos onlnie with both him and Monty Roberts. I have learned some from them, though what I already knew was what I learned 40 years ago, they just explain some things better in detail. I wouldn't buy any dvd's, just try to find videos online. But like riding a horse, there is nothing like just doing it and getting the experience. And no shame in having to have somebody come out and help you. We're not born to just know what to do with a horse.

Answer 8

I LOVE Monty! By far I think the best horsemanship man in the world!! I don't however follow one person religiously. I do use a lot of Monty techniques and I love join up, I find it really useful. You should always keep you options open though. Use both, I also like Clinton but have never really needed to use his techniques (I used a lot of Monty when I first got my horse but he's a 14 year old QH so he's pretty laid-back and he doesn't really need much groundwork.



I also love Buck Brannerman. I love his starting techniques and his general horsemanship techniques.

Answer 9

A fellow I used to train horses for years ago paid my way to a MR if I would go with him to a clinic. I was unimpressed. It seemed to me that the reason for his clinics is to sell the glorified stuff he sold. Masses of people went to the ring after the horse work to buy his over priced stuff.