Remembering The Late Monty Roberts…
Who Started All Of This
14 May 1935 to 31 July 2026
It is with enormous sadness that we mark the death of Monty Roberts, who passed away on 31 July 2026 at the age of 91.
Known throughout the world as “The Man Who Listens to Horses”, Monty devoted more than eight decades to showing that trust, communication and understanding could achieve what force never could.
His influence reached far beyond the horses he worked with. Through his demonstrations, books, teaching and tireless travelling, he encouraged millions of people to question traditional methods and to look for a kinder, more thoughtful way.
Monty was Kelly Marks’ mentor, teacher and friend, and his work was fundamental to the creation and development of Intelligent Horsemanship in the United Kingdom.
We send our deepest love and condolences to Pat, Debbie and all Monty’s family, friends and colleagues.
An Extraordinary Life
Monty Roberts was an award-winning trainer of championship horses, a best-selling author, Hollywood stuntman, foster father to 47 children in addition to three of his own, and the creator of the internationally recognised Join-Up® approach.
Throughout his life, Monty remained determined to spread his message that violence was never the answer.
He worked with horses and people in more than 40 countries, taught students at the Monty Roberts International Learning Center in California, supported programmes for young people, veterans and first responders, and shared the principles of trust-based communication with audiences ranging from horse owners to international business leaders.
His first book, The Man Who Listens to Horses, became an international phenomenon, selling more than six million copies and bringing the possibility of a different relationship between horses and humans to people around the world.
Where it Began…
Monty first learned to listen to horses while observing wild mustangs in Nevada at the age of thirteen. Sent there to round up horses for the Salinas Rodeo Association’s Wild Horse Race, he spent hours silently watching the feral horses interact with each other. Soon he realized that they used a discernable, effective and predictable body language to communicate, set boundaries, show fear and express annoyance, relaxation or affection. In a moment that would change his life and the lives of horses and people forever, Roberts understood that utilizing this silent language would allow training to commence in a much more effective and humane manner, encouraging true partnership between horses and humans. Later, he would name this moment of partnership “Join~Up®,” and it would become the foundation of all his work with horses and people.
After this revelatory moment with the wild horses, Roberts returned home to his family’s riding school at the Salinas Rodeo Grounds in Salinas, California. There, he had grown up watching his father “break” horses using traditional methods involving pain, control, fear and coercion. Testing his new insights into the nature of horses, Monty tried out some of his new ideas and was promptly punished for challenging his father’s traditional methods.
What Followed?
Monty remained undeterred from his vision and later became a champion Western horseman. Hollywood hired him as a “stand in” rider and stunt double for stars such as Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet and many other films. He even worked with James Dean during the pre-production and filming of the acclaimed movie East of Eden.
Monty knew that his future lay in working with horses, and he commenced an incredible career in Thoroughbred racing. Throughout the years he worked with many champions (including the famed “Alleged”) and opened a training facility, Flag Is Up Farms, on 154 acres in the Santa Ynez Valley in 1966. He and his wife, Pat, enjoyed immense success training Thoroughbreds, becoming the leading producer of two-year-olds-in-training at the Hollywood Park Racetrack for 18 years. Even today, the walls of Monty and Pat’s offices are covered with artwork, newspaper clippings and other memorabilia from their years on the track.
As the couple raised their own family of three, over the years Pat and Monty also took in 47 foster children. Many of them still return to Flag Is Up Farms for visits, and credit Pat and Monty with helping to turn their lives around. Today, Pat and daughter Debbie (with her husband, Tom Loucks) run the multi-dimensional and international family business from offices on Flag Is Up Farms.
“The Man Who Listens To Horses”
By the 1980s, the Roberts and their extended clan were living their lives on the farm, happily collecting accolades for their work with racehorses. Then a phone call came that once again changed the direction of Monty’s life forever.
The call was from the offices of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who was an avid horsewoman. She had heard about Roberts’ work and invited him to come to her country and show her staff his Join~Up® method. The Queen was so impressed by his demonstration she urged him to write a book. That book became “The Man Who Listens to Horses”.
Published in 1996, “The Man Who Listens to Horses” became a full-blown phenomenon. The book went on to sell nearly 5 million copies. Suddenly, Roberts and his training methods had skyrocketed into the limelight. The phone lines were jammed at the farm and the media was clamoring to get an interview; but more importantly, hundreds of thousands of horse lovers heard the message that there was another way.
The PBS and BBC television networks aired documentaries about his work, four more books were published and became best sellers, and countries throughout the world translated these materials, sharing his message that violence is never the answer. Over the past several years, Monty has toured the United States and has raised over $1.6 million for horse-related charities, including 4-H and therapeutic riding organizations.
His fourth book from my hand to yours is a textbook format of his Join-Up® training principles. His learning center, the Monty Roberts International Learning Center, located at Flag Is Up Farms, trained hundreds of students using his non-violent methods. MRILC is run by the nonprofit organization, Join~Up® International, Inc. which has set out to ensure that Join-Up® principles will be available for generations to come.
Monty never forgot the lessons he learnt from the horses. In his fifth book, Monty recounts the stories of his best loved horses, chosen from the tens of thousands he worked with throughout his lifetime. The Horses in My Life is a celebration of the horses he learnt the most from, as well as those that impressed themselves most indelibly on his memory and his heart.
Other Achievements
On 11 June 2011, Monty was privately honoured by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his personal service to the Royal Family and to Her Majesty’s racing establishment. Monty was made an honorary Member of the Royal Victorian Order. The Royal Victorian Order is awarded by the sovereign to people who have served the monarch or the monarchy in a personal capacity.
Responding to the honour, Monty said: “The ball is in my court now, and it is my obligation to continue to earn the respect that my supporters have given me over the past 22 years, since first meeting Her Majesty in 1989.”
In 2011, the Family Care Network honoured Monty and Pat Roberts and their family with its Circle of Serving Award. The award recognises individuals who demonstrate exceptional leadership, vision and commitment to improving the lives of children and families, exemplifying the organisation’s mission: “To enhance the wellbeing of children and families in partnership with our community.”
Monty and Pat Roberts became internationally known for many accomplishments, but perhaps most notably, alongside raising three biological children, they also opened their home to 47 foster children over the years.
On 4 June 2011, the California Air Force Association awarded Monty its Special Consideration Award for his support of veterans. This award is presented each year at the CAFA State Convention to individuals who provide support to military personnel and their families within the State of California. It was a considerable honour and recognised Monty’s outstanding efforts to help veterans recover from the effects of combat-related deployments.
In 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II became Patron of Monty’s non-profit organisation, Join-Up International. Her Majesty also honoured nine individuals from several countries for their contribution to Monty’s mission to leave the world a better place by removing violence from the lives of horses and people.
That same year, Monty and Pat were invited to Windsor Castle, where Monty participated in the parade celebrating The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
The following year, Australian champion Thoroughbred trainer Gai Waterhouse called upon Monty to work with several high-profile racehorses. Monty made a number of trips to Australia and England to work with these horses and help enhance their racing potential through force-free training.
This work culminated in November 2013, when Gai Waterhouse made history by becoming the first female Australian trainer to win the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s most prestigious horse race.
Beginning in 2013, veterans and their families visited Flag Is Up Farms to experience the healing power of horses. Monty’s three-day Horse Sense and Healing clinics were provided free of charge to veterans and first responders, helping people who had sometimes struggled with symptoms of post-traumatic stress for 35 years or more.
The horses worked with remarkable effectiveness, and the outcomes were so significant that Monty began writing a book on the subject.
Monty continued touring in England, Germany, Brazil and Australia. He became a Global Ambassador for the Brooke animal welfare organisation and gave the keynote speech at the Humane Society International Expo in New Orleans in 2015.
Monty also launched a programme centred on the importance of horses in human development. In conjunction with Dr Sue Cain of the Corporate Learning Institute, Monty led round-pen sessions exploring the powerful relationship between trust, communication, humans and horses. These were followed by time with Monty and Pat in their home.
Over the years, representatives from major corporations visited Monty and Pat at Flag Is Up Farms to experience the principles of Join-Up® and take what they had learned back to their organisations.
In 2016, Monty and Pat Roberts attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show in celebration of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday and stayed at Windsor Castle.
In 2017, Monty launched Lead-Up at Flag Is Up Farms. The programme was developed in Guatemala by Catherine Cunningham, with oversight and inspiration from Monty’s Join-Up® principles. Lead-Up was created for young people aged 14 to 22, with the aim of developing gentle and compassionate leaders.
Later that year, Monty was presented with the EQUUS INTERNATIONAL Film Festival™ Icon Award in recognition of his profound impact on the lives of horses.
Later Years and Lasting Legacy
Monty continued teaching, writing, demonstrating and supporting programmes for horses and people well into his later years.
His work included Horse Sense and Healing clinics for veterans and first responders, the Lead-Up programme for young people, educational courses at Flag Is Up Farms and the development of a worldwide network of instructors committed to continuing his approach.
Following his death, Monty’s daughter Debbie Roberts Loucks described him as a man with an unshakable belief that “trust could accomplish what force never could”.
Together with the Roberts family and their dedicated team, she has committed to preserving and continuing his life’s work.
Continuing Monty’s Legacy
Monty often said that his goal was:
“to leave the world a better place than I found it, for horses and for people, too.“
His death marks the end of an extraordinary life, but not the end of that mission.
His legacy lives on whenever someone pauses to listen before reacting, chooses curiosity over judgement and looks for cooperation rather than conflict.
At Intelligent Horsemanship, we remain committed to carrying those principles forward, while continuing to learn, question and develop our understanding of horses.
Because the best tribute we can pay Monty is not simply to remember what he taught.
It is to keep doing our best to leave the world a better place for horses and for people too.
