[.ca] Shy Boy: The Horse That Came In From The Wild (ISBN 067697273X)

From Amazon.com:
Celebrated as "the real horse whisperer," Monty Roberts made his literary debut with The Man Who Listens to Horses--half autobiography, half introductory lesson to "Equus," or the language of horses. In Shy Boy, Roberts returns with the story of a wild mustang he captured and domesticated using his renowned, nonviolent training technique. Beginning with the stunning Cuyama Valley in California, where he tracked the young stallion Shy Boy for three days, and moving on to the horse's gradual acclimation to human contact, Roberts walks the reader through the slow, detailed process. In the course of this equine odyssey, he stitches in inspiring anecdotes, as in the case of Samantha, an ailing 12-year-old who used Monty's method: "She saved a horse from an untimely end in a slaughterhouse and spared herself further harm--and she had done it without ever raising a hand or even her voice." However, the real credit for this book should probably go to the photographer, Christopher Dydyk, whose 100 or so colorful glossies dominate the book's 236 pages, with dazzling shots of the ranch, the range, and Monty at work. With brilliant graphics and easy-to-read language, Shy Boy is ideal for a young horse lover. --Rebekah Warren

Look at the pictures, skip the text:
The photographs that accompany the text in this book are wonderful. But that is the beginning and the end of my positive feedback on this book. To start with, this book is based on a false premise. I have experience with the BLM mustang adoption program which 'Shy Boy' was a part of. These horses are accustomed to people and trained to be haltered & handled before they are ever adopted out. So Shy Boy's 'wonderful' progress using Monty's method is a sham. He started out with a horse that was accustomed to people. But then, why should any of us be surprised? This is the second book of Monty Roberts' which I have read (the first being 'The Man Who Listens to Horses') and it is the second book founded mostly on lies. I am aghast that knowledgeable 'horse people' recommend these books to anyone, and I hope to never have to read one again. This is a nice story about a man 'taming' a wild horse. But that's what it is -- a story. If this book were sold as fiction, I would have no complaint. But anyone looking for information on how someone actually worked with a wild horse will be -- or SHOULD be -- disappointed by this book.

a touching reading:
The author of bestselling "The Man Who Listens To Horses"reprises his relationship with "Shy Boy," a wild mustang he acclimated. In succinct yet powerful prose the author relates his first encounter with the horse during an exciting ride through the rugged Nevada desert. Well documented in a PBS series several years ago, Roberts' unique approach to gentling horses is a decidedly humane approach involving the imitation of an equine body language. Eventually, Roberts offers his mustang a choice - does he want to be free again and run back to the wilderness? The answer to that questions will bring a tear to even the most jaundiced eye.

Shy Boy:
I thought this was an enjoyable book. I liked the stories of Monty's child hood and of the men not believing him when he 'started' mustangs. I also enjoyed the stories he told of the people he'd met while doing his tours, and I think his training techniques do work well. I think they are fascinating and would like to learn more. I was a bit bothered by the story of Shy Boy, though...no, not if he was a mustang or not, not the chasing (which I did think was a little bit strange), but the challange. I wasn't quite sure that rushing a starting like that just to beat a challange or just to make a TV show was what this type of training is about, nor do I think it was healthy. This is about people and horses, and bettering their relationships. Just my humble opinion If you like horses, I would read this books. The methods described open a door into the horse's mind.

HORSE FANS, READ THIS BOOK!!!:
Shy Boy is a book about a horse that was brought in from the wild by means of join-up, a way of communicating with wild horses using there own body language. The author explains about how to communicate with horses using their own language which he calls equis. I highly recommend this book if you would like to learn more about horses in their own "home field", or if you like a good story. It made me sorry to finish it. Truly I believe anyone who has even the slightest interest in horses should strongly consider this book. It is an inspirational book for horsemen and women of all ages. The pages are full of beautiful pictures of the mustangs in their own home. Please read this book next time you get a chance. It is definitely worth reading.

Beautiful Pictorial of Relationship between Man & Horse:
In this book, noted California "horse whisperer" Monty Roberts chronicles how he uses his "Join Up" method of horse gentling on a mustang in the wild. Roberts relates how he began studying communication among horses as a young boy and eventually used that information to begin working with the animals. Roberts, along with photographer Christopher Dydyk, creates a beautiful chronicle of how the horse he calls Shy Boy comes to trust people and become a valuable part of ranch life. The climax of the story is when Roberts releases Shy Boy to the free-range herd where the horse had been living, to see how well the "Join Up" method has worked ... and Shy Boy comes home. This is a beautiful book for anyone who loves horses and believes that gentleness and understanding are the key to relating to both animals and humans.