The Horses in My Life

Book excerpt: The bestselling author of The Man Who Listens to Horses tells the stories of the most memorable horses he has encountered during a career of sixty years. Monty Roberts is famous the world over as "the man who listens to horses." This book is a celebration of his best-loved horses, chosen from the tens of thousands he has worked with over the past sixty years. Here he tells us of the horses who taught him the most, as well as the horses that have most indelibly impressed themselves on his memory and his heart. Monty was all but born in the saddle, a riding prodigy. Growing up, he rebelled against his father's traditionally accepted but cruel methods of "horse breaking." By observing wild horses and perfecting his understanding of the way they communicate, he was able to create a unique partnership with these noble creatures. All of the horses featured here -- from Ginger, the retired ranch horse, to world-famous thoroughbreds -- have contributed something unique to Monty's understanding of their kind. He has never lost sight of how much they meant to him, and The Horses in My Life is his tribute to their memory. "In the life of every horseman there can only be one first horse. In my case, his name was Ginger. He was around thirteen years old when I met him; and I was two. I like to imagine our first meeting, myself an infant, not in any sense aware of what life had in store, while he was a true old professional. My first experiences with Ginger began before my conscious memory, which means my life with horses has no discernible beginning." --excerpt from The Horses in My Life