We are proud to announce a new and exciting opportunity for our rescued horses! The Monty Roberts International Learning Center (MRILC), under the Umbrella of Join Up International (501 (c) 3, a non profit organization founded by Monty Roberts an award winning trainer, and best selling author known as “The Man Who Listens to Horses,” has agreed to partner-up with the Central California SPCA and train our horses, at no cost, in order to help them find forever homes.
This wonderful opportunity was sparked by the manager of our dispatch team, Dawn Dixon. She and one of our Humane Officers, Rudy Gonzalez, went to Monty Roberts’ facility in search of some advice about our horses while on vacation in the beautiful Solvang area. They toured Monty’s farm, the top rate equestrian facility Flag is Up Farms, and met with Monty Roberts’ daughter who is the head of the visitor’s center. Dawn was telling Laurel Roberts about the situation with some of our horses and the need to find them homes. Ms. Roberts called their master training instructor, Maya Horsey, who immediately met with Dawn and Rudy. The discussion began by Dawn talking about our most unsocial and worst behaved horse, Patrick.
Patrick was found in a large 40-acre pasture with many other horses who were neglected and starving to death. Once at our facility, as far as we could discern, Patrick and his herd mates had little to no training at all. Patrick, in particular, is completely unsocial with other horses and people, making him one of the most difficult for us to handle. We have had many precarious situations with Patrick while shoeing, updating vaccinations, and administering medications.
As soon as Dawn finished sharing Patrick’s stories and her experiences with him, Ms. Horsey said they would take him and some of the other horses that need training, much to Dawn’s and Rudy’s surprise. And Monty Roberts, having just arrived in the office and overhearing the end of their conversation, said “You have horses? I hope we can arrange for them to come here and we can get started with their training.“
The MRILC will provide the much needed training, based on each horse’s individual need and in some instances, upwards to ninety days worth. And, if an opportunity arises to adopt our horses while in the MRILC’s care, they will assist us with the placing of our horses into their forever homes. For those horses that don’t become adopted out of Monty’s farm once the basic training is completed, they will return ready for us to find them great homes. His facility and staff will document each horse’s progress and training and provide us with detail and photos that can be passed along to each adopter.
Monty Roberts understands that utilizing the silent language of horses would allow training to commence in a much more effective and humane manner, encouraging true partnership between horses and humans. They have decided to begin the partnership by taking eight of our horses into their care. The first shipment of four horses was delivered to Flag is Up Farms on January 23, followed the next day by four more horses. Patrick, Faith, Nancy, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hollywood, Madison, and Denver.
We are looking forward to a very rewarding partnership with Monty Roberts and his team, and are most appreciative of their assistance and generosity. The CCSPCA gave these horses a second chance at life. Monty and his team will now give them a chance at having a meaningful life.
by Sasha Bell
