Monty Roberts: ‘Horse whisperer’ and close friend of the late Queen Elizabeth dies aged 91

Renowned horse trainer Monty Roberts has died at his farm in Solvang, California. He was 91.Roberts was known the world over for his nonviolent method of training and his ‘join-up’ technique, which uses gestures and eye contact to gain a horse’s trust in under an hour.His daughter, Debbie Roberts Loucks, announced his death in a social media post.She told the New York Times that the cause was complications from an autoimmune disease.Roberts began riding as a small child and quickly became a Hollywood stunt double, standing in for the likes of Mickey Rooney and Charlton Heston.He started to develop his training method after watching his father, who was also a horse trainer, use a conventional fear-based approach to breaking a horse.Monty Roberts on horseback at Flag is Up farm (AFP/Getty)He