Monty Roberts’ seventh book, told from the persepective of Shyboy the horse, is aimed at children. He seeks to entertain the younger audience while helping them better understand the hearts and minds of horses. This book, Monty's first novel, was inspired by requests from little girls worldwide to tell the story of the mustang. Like Black Beauty, the story is told in the voice and from the perspective of the horse.

Shyboy gets a voice

Monty’s says: “This book is especially gratifying because it answers the requests of hundreds of children; it allows Shy Boy to tell his own story.”

Monty interprets the life of an American mustang being raised in the Western United States. Drawing upon his real-life adoption of a three-year-old Bureau of Land Management mustang, Monty includes their experience of the BBC filming while he achieved Join-Up with the mustang on 12,000 acres of open range. It was then that Monty named the mustang Shy Boy.

An excerpt

“As the evening sun cooled, we would resume a search for water. My mother knew how to seek out the low-lying areas where underground water might be close to the earth’s surface. She seemed to be keenly aware of every location where water might be found. When we arrived at one of these spots, she would walk to the center of it and then scrape the ground with her front feet. If she continued for more than a minute or so, then other mares would join in and soon the whole family group was digging away in search of water.

I wasn’t much help as my feet were still quite small, but I tried the best I could. If it was a good spot, the earth would become moist after a few scrapes and then I would see tiny pools of water at the bottom of the hole I was digging. My mother and the other mares were much faster than me, and as soon as I could see them drinking, then I would run to my mother’s side and request a drink from her dug out area. My father was very good at this digging; he would often make a very large hole and after getting his fill of water, he would lie down in the pool and roll in the mud. It seemed like fun, so I would copy him. It was great to feel my skin becoming wet and cool after a long hot day. The life of the family group depended upon my mother’s skill at finding both food and water. I came to appreciate her very much and continued to be drawn close to her in times of need. To this day, I enjoy a good roll in a muddy water hole, even when somebody is riding me.”