Post by Kelly Marks on Jun 11, 2011 18:44:59 GMT 1
Dear IHDGers
There are many ways for one to respond when significant victory comes along. We often see a clenched fist and an upward gesture of the athlete's arm. We see leaping off the ground, kneeling down and even removing one's shirt and running figure of eights on a grassy field.
A wonderful honour came my way today, on Saturday, June 11th 2011. I really had no idea how I would respond. Somewhere inside of me there were the tendencies to do all the things I described and more but I was surprised when my reaction was quiet, sombre and humble.
In a private meeting with Her Majesty I was awarded the honour of MVO. We were alone, just the two of us, and I have to say that I was emotional and I believe HM was too. Utilising half an hour the Queen explained to me why she made her personal choice and what it meant.
Surprising to me was that the decision was made, in great part, because of my work with schools, prisons, youth detention centres and domestic abuse centres. How the Queen can acquire so much knowledge on so many subjects remains quite astonishing to this old cowboy.
In the past 8 hours or so hundreds of people have responded to the announcement. I have received each with a large portion of joy. Many people work hard, do a good job and in the end receive very little recognition for their achievements. I have lived, in many ways, an ideal life thus far.
My experiences in the UK have been fantastic and my team here and all that they do to bring horse people together in a common effort to improve the lives of horses has been gratifying to the tenth power. It is my time to thank Kelly Marks and her IH organisation for creating this team.
The ball is in my court now and it is my obligation to continue to earn the respect that my supporters have given me over this past 22 years since first meeting Her Majesty in 1989. I went straight to Windsor today where it all began. Terry Pendry, stud groom, to HM was there.
We found ourselves joyous but ever mindful of how much there is still left to do. We tried to remember the horse world of 1989 and compare it with 2011. There is reason to celebrate but just as much reason to roll up our sleeves and get back to work. There are still many miles to go to ensure critical mass. The improvements made must continue to be built upon.
It is now a great opportunity to thank all that have supported my efforts and also assisted me in improving my own skills over this long career of mine which is still fun for me. It’s great that I thank you but just reflect on how that gratitude would be expressed if only the horses could step up and thank all of you also. I will see in Autumn 2011.
Yours sincerely
Monty Roberts
There are many ways for one to respond when significant victory comes along. We often see a clenched fist and an upward gesture of the athlete's arm. We see leaping off the ground, kneeling down and even removing one's shirt and running figure of eights on a grassy field.
A wonderful honour came my way today, on Saturday, June 11th 2011. I really had no idea how I would respond. Somewhere inside of me there were the tendencies to do all the things I described and more but I was surprised when my reaction was quiet, sombre and humble.
In a private meeting with Her Majesty I was awarded the honour of MVO. We were alone, just the two of us, and I have to say that I was emotional and I believe HM was too. Utilising half an hour the Queen explained to me why she made her personal choice and what it meant.
Surprising to me was that the decision was made, in great part, because of my work with schools, prisons, youth detention centres and domestic abuse centres. How the Queen can acquire so much knowledge on so many subjects remains quite astonishing to this old cowboy.
In the past 8 hours or so hundreds of people have responded to the announcement. I have received each with a large portion of joy. Many people work hard, do a good job and in the end receive very little recognition for their achievements. I have lived, in many ways, an ideal life thus far.
My experiences in the UK have been fantastic and my team here and all that they do to bring horse people together in a common effort to improve the lives of horses has been gratifying to the tenth power. It is my time to thank Kelly Marks and her IH organisation for creating this team.
The ball is in my court now and it is my obligation to continue to earn the respect that my supporters have given me over this past 22 years since first meeting Her Majesty in 1989. I went straight to Windsor today where it all began. Terry Pendry, stud groom, to HM was there.
We found ourselves joyous but ever mindful of how much there is still left to do. We tried to remember the horse world of 1989 and compare it with 2011. There is reason to celebrate but just as much reason to roll up our sleeves and get back to work. There are still many miles to go to ensure critical mass. The improvements made must continue to be built upon.
It is now a great opportunity to thank all that have supported my efforts and also assisted me in improving my own skills over this long career of mine which is still fun for me. It’s great that I thank you but just reflect on how that gratitude would be expressed if only the horses could step up and thank all of you also. I will see in Autumn 2011.
Yours sincerely
Monty Roberts