Robert M. Miller (born March 4, 1927) is an equine behaviorist and

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

, best recognized for his system of training newborn foals known as imprint training. Miller is also one of the early adopters and promoters of

Natural horsemanship Natural horsemanship is a collective term for a variety of horse training techniques which have seen rapid growth in popularity since the 1980s. The techniques vary in their precise tenets but generally share principles of "a kinder and gentler ...

. His work is often referred to by natural horsemanship clinicians. He has served as a judge in the annual

Road to the Horse Road to the Horse is an annual colt-starting competition held at the Alltech Arena in the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Three trainers are invited to choose a colt from a remuda of untouched three-year old Quarter Horses provided ...

competition, and also is a co-founder of the "Light Hands Horsemanship" concept and annual clinic.

Early life

Miller was born in New York on March 4, 1927, and raised in Tucson, Arizona. After serving in the infantry overseas in World War II, he attended and graduated from the veterinary school at

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...

in 1956. He established the Conejo Valley Veterinary Clinic in

Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown. It is named af ...

in 1959. Miller's experience with horses dates to his childhood and included work as a wrangler, trail guide, and

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

hand.

Career

Miller has authored scientific papers and magazine articles for both veterinary journals and equine publications, and has published four books and six videos on equine behavior, health, and horsemanship. He has served on the editorial staff of ''Veterinary Medicine'', for which he is best known for his long-running “Mind Over Miller” column, as well as ''Modern Veterinary Practice'', ''Veterinary Forum'', and ''Western Horseman'' magazines. He is also a cartoonist who has published seven cartoon books under the moniker "RMM". Miller has received professional awards for his achievements in both veterinary medicine and equine behavior. In 2004, Miller was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Western States Horse Expo, and is a recipient of the Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award in 1995. Miller retired from practice in 1987, in order to devote himself full-time to the teaching of equine behavior and to support the

movement. He continues to travel and lecture and occasionally to defend the archaic practice of declawing.

Personal life

Miller resides on his ranch in

with his wife, Debby. Additionally, he still keeps some animals, including dogs, horses, and

mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...

s, on his ranch.

Works

Books

Self-published books

*The Passion For Horses & Artistic Talent - An Unrecognized Connection. Robert M Miller Communications. (2010) *Yes, We Treat Aardvarks - Stories From An Extraordinary Veterinary Practice. Robert M Miller Communications. (2010) *Handling Equine Patients - A Handbook For Veterinary Students & Veterinary Technicians. Robert M. Miller Communications. (2010) *Ranchin', Ropin' an' Doctorin'. Robert M Miller Communications. (2011)

Commercially published

*Natural horsemanship explained : from heart to hands. The Lyons Press, (2007) *The Revolution in Horsemanship (and What It Means to Mankind), with Rick Lamb. The Lyons Press. (2005) *Understanding the Ancient Secrets of the Horse's Mind. Russell Meerdink Company. (1999) *Imprint Training of the Newborn Foal. Western Horseman Publishing. (2003 / 1991 Vintage ) *Most of My Patients Are Animals. Paul Eriksson Publishing Company. (1987) *Health Problems of the Horse. Western Horseman Publishing. (1967, Revised 1988)

Videos

*Lameness: Its Causes & Prevention (Video Velocity, 2012) *Safer Horsemanship (Video Velocity, 1999) *Understanding Horses (Video Velocity, 1999) *Early Learning (Video Velocity, 1995) *Control of the Horse - The Art Of Restraint (Video Horse World, 1994) *Imprint Training of the Foal (Palomine Productions, 1986) *Influencing the Horse's Mind (Palomine Productions, 1984)

References

Bibliography

External links

Robert Miller's official websiteMiller's website for "RMM" cartoons
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Robert M. Living people 1927 births People from Thousand Oaks, California American horse trainers Natural horsemanship