How does Monty Roberts approach starting a horse without force?

Monty Roberts's approach to starting a horse without force is built around the join-up method as the foundation — establishing the initial trust relationship through body language communication before any tack is introduced — and then proceeds through a systematic desensitization and preparation sequence that ensures each element of the riding experience is genuinely accepted before the next is introduced. After join-up has established the horse's willingness to accept the trainer's approach and presence, Roberts introduces a lightweight sacking-out process — touching the horse's body with a soft cloth or pad, moving it across different body areas to desensitize the horse to contact and movement — that prepares the horse for the feel of tack without the restraint that traditional methods often used to hold the horse still during this process. The saddle is introduced through a progressive sequence of approach and retreat that allows the horse to investigate and accept it without the overwhelm of sudden imposition, and the first mounting builds on the groundwork foundation by confirming that the horse accepts the rider's weight before asking for any movement. Roberts's demonstrations of this process — which he conducts publicly and which he claims can take a completely untouched horse to accepting a rider within thirty minutes — have been among the most influential public demonstrations of non-force starting in the history of horsemanship. The specific timeline of his demonstrations has been disputed, with some practitioners arguing that the horses used in demonstrations are not truly untouched, but the demonstration of the principle — that a horse can accept a rider through communication rather than through being broken — has been consistently powerful regardless of debates about the specific conditions.