Robert M. Miller (March 4, 1927 – November 16, 2024) was an American equine behaviorist and

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet) or veterinary surgeon 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, veterinarians also play a role in animal r ...

, best recognized for his system of training newborn foals known as imprint training. Miller is also one of the early adopters and promoters of relationship-based horsemanship. His work is often referred to by equine clinicians. He has served as a judge in the annual Road to the Horse competition, and also was 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 university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University Syst ...

in 1956. He established the Conejo Valley Veterinary Clinic in

Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees pr ...

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 vaqu ...

hand.

Career

Miller has authored scientific papers and magazine articles for both veterinary journals and equine publications, and has published 23 books and numerous DVD's 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 was also a prolific veterinary and cowboy 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 from all over the world. In 2004, Dr. 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 relationship-based horsemanship movement. He continued to travel and lecture well into his 90s.

Personal life and death

Until his death on November 16, 2024 at the age of 97, Miller resided on his ranch in

with his wife, Debby.

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 website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Robert M. 1927 births 2024 deaths People from Thousand Oaks, California American horse trainers Natural horsemanship