A Mobile-born equestrian says his love for horses has given him things he could never imagine – including a 17-year friendship with Queen Elizabeth II’s closest cowboy confidant.
The queen, who died on Sept. 8, was known for her love of Corgis. But Marty Irby, an Alabama native and lobbyist for animal rights, says her passion for horses may go even deeper.
The late queen owned more than 100 horses by the time of her death, according to news reports. And she was also a strong advocate for their humane treatment in the U.K. and America, Irby said.
“My emotional response has been shaped by one particular bond we shared: a tremendous love for horses, the voiceless icons upon whose backs much of our civilization was built,” Irby wrote in an NBC article ahead of the queen’s funeral on Sunday.
‘There is a better way’
As the son of a horse trainer and the grandson of a veterinarian, Irby, 43, was competing in Alabama horse shows by the age of four.
“Horses I think are just in my DNA,” he said. “I cannot even remember even learning how to ride a horse. It’s like walking or talking.”
Irby quickly found himself immersed in an equestrian lifestyle, where he was frequently attending horse competitions, and even selling horses to big-name buyers, by the time he was a teenager. Through the years, he said grew more and more alarmed at some of the practices he noticed trainers using to maintain a highly manicured image.
Irby was 13 when he witnessed “soring” for the first time.
The practice often involved applying caustic chemicals like mustard oil or diesel fuel or inserting sharp objects into the horse’s hooves to intentionally inflict pain and make the horses hike their legs higher.
The exaggerated gait is called a “Big Lick,” and it’s most commonly seen in Tennessee Walking Horses, but is also used with Alabama’s state horse, called the racking horse.
“I saw this growing up as a teenager and had always had a love for horses and you know, just had this feeling this was terribly wrong,” Irby said.
Around that time, the Mobile teenager had sold a horse to Bill Johnson, the founder of the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Johnson eventually became Irby’s mentor, and invited him to work on his farm in Shelbyville, Tennessee after college.
There, Irby met renowned horse trainer Monty Roberts, who spent several years working for Queen Elizabeth II.
The queen met Roberts in 1989 and later became a patron of his nonprofit group, Join-Up International, which is dedicated to promoting “gentle, effective alternatives to violence” in both equine and human relationships. She later asked him to demonstrate his methods with her horses.
Irby read a book about Roberts and lent it to Johnson, who was able to track Roberts down through his network of royal connections, Irby said. Roberts eventually agreed to travel to the U.S. to work with Johnson’s horses.
“If he’s good enough for Queen Elizabeth, he’s good enough for me,” Irby recalled Johnson saying.
Roberts had developed a language he called “equis” that he observed by watching wild horses on a range out west and used that to pioneer a unique set of training principles.
Irby said he was mesmerized by the way Roberts could prep untrained horses for riding in as little as 30 minutes without using any violence or pressure of any kind.
The two instantly became friends.
“We have to give people the opportunity to see something different,” Irby said. “I spent the first 26 years of my life thinking there was only just one way to do it. The moment I saw that, the world changed.”
Path to advocacy
After working on Johnson’s ranch, Irby spent a few years volunteering with the Tennessee Walking Horse industry, and later became president of the breed registry in 2010. While he was president, the U.S. Humane Society shot an undercover video of a trainer in West Tennessee brutally beating and torturing a horse.
So he spoke out in support of legislation against horse cruelty – a stance that he said he was “shunned intensely” for, and had even received death threats later on.
“I ended up losing my business, having to file bankruptcy, getting divorced – it was like a country music song,” he said. “But I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”
After testifying in front of Congress, Irby began a nine-year stint as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C.
A self-described “meat-eating Republican,” Irby says he’s been able to pass a record number of animal rights bills by building strong relationships with big-name politicians and activists – including Laura Trump and Carole Baskin.
“I don’t think I would have been able to accomplish even 20 or 30% of that if my politics weren’t as they are and if I didn’t work with both sides of the aisle,” he said.
Through his friendship with Roberts, Irby was able to keep the Queen apprised of his work.
Though she couldn’t influence U.S. legislation, he said she was quietly supportive of his efforts, such as the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act, which was passed in 2020 and just took effect in July.
The bill bans doping in American horse racing and created a uniform national standard for all 50 states to follow.
“They don’t have all the problems in the UK that we have here [with horse racing],” he said. “She really wanted to see that change.”
Marty Irby, an Alabama born animal rights lobbyist, signs a book of condolences at the British Embassy in memory of Queen Elizabeth II. (Courtesy of Marty Irby)
A royal honor
In August of 2020, Irby opened his door to find a piece of royal mail from Windsor Castle. It was an award from Queen Elizabeth recognizing Irby’s efforts to reduce violence in horse training – and for his use of Roberts’ methods.
“Marty Irby is our hero and has paid a huge price in his own life in the interest of being fair to the horses,” Roberts told the local news in 2020. “Along with thousands of supporters, Her Majesty and I strongly recommend the necessary rules and regulations to eliminate violence from this breed and all other competitions involving the horses we love.”
Less than 30 people around the world have received the honor, which was only given out in 2020 and 2012. Irby was invited to Buckingham Palace to receive the award, but COVID halted the ceremony.
Though he’s never met the queen or spoken to her in person, Irby said her death is weighing heavily on him.
“I’m more motivated than ever to carry out what she wanted me and Monty and others to do, and that’s to spread the message and these principles to stop horse abuse,” he said.
Aside from a documentary on wild horses, Irby is currently working to get to major pieces of legislation passed: The Big Cat Public Safety Act and FDA Modernization Act, which repeals a mandate that requires animal testing for getting a drug approved by the FDA.
Congressman Barry Moore from Dothan is a co-sponsor on both bills, and, Irby said, is one of his key supporters from Alabama – a state that has been one of his “toughest delegations” to win over on animal rights, he said.
He’s also continuing the fight against cockfighting in Alabama, and is hopeful a newer class of legislators will be more receptive to his efforts.
“I think growing up and living [in a rural area] really gave me a unique perspective of how integral these animals are to people’s lives,” he said. “There’s such a polarizing tone that we’ve seen where people kind of view things either as you’re for torturing animals or your not or you’re for hurting animals or you’re not.
“There’s so many people out there who don’t even realize what they’re doing, and they don’t understand that it’s abuse, they don’t understand that it’s wrong. And that’s where Monty Roberts and Queen Elizabeth come into play, and that’s helping spread the word and the message that there is a better way.”