Parelli!

(A disclaimer: this post features some pretty powerful opinions, and mild language, as I explain the journey I took to reach an understanding about the Parelli Natural Horsemanship method, and why I want to explore it and put it into practice. Also, it's a really long post!)

First of all: Ouch! I was high on a cloud yesterday, having cleaned the entire barn in two hours (all 14 freakin' stalls of it!) and feeling pretty good about myself. And today? I woke up so body sore I could barely get out of bed! Now, something you should know to put this all into perspective, is that we don't use shavings in our stalls. Since it's an open-air pipe-barn, the shavings would just blow out all over the place. Instead, we use sand, which is actually more of a sand-clay mixture. This is the natural ground for the part of Texas that the barn is located at. This means our horses all get to go barefoot and natural, but it also means that cleaning up wet spots in a stall is... less than fun. It gets thick, and heavy, and moving a wheelbarrow full of sand/clay/poo and rocks (because, inevitably, there will be those two or three rocks that manage to roll into the stalls) gets very tiring very quickly. Plus, I'm just plain out of shape!

So, point of the story: I am sore. I feel it most in my arms (from lifting/dumping that pitchfork) and my back (lifting/dumping/hauling a wheelbarrow). And I can definitely tell what side of my body I use more than the other! (something to work on, perhaps? Hmmm). But I'm optimistic that if I do some manual labor more often, I'll stop feeling the ache and start seeing some tone and muscle. Whoohoo! Free workout, no gym required!

So, body sore + barn closed = no Gwen time today. Although, the barn is only "closed" in regards to lessons. I could go and hang out/ride/muck/etc. There just won't be any lessons, and probably not many people around. Either way, being so stiff and sore meant that it was way, way easier to stick to my "this is a rest day" plan (as my natural inclination at this point is to spend every waking moment(!!) with Gwen). So, instead of barn/horsey time, I stiffly and achingly made it through work (Thank GOD I have a desk job!) and then came home, sat down at my computer, and watched all the Parelli videos available on the Parelli Connect sight!

Which takes me to my subject: Parelli! At first, I was kinda on the fence about Parelli. I didn't know much about it, but I'd watched YouTube videos of people's auditions, of people playing the games, etc. I'd checked out the website, but there wasn't much to really see without purchasing the levels DVD's, and I wasn't ready for that (especially since I didn't have a horse to play with until, oh, yesterday!). And, as with most things, there were tons and tons of comments and opinions, some good, some not-so-good. It seems that Parelli is one of Those Things that people either love or hate. There's not much  middle ground. But I've always prided myself on being open-minded. I take all good and bad comments, think on them, and then see the thing for itself to form my own opinion. I value constructive criticism, but something I absolutely cannot stand, is when people form opinions and make comments about something of which they have no experience.

I'm getting really long-winded, so I will just say this: people who claim that Parelli is a gimmick or a sham, are full of shit. I read a comment on a blog somewhere that went something like this: "All the Parelli horses at my barn are pushy, rude, and aggressive." and went on to describe how the Parelli students attached to those horses were responsible for such behavior because they follow Pat Parelli's program.

BULL SHIT! From what I've see, and what I heard Pat say in the lessons, it was quite clear that he values control and leadership from the human, that pushy/rude/aggressive behavior is absolutely unacceptable, and that sometimes you need to get tough to stay safe. So maybe those horses the blogger was talking about /were/ displaying those behaviors. And maybe they just happen to be "Parelli" horses, but the fault of their bad behavior lies entirely on the rider for not listening to, and following closely, the lessons Pat was trying to teach in the very first lessons!!!

Everything I've seen and heard in the Parelli lessons were natural horsemanship techniques that are not unique to Pat Parelli. I've seen Clinton Anderson demonstrate the very same skills and lessons! What is unique about Parelli is how we're supposed to regard our horses (as partners) and how we build on that partnership. By calling his method's "games" instead of "training", it puts us, the human, in a mindset that allows us to be OK with not achieving perfection, and allows us to stay relaxed when things might get difficult. I love how he says to "get fascinated, not frustrated". When we have the mindset that we are "training" our horses, we get upset when things go awry. But, having the mindset of playing with our horses, it allows us to tackle problems with a level-head, to remain calm, and to remember that the results are not what is important. What's important is how the horse views us (are we a source of confidence and comfort, or are we being aggressive and scary?), and how we handle ourselves when the situation gets difficult.

The second unique thing I've seen from Parelli is how he teaches those games to us, the human. He's broken up natural horsemanship skills into seven distinct, but easy to understand principles, and called them Games! I love it! I feel like I can actually put those things into practice, and not feel stupid because I don't know what the next step is.

I will admit, somewhat ashamedly, that I had my doubts about Parelli. Especially when it started looking like a lot of purchases had to be made before you could do anything (Halter, rope, stick, string, DVD's, toys). But when I actually started looking at the prices, and comparing them to, oh, say, Clinton Anderson, I had a real shock. (btw: I mention Clinton a lot because I am actually able to watch some of his shows on TV. Not so with Parelli, or a lot of other Natural Horseman out there, so as a point of comparison, Clinton is the easiest for me to use). Parelli's prices are very competitive, and quite affordable for me. So I'm very happy in that regard as well. The DVD's seem a bit pricy (Gonna hafta check Ebay for those!) but having gotten a sneak peak thru Parelli Connect, I think they hold some quality material, and I will definitely be looking for a way to get hold of them.

I can't wait for my halter/lead to arrive! And now I'm seriously wishing I'd gone ahead and gotten the bundle that included stick/string. Would have come out to roughly the same price, but now I've got to acquire them separately. Oh well. Maybe after a few more paychecks. For now, I'll have to get creative with my dressage whip, and maybe a shoelace...

Thanks for reading through the rant! :)  Can't wait to put some Parelli principles to practice with Gwen!

J