Parelli - Take Two
I often get the sense in life that I am perpetually at a crossroads....actually perpetually at the spot where an infinite number of paths converge. The famous 'road not taken' is there among them, along with the road that leads to nowhere, the path paved with good intentions and so on.
But what can really chap my a** is when I find myself at 'the road I should have stayed on'.
And so it was that I found myself there, 13 years later, back on Path Parelli. (insert heavy sigh, no, better make it two heavy sighs, here).
Pat Parelli's book, Natural Horse-man-ship, is the book that started me on the path to natural horsemanship and the book that actually saved my life. I remember walking out to our barn where we had just managed by sheer will power and a heavy dose of dumb luck to get our unhandled, extremely agressive (fear-based), 3 year old stallion/colt into our barn.
He was big, powerful, scared out of his mind and I had all the skills that you can imagine a previous saddle-seat champion equitation rider who had been out of horses for 10 years would have: that is to say, precisely ZERO.
Girl, you gotta get mad skills....like NOW. I told myself. Hey, where's that book I found on clearance for like $6. Maybe there is something in there for me. Oh, the irony.
I can still recall walking out to Jet's stall and reading out loud....'a horse is a prey animal'. Yep....that particular horse probably looked at me with that book and thought....oh joy, Clueless is back again. (I actually think he still looks at me that way).
With Pat's help in that book, I persevered even if I did have to wear a helmet and TWO pairs of gloves just to take Jet for turnout in the pasture. I eventually did get some skills, enough to keep both horse and myself alive (though not uninjured in the case of myself) and dabbled a bit in the then version of Parelli attending several of his exposition performances and studying bits of his materials.
Since that time I have studied, among others, Tom Dorrance*, Bill Dorrance*, Pat Parelli*, Linda Parelli*, Leslie Desmond, Mark Rashid*, Gawani Pony Boy, Frank Hopkins, Harry Hakola, Xenophon*, Marv Walker, Curt Pate, Al Dunning, Linda Tellington-Jones, Sally Swift, Monty Roberts, John Lyons, Josh Lyons, Guy McLean, Andrew MacLean, Clinton Anderson, Kathleen Lindley, Chris Irwin, Caroline Rider, Wendy Murdoch, Dr. Deb Bennett, Linda Kohanov, Carolyn Resnick, Brent Graef*, Buck Brannaman*, Ray Hunt*, Ed Connell*, Pat Hooks*, Stacey Westfall, Peter Campbell, Martin Black*, James Shaw*, Mary Wanless*, Klaus Hempfling*, Three local trainers, Sally Swift*, Bryan Neubert*, and many, many more. (BOLD: studied in depth *: Still learning from).
I've been to more clinics, seminars and training events than probably my closest 5 equine friends combined. I have an equine library and video vault that I could start a small store with and I shudder to think of the hours and dollars that have been spent on just trying to get some skills.
And I have advanced. I think moreso than I will ever give myself credit for. But, I want more and in fact, when I really face it, I SHOULD be farther than I am. For every three big steps I have taken forward, I end up doing something stupid that sets me back....and each time I get set back....I get set back farther and it takes longer to move forward again.
After becoming aware that I truly need an organized step-by-step plan (more on this, what makes 'talent' and the subject of introversion and extroversion in a future post), I actively began searching one out late fall 2012.
I realized that I was trying to create my own horsemanship, which fundamentally, all of us do no matter who we follow, but I really was trying to piece together a mosaic of sorts. Energy work from Mark Rashid, with the soulful in depth consideration of the horse from Klaus Hempfling,....just a teeny tiny dash of Clinton Anderson as a little bit of him goes a long, long way.....oh and, gotta have those Dorrance boys in there....plenty of feel. I took a look at the Parelli levels again. Took a deep look. Watched some youtube videos. Watched some more. Used up all of our monthly data plan allowance for our internet access.....in one week....watching, watching, watching.
Slowly it was dawning on me, but I didn't even want to think it. Oh.my.gawd....are you kidding me. Right here....right in front of me all along. EVERYTHING I was looking for.
And here's the kicker. My very best friend in the entire universe is a Parelli person. And has been gently reminding me of Parelli all along.
Good lord I can be thick at times.
I've been studying Parelli daily for two months now and the progress is palpable. I can see it. The horses feel it. Behaviors that were problematic are falling away....connections with them that were good before are approaching levels of magic. I have hope like I've never had before. Solid hope...not that giddy oh-wow-this-is-so-cool stuff. Solid, I can get there, I can see it hope. During one moment when I was writing up my daily reports on my horses that I now religiously keep, I was shaking my head and my husband asked what was up.
I said, I just don't know why I ever left? Why didn't I just stick with it? I don't want to 'go there', but sometimes I just wonder, where would I be had I stayed in the first place? He said, oh that's easy. You thought it was too expensive and that you could do it yourself.
Crap. That man can be so annoying with his truths.
Yep....that's me....I'll just do it myself. Mom used to tell me stories about her trying to help me with things and me saying "please Mother, I'd rather do it myself".
Pat, Linda and Parelli instructors, I don't want to do it myself. I definitely canNOT do it myself. If it takes a village to raise a child, it must take an entire infantry to make a horseman.....
.....or dedication, great materials and finding the right support system.
Which I am building slowly and steadily.....
on this path....
the path not taken before....
the one crossed over and ignored many, many times,
but the one the universe thankfully placed in front of me one.more.time...
and that this time, I had the good sense to say....why yes, I think I will go down that path.
Sue, gratefully on the Parelli Path, in Ohio
(Renae, if you are reading this, consider this my formal apology to you for not listening.....good grief, you are a patient loving soul....love you.)
But what can really chap my a** is when I find myself at 'the road I should have stayed on'.
And so it was that I found myself there, 13 years later, back on Path Parelli. (insert heavy sigh, no, better make it two heavy sighs, here).
Pat Parelli's book, Natural Horse-man-ship, is the book that started me on the path to natural horsemanship and the book that actually saved my life. I remember walking out to our barn where we had just managed by sheer will power and a heavy dose of dumb luck to get our unhandled, extremely agressive (fear-based), 3 year old stallion/colt into our barn.
He was big, powerful, scared out of his mind and I had all the skills that you can imagine a previous saddle-seat champion equitation rider who had been out of horses for 10 years would have: that is to say, precisely ZERO.
Girl, you gotta get mad skills....like NOW. I told myself. Hey, where's that book I found on clearance for like $6. Maybe there is something in there for me. Oh, the irony.
I can still recall walking out to Jet's stall and reading out loud....'a horse is a prey animal'. Yep....that particular horse probably looked at me with that book and thought....oh joy, Clueless is back again. (I actually think he still looks at me that way).
With Pat's help in that book, I persevered even if I did have to wear a helmet and TWO pairs of gloves just to take Jet for turnout in the pasture. I eventually did get some skills, enough to keep both horse and myself alive (though not uninjured in the case of myself) and dabbled a bit in the then version of Parelli attending several of his exposition performances and studying bits of his materials.
Since that time I have studied, among others, Tom Dorrance*, Bill Dorrance*, Pat Parelli*, Linda Parelli*, Leslie Desmond, Mark Rashid*, Gawani Pony Boy, Frank Hopkins, Harry Hakola, Xenophon*, Marv Walker, Curt Pate, Al Dunning, Linda Tellington-Jones, Sally Swift, Monty Roberts, John Lyons, Josh Lyons, Guy McLean, Andrew MacLean, Clinton Anderson, Kathleen Lindley, Chris Irwin, Caroline Rider, Wendy Murdoch, Dr. Deb Bennett, Linda Kohanov, Carolyn Resnick, Brent Graef*, Buck Brannaman*, Ray Hunt*, Ed Connell*, Pat Hooks*, Stacey Westfall, Peter Campbell, Martin Black*, James Shaw*, Mary Wanless*, Klaus Hempfling*, Three local trainers, Sally Swift*, Bryan Neubert*, and many, many more. (BOLD: studied in depth *: Still learning from).
Slowly it was dawning on me, but I didn't even want to think it. Oh.my.gawd....are you kidding me. Right here....right in front of me all along. EVERYTHING I was looking for.
And here's the kicker. My very best friend in the entire universe is a Parelli person. And has been gently reminding me of Parelli all along.
Good lord I can be thick at times.
I've been studying Parelli daily for two months now and the progress is palpable. I can see it. The horses feel it. Behaviors that were problematic are falling away....connections with them that were good before are approaching levels of magic. I have hope like I've never had before. Solid hope...not that giddy oh-wow-this-is-so-cool stuff. Solid, I can get there, I can see it hope. During one moment when I was writing up my daily reports on my horses that I now religiously keep, I was shaking my head and my husband asked what was up.
I said, I just don't know why I ever left? Why didn't I just stick with it? I don't want to 'go there', but sometimes I just wonder, where would I be had I stayed in the first place? He said, oh that's easy. You thought it was too expensive and that you could do it yourself.
Crap. That man can be so annoying with his truths.
Yep....that's me....I'll just do it myself. Mom used to tell me stories about her trying to help me with things and me saying "please Mother, I'd rather do it myself".
Pat, Linda and Parelli instructors, I don't want to do it myself. I definitely canNOT do it myself. If it takes a village to raise a child, it must take an entire infantry to make a horseman.....
.....or dedication, great materials and finding the right support system.
Which I am building slowly and steadily.....
on this path....
the path not taken before....
the one crossed over and ignored many, many times,
but the one the universe thankfully placed in front of me one.more.time...
and that this time, I had the good sense to say....why yes, I think I will go down that path.
Sue, gratefully on the Parelli Path, in Ohio
(Renae, if you are reading this, consider this my formal apology to you for not listening.....good grief, you are a patient loving soul....love you.)
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