It's About The Horse

learningthedance · Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:11 am Post subject:

Your videos really touched me (as did a few others), but I think it was the amount of pride that went along with them that made them stand out to me. It wasn't so much a..."look what I can do", but a ..."look at what we have learned together" that I felt from them. Sometimes I feel like maybe you have forgotten how magical and special THAT part of the journey was for you. How magical and special it still is for others.

No matter who you follow now, I am more then certain you will reach the stars. You have a wonderful relationship with your horses (from the few videos you have shared) and a passion to keep learning and advancing.

Thanks for the explanation Mike, and your welcome for the kind words. They are well deserved.

P.S. Feel free to post any of those video's again.

They are STILL very inspirational. Even if you have graduated and moved on, they still speak volumes

_________________
Elise

"Some people are always grumbling
because roses have thorns;
I am thankful
that thorns have roses."
Alphonse Karr

merle · Member Joined: 13 Feb 2009 Posts: 445

Hertha · Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 6:26 am Post subject:

Sidekick, I really enjoyed your original post and agree with pretty much all of it.

I also take PasoCarol's point that if we ride freestyle sloppy, the horse will become sloppy.

In terms of finesse, I agree with you. I have not seen what I personally would call finesse from Parelli. The most recent stuff makes me squirm.

I am learning finesse on the ground and in the saddle studying Alex Kurland.

I don't have a WEEKLY BETH down here. So I experiment and have fun and learn and have fun.

My horse has built up self-carriage online and at liberty following Carolyn Resnick and Alex Kurland's ideas, and we are starting to get it riding (no bit required).

The riding progress is slower because of my ineptitude with finesse riding, not the horse's. But I'm working on myself with real enjoyment of the process.

I guess in the end we all have to set our own goals and then troll the universe to find what makes sense to us and agrees with our philosophy of being with horses.

All that said, I would not be able to be so discerning without the years of intensive study of Parelli when it was at its best.
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plodalong · Member Joined: 10 Feb 2011 Posts: 63

i came into horses very late in life,i wasnt fortunate as a child to ever have one, I got a horse i thought was older than he turned out to be, I was ready to sell him after 6 months, he reared,bucked, dragged me around and i was getting hurt, Yes i know all my fault, I listened to others on this traditional yard, get a bigger bit, shut his mouth with a flash, i took notice and i was still getting hurt, i had problems lifting his feet off the floor, A friend of mine gave me a parelli dvd that fell out of a magazine, i watched and longed to have some kind of relationship with my horse, Well now 3 yrs later i have, i have learned some skills from books and dvd's. im not the sharpest knife in the drawer and i am fast approaching 60 yrs old, but i had a dream and now thanks to parelli i live that dream, we trail ride, he will load ,he has no bit,no shoes,i will never do dressage or show jumping but Parelli for us was amazing.it has allowed this old woman to have a beautiful relationship with my horse, it has enabled me to learn a new language, it has enabled me to communicate my wishes and respect my horse's dignity. his horsenality is an lbi, and knowing this has helped me to understand him better. we are now heading for our level 3 green string. we worked and progressed,Thats what Pat parelli teaches us to be progressive ,foundation before specialisation.Love Language and leadership.I am still the only rope wiggler on our yard and swimming against the tide hasnt always been easy, Parelli packaged my learning in such a way i could understand, i cant always afford lessons ,but when i can i learn a lot and i then have enough to do until i can afford another.when students reach the higher levels of Parelli then it is time for them to move on and specialise if they wish.Parelli gave me horsemanship skills from simple manners to freestyle riding.I now live my dream in a quiet contented way.My horse and i dance together in the middle of the field with other horses all around, my horse chooses to come and hang out with me,that for me is such a wonderful feeling.I am not afraid to say that "WE ARE PARELLI" i am proud of our coloured savvy strings.

Mandy'sMarty · Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 3:14 pm Post subject:

PasoBaby_CarolU · Site Admin Joined: 31 Jan 2009 Posts: 9038

I agree with Marty Plodalong. You know there are people who have had horses for decades who haven't achieved with their horses what you have. Sounds beautiful. Congratulations.
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Carol Nudell
Corazon de Oro Paso Finos

"The path to your horse's heart lies through your own."

Rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots. - Words of Wisdom - Mhar

‎"Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss activities; Small minds discuss people." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Saddlebag · Member Joined: 02 May 2011 Posts: 25

Please google "Erin's Carolyn Resnick"s Notes. Then read thro the menu on the left hand side. I have a horse that's been "Parelli'd" to death. Yes, he is compliant yet the trust wasn't there. He had a ghastly fear of people, men in particular. This goes back to when he was freeze branded as a colt. It is not painless. Tests have shown increased cortisol levels for over an hour. OK , now you have a better grasp of what I'm dealing with. I had run out of ideas to build trust. I'm not afraid of horses and never get upset with them. I started doing as Erin had written. My horse has responded like I'd never hoped. We say hello 4 or 5 times a day. Anything I do with him is in the pasture and he can leave at any time. He has quit being so jumpy. Now I always ask permission. If I don't get it, well that's ok because I may get it the next time. Am I thrilled with our progress? You bet.

bit · Member Joined: 02 Feb 2009 Posts: 4355 Location: Kansas

Parelli got me on the road to better, and made for a good foundation to nh. Carolyn Resnick was the one that really put it all together for me regarding a relationship, bond and trust. Because of her, I have a better understanding of horse behavior and psycology. Centered riding has been my best path for riding. I have an amazing instructor right there, working with human and horse and helping us both on our path. Eclipse visibly relaxes when we arrive at our lessons. Even chicken little Gunner likes it there. I think we all have to find our own way. I'll be working with Kip with I pick up the boys, and get a good dose of "Brannaman" from him. Brent Graef in July. It's all good. Some ways simply work better for me, just because of what I'm interested in, and how I learn. We all have a different path, but they all lead to the same place.
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"It was once said I should clear my head for one cannot ride a Thoroughbred. Hot they are. And too fast they be. Forever on the fly. But I stayed the course and have no remorse. I love my off the track racehorse!"