Let's face it, not everyone who tries to do
Parelli, does it right. Maybe that horse was even worse than when got
it. Personally, I am discouraged with the 'average' dressage trainer who
knows more about adding another 'gadget', etc. If one has not worked thru
the program from the basics on up, then some things are taken out of
context. The idea is training horse and rider together with an easy to
follow routine. It definitely has helped my horses. They are not as
far as should be due to my crazy work schedule. I am behind in all my
training, including conditioning. We are feeding horses a lot of fancy
food that they probably did not have centuries ago. It can hype them
up. Probably most have tried a new feeding idea that may or may not
work for that particular horse. Finding a training program that has
worked for my horses has been great. Parelli was introduced to me by
a coworker while we were in Kuwait back in 2003. She is using it to
retrain rank racing horses. Where??? In the prison system. She said
it has been working on both the horses and the prisoners. Since then, I
tried using it with only a couple of books. I really made
progress when I got the 'system' and the 7 games videos. No my horse is
not perfect but has really progressed and it made a big difference the few rides
I was able to get to. Have not done much this yr due to scheduling.
Was not ready to go to a trail ride that usually has 1000 horses...OH, MY, I do
not like to think what response that would make!!! BUT let's face it, the
first few endurance rides are a high excitement trip.
IMHO, and we all have our opinions. Don't
forget the horse is reacting to EVERYTHING that has happened to him. They
don't seem to forget anything bad that has happened and it always prevails over
everything else. Parelli training really helps lots of people. If
you don't like the coffee, don't drink it. BUT don't throw the cup out with the
wash water.
I
am not a Parelli fan, probably see too many "Parelli"trained horses that
I felt were dangerous and disrespectful..you see people doing things
with horses willy nilly....standing on their backs (falling off!),
jumping bareback, no bridles, with NO HELMETS!, standing on horses lying
down, bridling from their KNEES??? Come on, all very unsafe
practices....
I am concerned though when people dismiss these teaching
programs with comments like the above. The idea of the
Parelli/Lyons/Anderson programs to is teach riders to connect with their
horses instead of just treating them as mounts, and to learn ways of
interacting with them which actually makes life much safer.
*Yes, but
these guys did not "invent" desentising horses, or working
with them.....and still no justification for the unsafe stuff.
How
many of these NASA trained Arabs would benefit with some desentization work
- Walmart bags on the end of carrot sticks flung aound their heads for a
few rounds might go a long way to reduce their airflight time.
*Does
that mean we need to buy a $$$$$ carrot stick?
These programs
suggest ways to work with your horses that make them safer not more
disrespectful. I have seen a lot of obnoxious horses, but none
who have had owners who've spent time with them on the ground, doing the
work taught in these seminars.
*Sorry, I have. Many common
sense ways to work with horses to make then safer.
Which is more
safe - a horse that throws his head to the sky every time you try to bridle
him - sometimes taking your arm out of socket doing so - or a horse that
drops his head - even to the point where you can be on your knees to put
one on? Riding without a bridle is the ultimate connection with a horse -
not to be done without prior teaching of course, but why would
one criticize this type of learning that results in a deeper affinity for
your equine friend? Why would anyone need a helmet on to do
ground work? I don't understand these criticisms.
*Boy, lets
see.....riding with a bridle is lovely...no criticism of that...but what
about rider on horse with no bridle, no helmet? Don't need helmet for
ground work, unless you are doing some very dangerous like kneeling right
in front of the horse to bridle it.....I do not do Parelli work but my
horses are lovely to bridle. Why would anyone even need to bridle
their horse from their knees???
These "celebrities" do have their
groupies, of course, Parelli more than most. But he is a showman -
and spends a lot of time making the system fun and entertaining. His
program still works.
*Again, not what I have seen or
experienced.
Anderson gets to the meat quick with much ado- good solid
info there, mate. I have found that the techniques and tips I gathered from
these 3 gurus (which can be found on RFDTV and in magazines, you don't have
to pay a lot of money to learn about them) to be excellent tools for
passing on at 4H meetings and with new or young riders.
*I totally
do not put Lyons or Anderson in same category at Parelli. Even his
(PP) articles in ride magazine showed very dangerous, stupid stuff (riding
horse into back of trailer with no helmet on rider); person following a
horse on the ground, walking right at it's butt, with the leadrope in the
person's teeth! The advertisement that truly pissed me off was a small
child, jumping bareback on a pony with NO HELMET!!!
It is easily
learned and pertinent stuff -and it reduces fear immensely when new horse
people see that a horse will respond to them so well. Anything that
decreases fear is always worth a look. Not everything new needs to be
dismissed - not every change is bad.
*Fine, if he eliminates the
dangerous, stupid stuff.
When it coms to horse handling, the majority
of people out there could benefit from a little more understanding and a
few more 'techniques" in their library...
*Obviously, no
argument there.
*Lets see, current horse, age 4, "Parelli" trained.
Needed work loading and unloading, didn't pick up feet without kicking at
me, didn't know word "ho", disrespectful by crowding....skittish to saddle,
hard to bridle.......what am I missing here? Every darn horse I have
bought with some "Parelli training" has had to be retrained. And, if
I see a horse for sale advertised with Parelli training, I know I will have
to retrain that horse....
I could not even get this guy to move his
hindquarters over with light hand cue (to teach him to do it-disingague
hindquarders) in order to learn leg cue. If you even looked at his
hind end, or feet, he would move them....what the heck use is that? I
often SCRUTINIZE, and look at hard, legs, feet, way of going. I don't
want the horse moving away just from me LOOKING at him, I want him to wait
for a verbal or touch cue. Again, useless waste of time, no usefull
application I can
see.....
