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RE: [RC] Parelli and Natural Horsemanship - Smith, DaveGee, Kat, I guess I too would be put off by a horde of missionary "Parellites" all demanding that I do as they do if I was as surrounded by them as you apparently are. My heart goes out to you and those others they've reportedly insulted. Like I said, no one likes a bore particularly a bore with a zeal to convert the unbelieving. As far as the design of the carrot stick, hey, it's just a stick with a detachable string. You can use it, use your arms, use a dressage whip, use a willow stick or simply use your imagination if that's what works for you. I've found the carrot stick to be quite effective. My wife and I share ours. Neither of us has ever had any difficulty handling it. Certainly no tendonitis. By the way, a number of other clinicians market their own version. Speaking of marketing, I don't begrudge the Parellis selling shirts, hats, saddles, pads or anything else that will make them a buck. Most clinicians are marketing something -- DVDs, books, etc. I'm a capitalist. This is a capitalistic nation. I believe in the capitalistic system. Yes, Pat and Linda are marketers and they appear to be making a bundle. So what? Wish I could follow suit. Causes me no envy, what-so-ever. If I don't want any of their stuff I'm old enough to say "no thanks." And while their stuff is expensive, it is also high quality. I know, I've purchased cheaper knock-offs and they just don't hold up as well. Interestingly, before Parelli, a rope to me was just a rope. Now I know that a quality rope is worth the extra money. And to Milroy, you and I obviously differ because I believe that when it comes to horses, the Parellis are great teachers -- how else do you explain the many thousands of horse people around the world who have voluntarily come to them for their teaching. And to you and Kat and Stacy, I've said my piece about them and their methods. I find they work for me and mine. You apparently don't. So be it. I respect your right to a differing point of view. Instead of continuing what apparently is a fruitless discourse, I plan to finish up this Friday with a ride in beautiful Auburn. The weather today is gorgeous -- low, dry 90s with a cooling sea breeze blowing in from the San Francisco Bay. I can almost feel Hermano under me how. Hope you can have a good ride too. --Dave -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of k s swigart Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 12:48 PM To: Ridecamp Subject: [RC] Parelli and Natural Horsemanship Dave Smith said: Therefore, I am continually surprised by the attacks on Parelli and what he and his wife have offered the horse world. I almost never hear similar attacks on the other clinicians, so I am always curious as to the basis of this criticism. The basis of my criticism comes from a couple of places, not the least of which is the poor design of the carrot stick, yes a nicely balanced dressage whip is a far more effective tool if for no other reason than that it is (and has specifically been designed to be) easier to hold without causing long term physical damage to the user. I have two friends how have been in and out of the doctor's office for treatment of their tendonitis. Usually when I probe this animosity, I find that the critic knows little about the program and his/her criticism is based on some faulty assumptions. I know only what I have been told by his followers and what I have seen his followers doing with horses. I don't consider it a faulty assumption to assume that his followers have learned what he is teaching them, whether it is what he is trying to teach them or not. This includes the quote about doing the opposite of other horse people. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a statement like that is going to generate animosity. Probe a bit deeper and I often find that the root of the criticism is really about the financial success Parelli enjoys. So, in my view, much of the Parelli criticism is simple old-fashioned envy. However, carrot stick aside, one of the biggest complaints I have about his marketing efforts is its ability to generate "group think." I work with many people who are surrounded by Parelli-ites at their barns who are ashamed to admit that it doesn't work for them and their horses and will even go along with the group in their clinics and their regular Thursday night sessions even though they know that it doesn't work for them and their horses because they don't want to offend their friends and/or be left out of the group. And these groupies constantly harp on everybody else who isn't going along with them because they are SURE that if they would just be converted that it would be better for them and their horses (i.e. They don't know how to take "No thanks, I am not interested" for an answer). And when Parelli started selling hats and t-shirst and calendars with his name and logo on them, he stopped being any kind of a horseman and became a salesman, period. Hats, t-shirts and calendars do not have ANYTHING to do with horsemanship or how people communicate with horses. It is all about how people communicate with other people in order to get them to join their group so they can wear the group's uniform (which horses don't recognize). And without even realizing it, most of his proponents that I have met, use his marketing tools to bludgeon the non-conformists with peer pressure. I have MANY friends who have come to me asking how they can politely explain to thise people that though they like riding with them and associating with them they have tried the Parelli thing with their horse and it really doesn't work for them so would they please stop asking. Because so few Parelli-ites that I have met are willing to take "No thanks, I am not interested" or "I tried it and it didn't work for me" for an answer (i.e. to accept a polite refusal), they leave those people who are not interested with no choices but to go along (to the detriment of themselves and their horses) or to be impolite in their refusals. I suspect that there are a great many people who are also proponents of Parelli's methods who don't feel the need to advertise the fact and just let it work for them and their horses and will mention it to friends and let them know how well it has worked for them and be willing to share without coming on like missionaries. And I have no complaint about this at all. In fact, I consider it a good thing for both the people and their horses. It is, by his marketing techniques, that he has generated a bunch of groupies who don't know how to take no for an answer that is my biggest complaint. Especially since the method that is used by these proponents is to attempt to make everybody else feel guilty because their way is more natural and every other way is cruel. The very fact that somebody on this list (I can go look it up in the archives if you really want me to) felt the need to compare all non-Parelli-ites to people who shove ginger up their horses asses is downright misleading. There are plenty of people out there, even "so-called horse people" who don't shove ginger up their horses asses, don't abuse and beat on their horses, who work with and communicate with their horses effectively and have great relationships with them without ever setting foot in a Parelli clinic or playing a single one of his games. So, I will say it again. If you want to know why Parelli generates a great deal of animosity among many horse people this quote explains it perfectly: "You want to be good with horses? Look at what other so-called horse people are doing, and do the opposite." You are pretty much guaranteed to generate animosity among "other so-called horse people" with this statement. And you damned well ought not be surprised. If this IS a direct quote from Parelli, he has brought the animosity on himself by saying it, since by saying it, he has pretty much insulted every other horse person out there. kat Orange County, Calif. :) (yes, you CAN find a joke in there somewhere) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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