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| She went from this unconfident with water.... |
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| To one exceptionally brave pony! |
The Inaugural Parelli Intensive Horsemanship Course - Australia 2012
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
The Inaugural Parelli Intensive Horsemanship Course - Australia 2012
The Inaugural Parelli Intensive Horsemanship Course - Australia 2012
Saturday, 9 June 2012
Patterns and Teaching Horses.
My analysis of Patterns is that they are found everywhere nature, and horses are no exception (e.g graze and sleep at particular times). By using patterns when we interact with horses, we give them a chance to be active participants and really open the door for two-way-communication. A 'pattern' can be described as strategy or even a plan when we apply it to playing with horses. For an animal capable of reading intention, and who learns anywhere between 7-10 times faster than humans do, knowing exactly what we want, and when we are going to quit (Pressure motivates, but it is the release that teaches) before we ask our horse to do anything, really is lesson in focus for humans, and as I begin to reach higher levels with my horse, I understand the importance of the clarity of my intention, and how that directly correlates with my body language that Rain (my horse) is reading. The horse not doing what we want can only be two things, lack of understanding (that can be seen by unconfidence in the horse) or dominance. Both reflect on our leadership skills. Using patterns with horses is a great blue print for teaching young horses. It offers enough repetition in the learning process that makes a horse feel safe, trusting, motivated and willing and after a few sessions the horse knows exactly what to do (variety can be introduced as well, by combining seven games etc. patterns are not designed to bore a horse to death!). Both sides of the horse-human relationship have responsibilities (which I will get to later in my blog) and patterns are a great way to trust, but hold each other accountable for those.
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| Patterns are the blue-print for teaching horses. |
Valuing the Journey.
I think the greatest appeal to me about learning in this program is the fact it is never ending. Finishing things has never been something I have felt comfortable with, the linear progression from start to end has always lost me, and lost me quite appropriately for the topic, in the middle. I love middle's, the lingering place where you can take tangents, actually feel yourself expanding as you learn. I believe so long as you are learning, there is no end. Diverting off topic, I believe this is why teachers of students need to frequently continue to learn, to put themselves in their juniors shoes so they are constantly reminded how it feels to master a level of excellence along the cycle from unconscious incompetence (you don't know what you don't know), concious incompetence, concious competence to unconscious competence...and around again.
Valuing the journey for me has been about keeping the big picture in mind always, committing just to be positive, progressive and natural. My own expectations of myself have always been my most limiting factor, I can be so hard on myself I can cloud my own passions. Learning how to separate myself from ambition enough to let myself learn, and be kind to myself has been challenging. I frequently remind myself exactly how lucky I am to go and simply play with my horse, who offers feedback to my own mind and how its affecting my body language and communication with her, so acutely I cannot credit knowing myself like I do without also crediting my time with horses. She really is my mirror. Animals speak a universal language by instinct, and I think humanity could really be enlightened to many lessons if we began to nurture a kinship with all life that seems so diluted in our disharmony and lack of receptiveness with our surrounds.
Valuing the journey for me has been about keeping the big picture in mind always, committing just to be positive, progressive and natural. My own expectations of myself have always been my most limiting factor, I can be so hard on myself I can cloud my own passions. Learning how to separate myself from ambition enough to let myself learn, and be kind to myself has been challenging. I frequently remind myself exactly how lucky I am to go and simply play with my horse, who offers feedback to my own mind and how its affecting my body language and communication with her, so acutely I cannot credit knowing myself like I do without also crediting my time with horses. She really is my mirror. Animals speak a universal language by instinct, and I think humanity could really be enlightened to many lessons if we began to nurture a kinship with all life that seems so diluted in our disharmony and lack of receptiveness with our surrounds.
Tuesday, 5 June 2012
A few photos from Fast Track...
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| Maintaining mental connection at liberty playing stick to me. |
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| Looking up from the horse yards at the student tent and office at the Australian Parelli Campus in Wilton, NSW |
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| Rain, exploring her play drive tentatively with the green ball. |
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| Look at that draw! Being assessed on final testing day at liberty. |
Friday, 4 May 2012
What Makes A Successful Play Session?
The first play session I had at home with my horses after Fast Track I was a little apprehensive. Could I go out and play with the same quality as I could with Rain in the "perfect environment" of the Parelli Centre? So before I went out into the paddock I quickly brainstormed; What makes a successful play session? ( What do I need to put into place to make it great for my horse and I?)Here is a few things I learnt that I could put into dot points to apply to my future play sessions with all my horses.
-Make it a game...fun!
- Being particular keeps your horses mind, but don't micromanage or be critical.
- Put ten ounces into intention and one into phases
- Have a good neutral to balance consistently fair phases.
- Know your expectation of the task before you ask it,so you know when to release and quit!
- Understand when to apply pressure and when to release because pressure motivates a horse, it is the release that teaches.
- Be a genuine ambassador of yes, not a minister of no.
- Expect a lot, Accept a little, Reward often.
- Be an 'Oh Boy!' person, not an 'Oh no...'
- Truly understand your horses idea first (What game does your horse want to play?)
- Set it up for success (Isolate, Seperate and Re-combine)
- Make a plan but be flexible
- If it is going well, quit! Play for tomorrow.
- Don't be afraid of the reaction in order to find the response but be aware you are not causing a willing partner to be reactive by being impolite.
- Don't ask a trying horse to try.
- Maintain mental connection right from the moment your horse catches you until you slip the halter off.
- Ask your horses permission
-Honour your partnerships strengths, you owe it to your horse.
- Your horse and you hold each other accountable for your horses responsibilities.
Does anyone else have any things that make their play session with their horse fun and successful for the both of you? Feel free to add to the list in the comments section underneath!
-Make it a game...fun!
- Being particular keeps your horses mind, but don't micromanage or be critical.
- Put ten ounces into intention and one into phases
- Have a good neutral to balance consistently fair phases.
- Know your expectation of the task before you ask it,so you know when to release and quit!
- Understand when to apply pressure and when to release because pressure motivates a horse, it is the release that teaches.
- Be a genuine ambassador of yes, not a minister of no.
- Expect a lot, Accept a little, Reward often.
- Be an 'Oh Boy!' person, not an 'Oh no...'
- Truly understand your horses idea first (What game does your horse want to play?)
- Set it up for success (Isolate, Seperate and Re-combine)
- Make a plan but be flexible
- If it is going well, quit! Play for tomorrow.
- Don't be afraid of the reaction in order to find the response but be aware you are not causing a willing partner to be reactive by being impolite.
- Don't ask a trying horse to try.
- Maintain mental connection right from the moment your horse catches you until you slip the halter off.
- Ask your horses permission
-Honour your partnerships strengths, you owe it to your horse.
- Your horse and you hold each other accountable for your horses responsibilities.
Does anyone else have any things that make their play session with their horse fun and successful for the both of you? Feel free to add to the list in the comments section underneath!
Fast Track Reflection- March 2012
In March this year, I was privileged to spend four amazing weeks at the Australian Parelli Campus in Wilton NSW. I was one of twenty two students making the next step into advancing their horsemanship dreams or pursuing a career as a Parelli Professional. As I have Professional goals, I had to come away with a grade of 75% in my theory test and a level 3++ grade in all four savvy's, Online, Liberty, Freestyle, Finesse.
It is impossible to sum up how life changing Fast Track was for me, or just how much was learnt thanks to the amazing team of instructors and faculty. I would like to personally thank Rob and Megan McAuliffe, Carmen Smith, Shannon Davies, Kerryn Armstrong, Bonnie McIntyre, Shana Walters and Julianne Tetlow for there guidance and support.
The thing that struck me most was that there was nothing I had not already heard of in the program in the Fast Track curriculum but everything from the simple 7 games, patterns, horsenalities, and Pat's little sayings but yet there was so much depth yet to be fully understood. It really was about simple things done well. "Horsemanship is nothing more but a series of good habits and patterns" says Pat, but HOW good is up to our expectation and commitment to our partnership with our horse. Doing everything at a higher quality is something I came back to with a new filter to reflect my whole life through, and I raised the bar on everything I had been underestimating my capabilities, especially with my horses.
Fast Track began and ended with testing. Everyone was a bundle of nerves in the beginning despite the only goal was to "show us what you can do, not what you can't". Mainly it was just to set the benchmark of what we need to learn, and to see how far we have come in the end, and it did just that.
The curriculum covered advancing the 7 games, Horsenality Strategies, saddling and vet prep, Steady rein demo's, Advancing the Patterns, Impulsion games, and each day there was a series of workshops and demo's progressing from Online to Finesse. Each Friday, we met up with our instructor coach to set the weeks goals, and it was so helpful to have some ingredients from the instructors to play with, while keeping the overall goal in mind. This systematic technique really helped me see progress as something not to be afraid of, and how to isolate parts of a task to set it up for success for my horse and I, think laterally, problem solve and demonstrate my leadership to Rain.
There is so much I could say about Fast Track but I can only conclude with the statement that it is best to be experienced, by any one who is serious about improving their horsemanship to a performance level or has professional goals.
It is impossible to sum up how life changing Fast Track was for me, or just how much was learnt thanks to the amazing team of instructors and faculty. I would like to personally thank Rob and Megan McAuliffe, Carmen Smith, Shannon Davies, Kerryn Armstrong, Bonnie McIntyre, Shana Walters and Julianne Tetlow for there guidance and support.
The thing that struck me most was that there was nothing I had not already heard of in the program in the Fast Track curriculum but everything from the simple 7 games, patterns, horsenalities, and Pat's little sayings but yet there was so much depth yet to be fully understood. It really was about simple things done well. "Horsemanship is nothing more but a series of good habits and patterns" says Pat, but HOW good is up to our expectation and commitment to our partnership with our horse. Doing everything at a higher quality is something I came back to with a new filter to reflect my whole life through, and I raised the bar on everything I had been underestimating my capabilities, especially with my horses.
Fast Track began and ended with testing. Everyone was a bundle of nerves in the beginning despite the only goal was to "show us what you can do, not what you can't". Mainly it was just to set the benchmark of what we need to learn, and to see how far we have come in the end, and it did just that.
The curriculum covered advancing the 7 games, Horsenality Strategies, saddling and vet prep, Steady rein demo's, Advancing the Patterns, Impulsion games, and each day there was a series of workshops and demo's progressing from Online to Finesse. Each Friday, we met up with our instructor coach to set the weeks goals, and it was so helpful to have some ingredients from the instructors to play with, while keeping the overall goal in mind. This systematic technique really helped me see progress as something not to be afraid of, and how to isolate parts of a task to set it up for success for my horse and I, think laterally, problem solve and demonstrate my leadership to Rain.
There is so much I could say about Fast Track but I can only conclude with the statement that it is best to be experienced, by any one who is serious about improving their horsemanship to a performance level or has professional goals.
Sunday, 29 April 2012
What does Parelli mean to me?
Parelli is not just a way with horses for me, it is an attitude to life. Growing up with the philosophies, core values and teaching of Pat and Linda Parelli and the Australian instructor team has shaped the way I value my own life, interact with others, enhance my relationships with fellow human beings, set goals and problem solve.
It has taught me to think laterally, not be so direct line, value the relationship above all else. I have been challenged with the ideas to be natural, positive but also continually progressive. The last concept in particular meant being comfortable with being uncomfortable, and facing one of my greatest causes of unease...change! Parelli has helped me become more mentally, emotionally and physically fit. I am able to see the larger concept of an idea but be able to break it apart, isolate elements and learn in chunks that can be pieced together later.I have a greater understanding of who I am, my boundaries, and responsibilities within relationships. I know more about how to read horses than ever before and am both dedicated and addicted to learning more! Being able to assess what kind of leader you need to be for your horse to feel safe, calm, willing and motivated is such a vital skill and I regularly transfer that to university, family and workplace interactions.
The most recent and greatest lesson I have learnt is not to underestimate my abilities and honour my own life by seeing my dream to become a Parelli instructor as an accomplishable one. Not accomplishable in the sense one day I will wake up and tick it off my life's to-do list, but more just an internal permission I gave myself to let myself grow continually, and not deny myself any oppurtunities that may stem from that. Being able to motivate myself even on the days where everything seems a little difficult is kept alive by the dream. I am slowly realising that I cannot do this by myself, I need to ask the support network around me to help me live my dream, no one can do it alone!
Most of all Parelli is part of my identity. There are other parts of my life, sure. I am family orientated, study at university, have a fantastic boyfriend and a healthy friendship network. I love hiking, yoga, cups of tea, the beach and camping. But there is a part of me also that says, this is who I am, and what I stand for. No one can take away the feeling that my soul is on fire with passion for what I do, and my heart so at ease with joy when I am with horses.
It has taught me to think laterally, not be so direct line, value the relationship above all else. I have been challenged with the ideas to be natural, positive but also continually progressive. The last concept in particular meant being comfortable with being uncomfortable, and facing one of my greatest causes of unease...change! Parelli has helped me become more mentally, emotionally and physically fit. I am able to see the larger concept of an idea but be able to break it apart, isolate elements and learn in chunks that can be pieced together later.I have a greater understanding of who I am, my boundaries, and responsibilities within relationships. I know more about how to read horses than ever before and am both dedicated and addicted to learning more! Being able to assess what kind of leader you need to be for your horse to feel safe, calm, willing and motivated is such a vital skill and I regularly transfer that to university, family and workplace interactions.
The most recent and greatest lesson I have learnt is not to underestimate my abilities and honour my own life by seeing my dream to become a Parelli instructor as an accomplishable one. Not accomplishable in the sense one day I will wake up and tick it off my life's to-do list, but more just an internal permission I gave myself to let myself grow continually, and not deny myself any oppurtunities that may stem from that. Being able to motivate myself even on the days where everything seems a little difficult is kept alive by the dream. I am slowly realising that I cannot do this by myself, I need to ask the support network around me to help me live my dream, no one can do it alone!
Most of all Parelli is part of my identity. There are other parts of my life, sure. I am family orientated, study at university, have a fantastic boyfriend and a healthy friendship network. I love hiking, yoga, cups of tea, the beach and camping. But there is a part of me also that says, this is who I am, and what I stand for. No one can take away the feeling that my soul is on fire with passion for what I do, and my heart so at ease with joy when I am with horses.
The Beginning: How I found the program.
I have been a student in the program since I was ten years old. I began my journey with horses at age four at a 'pony playgroup' but I got my first horse Penny when I was nine. It was a dream come true. As with a lot of people I have met through the program, I found Parelli Natural Horsemanship because I was seeking not only answers for a difficult horse but a generally more fulfilling way to spend my time with my horse.
I started the home study program after my first riding teacher introduced me to 'natural horsemanship'. For a while, I continued to do both traditional and natural methods, but it was clear to me that my horse felt more stimulated, safe and was definitely a lot calmer! There was no debating she even looked happier when I walked into the paddock.This was a horse who had a lot of emotional baggage, a new addition to the family after I handed down my first pony (who possessed saintly tolerance to the mistakes of learning humans) to my Mum. My new horse Rhani was a standard bred who kicked in fear and at other horses, spooked dramatically, bucked, was hard to catch, anxious, ran off with you, shook her head violently and frothed at the mouth while ridden and occasionally self mutilated by biting her sides. With the patience of Mother Teresa, I believed I could 'heal' this horse. I gave up traditional methods after a disastrous period of competing and dressage lessons where Rhani would literally aim a massive double barrelled kick toward my instructor while I rode. There is something definitely a little odd when the teacher has to stand behind a fence to teach you. I watched this horse, who I knew was just treated badly, fall victim to many conventional experts ideas and actions of 'sorting her out' all of which left you with a bit of a sick feeling in the gut. The eighteen months of Parelli courses I had with Rhani were amazing, she was easier to catch, friendly, calmer and more obliging. People used to ask me at Pony Club "where did you get that horse?" My time out in the paddock was fun; sure this program was a little bit strange but I felt safe knowing I could just play on the ground. There was nothing that wasn't logical and practical. We swam in the dam together and she quickly became the learning curve of a lifetime and a best friend.We finally filmed our first level to be sent off to the United States for assessment.
There was a huge summer storm the night I filmed my Level One (partnership level). As I ran outside from my bed in the lightening and blinding sheets of rain (I had left a pony locked up in a small unsheltered yard) I felt a body of a horse run past me, bumping me with her shoulder. All four of our horses at the time were galloping around the paddock.
I awoke the next morning to find Rhani with a bowed tendon. Already in a panic I called the vet. Later prognosis showed a giant swelling of her shoulder where she had broken her upper leg. They were the hardest twenty four hours of my life and her final hours (feeding her willow leaves to ease the pain) until she was put down the next day only served to accentuate our bond. I sat with her and sang to her, and she put her muzzle on my shoulder. Saying goodbye to your best friend is something I will never forget.
I passed my Level One nearly a year later when I had the courage to submit it. By then I had another partner, Ace, a Thoroughbred mare only slightly less challenging than Rhani.In hindsight, I believe everything happens for a reason, and perhaps Rhani knew she was too challenging for me and had taught me just enough for me to go on with my journey.
I have been lucky to have a family so supportive of my dreams with horses, and I would like to take the time to thank my my parents for their financial support, Mum for being a study buddy and my Dad for being a designated driver, horse float and all to various courses all over Victoria.
And my very first pony, Penny? She is still with us, even today at the ripe old age of 27. What a horse!
I started the home study program after my first riding teacher introduced me to 'natural horsemanship'. For a while, I continued to do both traditional and natural methods, but it was clear to me that my horse felt more stimulated, safe and was definitely a lot calmer! There was no debating she even looked happier when I walked into the paddock.This was a horse who had a lot of emotional baggage, a new addition to the family after I handed down my first pony (who possessed saintly tolerance to the mistakes of learning humans) to my Mum. My new horse Rhani was a standard bred who kicked in fear and at other horses, spooked dramatically, bucked, was hard to catch, anxious, ran off with you, shook her head violently and frothed at the mouth while ridden and occasionally self mutilated by biting her sides. With the patience of Mother Teresa, I believed I could 'heal' this horse. I gave up traditional methods after a disastrous period of competing and dressage lessons where Rhani would literally aim a massive double barrelled kick toward my instructor while I rode. There is something definitely a little odd when the teacher has to stand behind a fence to teach you. I watched this horse, who I knew was just treated badly, fall victim to many conventional experts ideas and actions of 'sorting her out' all of which left you with a bit of a sick feeling in the gut. The eighteen months of Parelli courses I had with Rhani were amazing, she was easier to catch, friendly, calmer and more obliging. People used to ask me at Pony Club "where did you get that horse?" My time out in the paddock was fun; sure this program was a little bit strange but I felt safe knowing I could just play on the ground. There was nothing that wasn't logical and practical. We swam in the dam together and she quickly became the learning curve of a lifetime and a best friend.We finally filmed our first level to be sent off to the United States for assessment.
There was a huge summer storm the night I filmed my Level One (partnership level). As I ran outside from my bed in the lightening and blinding sheets of rain (I had left a pony locked up in a small unsheltered yard) I felt a body of a horse run past me, bumping me with her shoulder. All four of our horses at the time were galloping around the paddock.
I awoke the next morning to find Rhani with a bowed tendon. Already in a panic I called the vet. Later prognosis showed a giant swelling of her shoulder where she had broken her upper leg. They were the hardest twenty four hours of my life and her final hours (feeding her willow leaves to ease the pain) until she was put down the next day only served to accentuate our bond. I sat with her and sang to her, and she put her muzzle on my shoulder. Saying goodbye to your best friend is something I will never forget.
I passed my Level One nearly a year later when I had the courage to submit it. By then I had another partner, Ace, a Thoroughbred mare only slightly less challenging than Rhani.In hindsight, I believe everything happens for a reason, and perhaps Rhani knew she was too challenging for me and had taught me just enough for me to go on with my journey.
I have been lucky to have a family so supportive of my dreams with horses, and I would like to take the time to thank my my parents for their financial support, Mum for being a study buddy and my Dad for being a designated driver, horse float and all to various courses all over Victoria.
And my very first pony, Penny? She is still with us, even today at the ripe old age of 27. What a horse!
What is Parelli?
Parelli Natural Horsemanship is a relationship based training program that aims to develop the horse and human in four "savvys." It is also a meaningful, potentially lifelong commitment to continuing self improvement. The four savvys are Online, Liberty, Freestyle and Finesse. To paint a bit of a mental picture for anyone not in the program or involved with horses, Online is playing with the horse on the ground (as opposed to riding) and through a connection of various lengths of line and a carrot stick which acts as an extension of your body. Liberty is communication no strings attached, and the strength of bond can be tested in open spaces. Freestyle is the first of the riding savvys, and is a more casual riding savvy that focuses mainly on the horse and riders responsibilities and independence and sets the communication foundations for the second riding savvy of Finesse. Finesse can simply be described as riding with refined communication, the horse and rider look as though they are just dancing together in harmony.
Students learn to play a variety of games and patterns with their horses from all positions (zones) around the horses body. These games reflect the way horses naturally communicate with each other in a herd and prey animal psychology is used with love, language and leadership in mind.
The founder of the program, Pat Parelli has dedicated his life to sharing information that has been passed on from other amazing horseman to himself, such as Troy Henry, Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt and with his wife Linda, are dedicated to making the world a better place for horses and humans. It's about relationships for life, a true understanding of prey animal psychology so we can banish quick fixes, artificial aids and win-lose situations that make people and horses feel afraid, intimidated, diminished, frustrated or failures. 'Savvy' is developing an understanding and bringing professionalism back into the horse industry, where preserving the dignity of these beautiful animals and becoming a personal of knowledge and influence is a priority.
The Parelli program is about trust, unconditional love, language, leadership, communication, respect, fun, empowerment. Its a journey of a lifetime, and a journey I am happy to spend my lifetime dedicating to helping the program spread the word about a world class horse education program changing the world one partnership at a time.
Students learn to play a variety of games and patterns with their horses from all positions (zones) around the horses body. These games reflect the way horses naturally communicate with each other in a herd and prey animal psychology is used with love, language and leadership in mind.
The founder of the program, Pat Parelli has dedicated his life to sharing information that has been passed on from other amazing horseman to himself, such as Troy Henry, Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt and with his wife Linda, are dedicated to making the world a better place for horses and humans. It's about relationships for life, a true understanding of prey animal psychology so we can banish quick fixes, artificial aids and win-lose situations that make people and horses feel afraid, intimidated, diminished, frustrated or failures. 'Savvy' is developing an understanding and bringing professionalism back into the horse industry, where preserving the dignity of these beautiful animals and becoming a personal of knowledge and influence is a priority.
The Parelli program is about trust, unconditional love, language, leadership, communication, respect, fun, empowerment. Its a journey of a lifetime, and a journey I am happy to spend my lifetime dedicating to helping the program spread the word about a world class horse education program changing the world one partnership at a time.
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