I haven’t thought about the Parelli’s for some time now, and it was only after being sent this video that my mind began perusing through those old feelings and came up with a solid explanation of my observations. In the following video you can see Linda ‘demonstrating’ how to correct a supposedly out of control horse, who is blind in one eye, after her owner/handler has failed.
I suppose everyone who watches the video will come away with a slightly different feeling, here are my thoughts on the video and my previous impression of Parelli Natural Horsemanship.
In my mind, a method can only go so far. To apply the same practice to every horse in every situation is like saying that all people will be happy in a traditional heterosexual marriage that produces two children – one boy and one girl – with the wife staying at home and the husband providing. This model has proven to create mass unhappiness and we can see that by the sheer number of people moving away from it and finding happiness in other ways and order of their lives. Naturally, I am skeptical in a method that has one set way of working. The Parellis have put forth a system that takes equestrians from one step to another in a very specific and methodical way, leaving no room for wavering. This can lay the foundation for a great deal of dilemma.
Which leads me to my second observation… of all the natural horsemanship clinicians, and perhaps connected with just how prevalent and wide-spread Parelli’s popularity is, I have never observed a method producing so many dysfunctional horses. Through the years I have been conditioned to naturally shudder when I hear that a horse has been trained using Parelli methods, and now the owner is beyond recourse and needs help because the horse is dangerous. The other scenario is the horse is primarily a pasture potato, the owner has done the 7-games with him, and thinks the horse will make a great riding horse… only to visit the horse and find an animal which has learned how to use his size and strength against people, has no consideration or respect for you, and has zero inclination towards doing work of any kind.
I would be happy to stop there or even fall shorter if I had not seen so many cases just like this, but unfortunately that is not my reality. I will say there are happy exceptions. There are close friends of mine who use Parelli techniques and due only to their exquisite timing and understanding of the horse do they find a great deal of success with it. And there are many others I watch and cannot help but run the thought through my mind that, “they are going to get killed doing this, or inspire someone else to try this and themselves get killed!”
But why? The Parellis market themselves to equestrians who are afraid of their horses, are having a great deal of problems with their horses, etc. Perhaps in part to this they also end up with a great deal of failures in the sidelines. If someone wished to learn marketing tactics the Parellis would be an ideal model.
When I watch the video of Linda working with this half-blind horse, the main points that stick in my head are two-fold. One, is that she is terrified of this horse and trying so hard to get it to obey using the single method she knows. Second is that the horse has no idea what Linda wants and is completely confused. Another side-thought is that horses move into pressure, particularly when they don’t understand to do otherwise. Linda is applying pressure, the horse doesn’t understand, so in an attempt to stop the pressure the horse is moving into it. Yet, Linda is expecting a different result. Eventually she begins to get semi-correct responses, but only through the use of what I consider to be excessive pressure and force.
Then I ask myself, could Linda have accomplished her goal better by starting closer to the horse – perhaps a hand on the halter and direct pressure to start the idea that “this is what we are working on today,” and slowly moving away and changing the cue from nose pressure to the line shake? Making certain the horse understands at every stage before moving further away? I find it is extraordinarily easy for us to focus so hard on a single task and the end goal, that we miss piecing it together with small steps. That could even be the most difficult part of horsemanship I surmise.
Still, that is the fodder for my dislike and distrust of Parelli Natural Horsemanship Methods. Being so rigid in your method that you put horse and rider at risk is utterly negligible.
Excellent – thanks for writing this. :-)
I always had a weird feeling too about them and you put it into words beautifully!
Erica,
Thanks for the good article. I agree with most of your comments, but I wouldn’t expect to change too many opinions. Parelli disciples are a dedicated lot and very defensive…
this video isn’t pretty – the horse obviously does not understand and I believe there are gentler ways to introduce the horse to the idea – I agree with you – a little pressure on the nose to introduce the concept and LOTS of praise = happily co-operative horse…I really missed the praise in this video and so did this horse…thanks for this article…
What a great way to get a discussion going on Parelli. You have presented so many of the main negative arguments about Parelli Natural Horsemanship in way that I just have to respond. It seems that you have had some casual contact with Parelli and natural horsemanship, but have never attended a Parelli clinic or been to a Parelli event where you have been a participant.
Parelli horsemanship is so far from being one rigid method that it is close to the other end of the scale. If you learn the various “horsenalities” they teach and how to handle each one you will see that.
The people who have trouble with Parelli horsemanship are people who have either had insufficient exposure to it, or who are unwilling to change themselves, and keep approaching their horses with the same old mind set.
Anyone who says that Linda is afraid of the horse in the video does not know Linda very well.
Thanks for being so opinionated. It’s a great way to start a conversation.
Seth,
haha, glad to be opinionated… and hopefully bring about more conversations. IMO, they are essential to any learning endeavor! :)
I have audited Parelli events, and am familiar with their ‘horsenality’ theories. I cannot help but connect the idea of attributing a personality to a horse based on their facial features, hair whorls, etc with also attributing a stereotype about a person based on their facial features, hair tendencies, etc. Actually, if I recall correctly that was food for some of the early ethnic cleansing and scientific ‘proof’ that certain people were inferior or superior by skull size and such. Truly though the scientific community as a whole would classify ‘horsenalities’ to the same realm as astrology, Chinese horoscope, reading tea leaves, etc. While people may believe in them and see some tendencies, there is no way to test and prove them as fact.
Any method could also claim that those who have not had success are simply inept in some fashion (i.e. unwilling to change) or haven’t had enough training, not just Parelli. A beautiful loop-hole? :) And finally to counter your mention of not knowing Linda Parelli well enough to know she is unafraid in the video… I have a question in response. Does knowing a person on a closer level help or hinder your ability to see their actions without prejudice? Can knowing the person more intimately cloud your judgement? You know the old saying of rose colored glasses… ;)
I appreciate the conversation!
Sorry Erika, but you just lost a little bit of respect from me with the “I have audited Parelli events, and am familiar with their ‘horsenality’ theories. I cannot help but connect the idea of attributing a personality to a horse based on their facial features, hair whorls, etc with also attributing a stereotype about a person based on their facial features, hair tendencies, etc.” comment. I really liked most of what you said til then. Sorry :-/ but you can’t be that familiar if you think whorls are part of ‘horsenality’.
For the record, I am not a huge fan of Parelli mostly because I think they have gone too far into it for the money and are ignoring a HUGE lot of people that could really benefit from them. With that said, I did use the 7 games to work with my Arab/Barb mare who, when I bought her was 6 years old, WAY beyond excitable and had only done Fantasia (the festivals in North Africa with the guns and shooting and whooping it up) :) After working with her using Parelli methods, my 8 year old daughter was able to ride her on the beach with no problems. I got what I wanted out of it but wasn’t so strongly tied to it to say it was the ONLY way. Just my two cents :)
Stefanie,
You are right, if you continued reading through the comments you would find my reply to Jeanne pointing out that I had referenced hair whorls in place of the right brain/left brain, introvert/extrovert that is true horsenality. There were people going around at many events in 2000-2001 time frame who were proposing the horse’s personality based on head shape and hair whorls. This blunder on my part is why I no longer field comments and make replies at 3:00am. :)
There are always pieces of every method that are worthwhile and work on certain horses. You found the 7 Games to your benefit and that is not unique – which is why Parelli has so many followers. If a single thing he did worked on zero of the horses and riders then he would not have a business. :)
Cheers!
You really don’t know what you are talking about Erika. Horsenality has nothing to do with facial features and/or whorls…and, they are not a “one size fits all” sort of thing. It is simply a way to analyze horse’s innate/potential behavior based on many things (training, experience, what he/she was born with, level of spirit etc) ..and, it changes under differing circumstances…just like people’s behavior will. Parelli does not put horses “in a box” and that is what you seem to be thinking.
As for the video.. the portion, taken out of context, is, indeed ugly and could have been done differently but, that was filmed almost 7 years ago and Linda’s expertise has come a LONG way. There is much more to that video that the person purposely didn’t post because it explains what is going on (by the way, posting this video is a violation of copyright laws I might add.) I don’t see anyone fussing over the behavior of so many other “professionals” who treat horses far worse at clinics or on film.
I am not going to say that Parelli is the end all and be all of horse training but it isn’t fair to knock something so hard without knowing more about it. There are horrible horse training stories attributed to the best training methods and there are wonderful stories found from the worst of training methods. Use what works for you but don’t slam other’s view and opinions.
Jeannie
Jeanne,
You are correct about one point, I confused the Parelli’s horsenality with the technique which was going around largely from 2001-2004? in which horse personality traits were being pointed out by the horse’s hair whorls and head shape. Call it a weakness of evening writing? My apologies for the error. :)
As for the other points… the idea that the Parelli’s are not putting the horse in a box by presenting a judgement on the horse’s personality period is proof against that call. Many people put heavy weight in horoscopes/signs/etc, but would it be fair of me to judge what type of person you are based on your astrological sign? Would I be putting you in a box? I know that I would certainly feel trapped in if everyone were to judge me based on certain criteria 100% of the time. How does that allow for growth if you already ‘know’ my potential and the way in which I think, act or react? The right-brain / left-brain and intro-vert / extro-vert argument I have a difficult time swallowing. Certainly it is an easy sell. Why? Because people can relate to it. You point out x and y traits and give them a name and if someone feels like they have those traits they say, “a ha! That must be what I am!” because humans love to label and identify things with names. We put names on everything… even if it hinders rather than helps us. In some ways it is what helps us to organize and make sense of our world. It can also keep us from seeing the trees for the forest. It can blind us from seeing more detail by assuming that a maple tree is always a maple tree. But, I digress.
I do not doubt that Linda has grown over that 7 years. Simply working with horses for that period of time requires growth and change. Regardless, as a professional this is one thing that you risk – critique, public or private. Anyone who puts themselves out for others to see does just that. I do not expect everyone who reads my blog to agree with me or to even enjoy the blog, and it has been my own experience that trying to please people only hurts you in the end and reduces the quality and value of your work. I won’t agree that Linda has grown to a place of perfection over that 7 years, or that I approve of her anymore now than I did when I was first exposed to her work alongside Pat. If you look hard enough you will certainly find people critiquing most anyone. :) Public opinion isn’t always correct. A million people can be wrong… it is what makes fads and decides popularity contests. Think back to what seemed important in high school, does it still seem important? Probably not, but why was it so pressing for you at the time?
Another point about being critiqued. It is an invaluable tool for improvement. Some of the greatest people do not shy away from critiques but rather embrace them. There were no personal attacks towards Linda in my post, simply my observations. Nothing a person does in life is always perfect, and critiques can help us if we choose to use them. It is through isolation of ideas that we stop moving forward and stagnate.
If my own opinion came off as a slam, then so be it I guess. Is my own opinion of any less value than another person’s just because I am not in support? No, and that is the beauty of living in a Democratic nation (for me at least), rather than a nation such as China where my opinion might very well be blind-sided if it is out of alignment with that of the controlling interest’s. :)
Cheers,
Erica K.
I’m non-plussed with some of your arguments against Parelli Natural Horsemanship. If you had actually quietly and open mindedly attended a course or had some training from a Parelli professional I think you would find that it is one of the fairest ways of ‘training’ horses.
Like many clinicians, they start off with any horse by assessing it and guiding it through a step by step programme to help the horse gain confidence and not view the world as a scary place. There is a strong probability that horses that have been spoiled by this method would probably have been spoiled by the very same people who had ‘trained’ them no matter what method was used on them, because sadly most people just don’t have the time, commitment and consistency to make a good horse,just as most people can’t even train their own dogs. It takes years of practice to learn ANYTHING and people like you and me and many trainers or clinicians are really singing from the same song sheet – we really do want to make the world a better place for the horse, but how can we put years of dedication and hard work into the mind and hearts of a novice human being, we can’t.
Please, try and see the bigger picture here. Yes, some of the clinicians are making big money, but do you really believe that in their hearts they don’t have the well-being of the horse at the top of their list.
christine
Christine,
I find it interesting that you expressed your opinion that everyone who ‘quietly and open mindedly’ observes Parelli will walk away with the impression that it is one of the ‘fairest ways of training horses’. This reminds me of a boss I once had who would remark that “the bad staff don’t last and tend to weed themselves out” in an work environment that frequently changed management, wage policies, staffing and scheduling rules and so on. This set the stage that those making a decision in their best interest (not necessarily fitting of the business’ present policies) was therefore a bad person.
On the contrary, my tendency when being introduced to any idea is to pursue it with rampant, open-minded interest. My jumping wholeheartedly into learning more about something however does not mean that I will actually like it, nor does it mean that I will always spend a long period of time ‘testing the waters’ to see if my initial dislike is genuine.
At the present my stance is that anything which is money motivated is at risk of corruption – no matter the field, whether it is politics or horsemanship. Parelli Horsemanship is first and foremost a business. Like any business they will give certain things away for free – great tax write-off and even better PR. But their bottom line is making a profit or their business fails. If they were not money minded why is Parelli not a non-profit organization?
I agree with you that those who spoil with Parelli would like spoil with any other quick, gadget oriented, money motivated horse training method. The big picture in my mind is that there are so many of these kinds of trainers in every discipline and across the globe, that it is practically impossible to imagine some other kind of presentation of horse training.
Where I see the fault in any of these training methods – not JUST Parelli – is that so many are based upon the needs of the beginning rider’s whims. They want to do x,y,z with their horse before anyone has taken the time to teach them how to lead an old bombproof nag. They all want to train their young horse to be something fantastical without taking the time to learn how to ride properly a horse who has been there and done that. And clinicians help feed this. They are NOT addressing the necessity that riders must learn how to be balanced and quiet in the saddle, that they need educated, light and forgiving hands that are NOT used for balance, legs that can act lightly and independently from the seat. Instead they show people of any level of skill how to start a 2 year old in two or three days under saddle. How to fix head shyness in two days. How to cure spooking in a session.
These are the ideas which are being given away to the general public at horse fairs, demonstrations, clinics and so on. Sure, people can sign up for a long-term course and perhaps realize that these are not ideal training time lines, but what about the people who will not commit the time and money to go to these longer courses and instead go home with this free ‘knowledge’ and hurt themselves, ruin and torture (yes, I do mean torture) their horse from lack of understanding (not necessarily because that is their intent), and where do they go from there?
I do not assume that everyone has the horse’s best interest at the top of their list. When I was a teenager, yes. The more you see the less fantasy exists – luckily for me I still have the fantasy of how wonderful horses are in my life. Ignorance is bliss – I remember being in that place where everyone who was in the spotlight was magical, but I know better now. They are the same as the backyard rider, just better dressage with an entourage, more money and more expensive horses/tack/etc. :)
Hi Erika~
A much more well presented response. Thank you.
I still don’t think you understand the horsenality thing….it is actually quite helpful in knowing how to react to specific behavior. It is not at all stagnant and a horse can flip back and forth along the spectrum in the flash of a second. Yes, people like to label things but, if those labels are used as a tool while not “canning” a horse, then where is the harm? If you have children, you know that you would deal with a child very differently depending on whether he was tired, sick, upset, distracted, exuberant, etc. It is the same sort of thing with the horsenality theory. Horses don’t always respond in ways we anticipate so we all must adjust accordingly. PNH does address this and doesn’t profile the horse and set his nature in stone.
I agree, there is no perfect horseman out there though some would like to claim that title. We are all in this learning together. Pat credits numerous horseman in his path of learning and Linda has been actively taking lessons with Walter Zettl (sorry, probably didn’t spell his name correctly) to correct lots of problems in her riding and horsemanship.
Criticism is important and anyone in the spotlight, is indeed held to a higher standard. I think it’s fair to criticize but empty criticism only incites polarity. I’d rather discuss “what could have been done differently” rather than…oh, they/their methods are weird/I don’t like them. I suppose everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and, it makes for lively blogging….afterall, it *is* your website and you can post what you will.
I don’t think your post really came off as a slam but, it’s always easier to point and complain than it is to try to understand other methods. I believe they all can be helpful at some point in our life’s journey.
Jeannie
Jeanne,
You’re welcome. :)
I do get that the horsenality labels are changeable, but then if they are being redefined why give them at all? The issue I see is that by giving a label at all it brings us closer to making assumptions. Not only that, but often what is going on with the horse is our own issue anyways and we are projecting. The brain likes to skip over ‘small details’ and labels are one way of doing that. When we see a red cup it is only a red cup, but if we look closer at the details there are more colors in that cup than just red, various shades of red along with the reflected colors of objects nearby. But if we only say “the cup is red” that is all we will see.
I understand why the Parelli’s use this system, because they are trying to wholesale teach something which is an art as something which is merely actions and tact (or saavy). It is a difficult line to walk.
In the last two paragraphs I made my own observations, but also remarked about different things which could have been done. The beginning of the post I made a sweeping introduction about my initial impressions of Pat’s methods, which were unspecific feelings, though later I went on to sum up just what those feelings were once I had gained enough education to put those feelings into words as far as horsemanship goes. Did you read through the whole post?
Cheers,
Erica K.
Yes, I read the whole article.
Horsemanship is certainly an art and going through any packaged program won’t make one a horseman…but, it is the first step for many. I applaud all of the horseman in all disciplines who try their best to teach people. Horses know what they know…we need to learn from them and, like it or not, the Parellis have developed some good tools for the average person to work with. What they may call “Savvy” is simply “good horsemanship” to most. Do they make mistakes? Yep..don’t we all? I could do without the marketing hype but I suppose they need to make a living! lol
Anyway, I don’t want to start a debate about what qualifies “good horsemanship” or not…
By the way…you have a really nice site here. Good writing, great photos…glad I stumbled across it.
Jeannie
I wish sometimes that the top clinicians would stop and tell their audience that there is more, but in a way I think that might make people feel like the person is disqualifying themselves. Something like, “this is a beginning, but horsemanship itself is an art and I am merely helping you learn how to paint by number right now…” :) haha, I just don’t see that happening too soon though.
I am glad you like my blog, I’ve enjoyed our discussion and am happy to have you here. :)
Cheers,
Erica K.
I certainly can understand your uneasiness with the Parelli method. There certainly are many folks out there that are in danger of getting hurt by their horses. I’ve witnessed many who have started working with Parelli methods and most of them never really continue through to an adequate level and many think they know what their doing but they’ve never studied under the professional tutelage of a certified Parelli instructor. I have to admit, my experiences watching Linda work with horses has left me a bit cold as well. However, I have seen many who have taken the Parelli method seriously and not only work with their horses multiple times per week over long period of time, but they also go to clinics and let their technique be criticized and corrected by an experienced instructor. For me, it was at those 3 – 5 day clinics that my learning and subsequent progress soared. I have since been able to take dangerous horses and transform them into safe mounts for riders of all experience levels. However, horses are an every changing being, as I’m sure you are well aware, and the behavior of a new owner could make a safe and bullet proof horse into a dangerous animal. So, I guess what I am saying is, don’t judge the Parelli method by the dilettantes who dabble in it or Linda who because she has the public’s ear because of her husband’s talents expounds like an expert. The stuff really works if you work at it and are willing to be corrected by those who can do, like my instructor, 5 star teacher, David Lichman. I’ve trained horses for over 35 years and I’ve gotten my best results since I began following Pat Parelli’s consolidation of the knowledge of hundreds of great horsemen.
I’m glad to hear you’ve had success with the Parelli method Joe. :)
Totally agree with you. I learned to ride with a woman who had been doing natural for 20+ years and she was great. most of her stuff was based off monty roberts, but with more convetional methods. It worked well and she made sure that the horse and rider always had a great, safe bond. I ride my own horse in the ‘normal’ conventional way, and it is my own personal belief that if you treat the horse right then you should have that bond with them, no matter whether you are ‘natural’ or not. I agree that Parelli’s methods, in general, are fostering the horse being in control of the partnership, and when the rider or trainer is already scared, and the horse had a stubborn, mean or disobediant streak in them, like most horses do, this doesn’t often turn out well. I give kudos to those that have managed to get horses working well using parelli, as they need to be confident and in control the whole time.
I would just like to say that I agree with you Erica, most especially about the marketing aspect of the Parellis. I think it is very dangerous to mass market a skill level & art form that takes a life journey to accomplish into something resembling a (very expensive!) paint by numbers package. I feel the same way about the Parellis as John Lyons, Clinton Anderson & on & on & ON that these people have taken very lucrative advantage of Joe Public Rider’s weakness in believing that many years of experience, hard work and thoughtful study can be bought in a weekend. I don’t doubt that these individuals themselves have talent and experience but the idea that you can package it & mass produce it I frankly find offensive and irresponsible & totally lacking in integrity. I am most offended on behalf of the horses who have no option but to become the ultimate trick ponies left with no dignity & no expectations. That said, I would be first to say that this sort of behaviour can be found in all disciplines, it’s just that the ‘natural gurus’ have done it on such a huge scale. I would also like to add that without exception every Parelli method trained horse I have ever met feels more programmed (a la Pavlov!) to me than trained (& they’re often kind of a pain to live with!)
PS that video made me just about sick to my stomach & by the time I hit send on this post I am going to be mad as hell! “Horse-man-shit” is right!
I didn’t watch this video. But I had a booth across from the Parelli’s booth one year at the World Equitana. I watched his video at his booth, where i was dismayed to see him galloping a horse up behind a horse trailer being pulled by a pickup truck, and leap his horse into the trailer, all while riding it bridleless and bareback. A feat no doubt!, but who does that? Why? I later went and watched his demo, and his horses circled around him behind his back, with apparent distrust? their ears pinned tightly in angry pissyness. I would not argue with his ability, but am not impressed by him. Salesmanship, yes. He never gives credits to the old Vaquero traditions… he claims to be the originator of “natural” horsemanship, forcing those who know better, to find another term. The old vaquero type horsemen will quietly give all due credit to their predecessors, and will tell you they will help you, but do not know it all, far from it. That is what I am comfortable with, and trust. One of my favorite local trainers in my area, has a Parelli background, and she uses it with dignity and wisdom, I am very impressed… so we can learn from the right things anyone puts out there, as well as from the wrong things, as we recognize them. Happy Trails.
I also have a close friend who uses some of the Parelli ideas – with a great deal of tact and talent – combined with common sense and a lot of respect for her horses and has great results. :) For me, she is an exception and I know there are more out there, thank goodness!
I watched the video and it only confused me. What was she trying to get that horse to DO? If I couldn’t figure it out, what chance did the horse have?
Beth, those were my same sentiments – for the life of me I couldn’t discern her direct intentions without listening to commentary.
Wow! folks are still discussing this clip! There is about an hour of footage with explanation in the level 1 dvd set of this particular horse/session. It made me uncomfortable to watch and I agree that there are probably better ways to have worked on this but…basically, this horse is quite dominant and distracted. He kept barging into Linda’s space and she was (not too effectively) working on getting his attention and getting him out of her space. Notice how he keeps trying to walk over her and isn’t even caring about her futile flicks of the rope. She wanted to get him at the end of the rope and to basically stand in one place. He more or less does at the end ..then she continues to make him focus on her by backing him at the end of the rope. I think it was a poor video to put in a level one dvd set as it shows Linda in a bit over her head in the way she deals with this particular horse. She ends up getting the desired results but I, personally, think she would have gotten further, faster by moving the horse’s feet more with lots of changes of direction. The last think I would want to do with a distracted, bargy horse is to try to keep him still (but, keeping him out of MY space would be important)
There are difficult videos to watch of all trainers. I just saw one from another trainer that disturbed me even more than this one…but, sometimes drastic measures need to be taken. Seeing a 3 minute clip doesn’t tell the whole story…..I think we all need to have some grace while watching others work with horses. Horses are amazing animals and great horses have been trained with rotten trainers just as rotten horses have been turned out by great trainers! Use what works for your particular situation and learn from all you see.
Just thought I would give my two cents worth. I got my first ride at 4 years old and have not given up yet at 62. I have had no formal training or lessons.I have fallen off, been dumped, trampled, kicked and bitten. I have run a successful breeding program, shown my own horses and won against pro trainers. Trained my horses to saddle and cart. Those are my qualifications for saying that of all the clinicians I have seen in person, watched videos of, or spoken to Parelli is the biggest blowhard, The dumbest horseman and the champion of B.S.. His smarts are in marketing – getting people to pay for his line of horse puckey. I will not consider owning a horse “trained” by Parelli’s methods no matter what their bloodlines. Virtually every one I have met is an accident waiting to happen. They have no respect for humans. Would you if you were an equal partner? They know not much that is of value to a show rider, trail rider, or cowboy.
Sorry, but Parelli and Parelli practioners are given a wide berth by me.
I am in complete agreement and too find myself veering away from those horses trained with Parelli methods. I don’t think it is appropriate to ‘play games’ with a horse who is obviously dominating it’s play partner or to consider tack-less riding the epitome of horsemanship. Actually with experience and education comes the realization that giving those things up is not evolution but rather a way of skipping out on mastering some of the most difficult and complicated forms of communication – through the rider’s hands, seat and legs – because it is unnatural and generally against our human habits. :)
Welcome to the blog “Villen” :)
Hi Erica and everyone else… I am finding all of this very intriguing – I have been riding all my life and have a 5 year old gelding, whom I bred… due to study and having babies, I never had him officially “broken” in. A year ago a friend suggested I try Parelli to train him myself.. and I have been giving it a go! I think the fundamentals are good, but have been having some doubts lately… I find it hard being a beginner all over again! to re-learn everything! and although I think I understand the 7 games… I feel like every time I work with my horse I have to start again with the friendly game.. because he won’t let me pick up both his hooves from one side or doesn’t like me swinging the carrot stick around the place… which I’m not sure I really care about doing in the first place! generally the answer to this, when I ask why I have to start again each time.. is it’s your fault not the horse… fair enough, but gets a little depressing!
Anyway now I am ranting…. I guess I was hunting around online today, to see if there was any sort of happy medium? but from the looks you either do Parelli or don’t? I guess I don’t want to be pigeoned as a Parelli Person!! I’m my own person, I just want to have a good relationship with my horse!
:) thanks for listening…
um. very dissapointing.
So this horse has one eye right? (no left eye?) so he was being reprimanded for turning his head and looking at the trees? Is there no possibility that this horse was infact just trying to get himelf into a position whereby he could see Linda better in his right eye?
could this also be why he was panicked by the rope swinging on his left side but seemed better and more understanding with moving away from pressure on his right side?
Don’t get me wrong, I understand the importance of not having a horse that runs over you and I fully understand the phases element of the parelli system (that isn’t demonstrated as well here at all)however, surely a different approach is needed with a one eyed horse, an approach that builds more trust and has more physical contact, hands on and gentle requests but still definate and clear communication?
I have recently been considering taking on my freinds partially sighted horse and so have been doing lots of research on handling and ground skills with blind horses and partially sighted horses and there is some good advice out there and some good training clips on youtube.
This unfortunately was a chance for Linda to prove that Parelli concepts can be used in this situation but it saddens me to say this video did just the opposite and is far from a good training video.
This horse should not have been put in this situation
Second is that the horse has no idea what Linda wants and is completely confused. Another side-thought is that horses move into pressure, particularly when they don’t understand to do otherwise. Linda is applying pressure, the horse doesn’t understand, so in an attempt to stop the pressure the horse is moving into it. Yet, Linda is expecting a different result. Eventually she begins to get semi-correct responses, but only through the use of what I consider to be excessive pressure and force.
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Erika – You’re an idiot. Horses move AWAY from pressure.
Appreciate the name-calling, it always inspires intelligent conversation.
Regarding moving into vs away from pressure. To be specific – physical pressure. A horse will move away from visual and audio pressure – for example when you are walking towards him to catch him from the pasture would be visual pressure. Yelling and shouting would be audio pressure. Physical pressure the horse will move into, to prove this all you need to do is take an unhandled horse, tie them to a solid object and just wait for them to realize they cannot just wander away freely. They will increase the physical pressure before they will release it. I could go on with more examples if needed.
Hi,
I just found your site (I was looking at sites about rollkur/hyperflexion) and I noticed this blog. Your points are exactly why I never got into the Parelli techniques! I always felt something was “wrong”. Though I do think NH and Parelli (as other trainers) have made the world better for horses, allone allready because of the awareness. I have recently found another “trainer” that I find really interesting and his way I will use with all my horses (my future horses, only have one foal right now) simply because it works with all horses… The power in this method is that it is not a method, he just writes: you have to listen to the horse and go through ALL posibilities and treat every horse as an individual. He explains his “technique” through stories and how to solve the “problem”. I actually do not consider it a technique, I consider it being normal around horses… finally I can be normal around horses. No need for me to teach a certain method or technique like the 7 games, I can just be myself. That is also the reason why I never learned the Parelli method, it is a method and you have to learn how to be around your horse.. Well, this and other things about Parelli I don’t like: riding with spurs and a “harsh” bit is really natural right (do you smell my sarcasm ;) ). I might take some things from Parelli, as I do with Monty Roberts and other trainers, but I will never teach myself only one certain technique. Though I do believe his technique will be helpfull for some horses ->the real dominant ones, but how many really dominant horses are there? 10% of all horses? Thos who would be natural born leaders, but the rest of the herd is natural born submissive, why bother them telling what there place in the herd is? They allready know!
That is just what I wanted to write.
greetings!
I’m a western natural horsemanship trainer, barefoot hoof trimmer, and professional writer. I’ve studied Pat and virtually all of the major players in the natural horsemanship field extensively for better than two decades. And, while I have my own system, I have more respect for Pat Parelli and his instructional methods than for any other trainers of that bent. In fact, I know of no one who’s even a close second. (And please don’t tell me, “Then you’re not familiar with…” Believe me, I am.) I’m also a three-time credentialed school teacher and former professional drama and audition coach – so I know more than one or two things about what works and what doesn’t in a learning situation. While we all, including myself, have the right as well as the professional responsibility to question and even doubt a few or even several of the tenets of the recognized experts in our respective fields, I have never even once seen, or personally experienced, any of the Parelli prinicples correctly and confidently applied not have a profound effect on even the most difficult horse. Allow me to re-emphasize…Not once! I’ve worked with many horses that were virtually ruined, and have been able to rehabilitate them using much of Parelli’s influences. This article is very ostensibly born of frustration, stemming from personal lack – some prejudicial apriori angst, and likely not a small parcel of jealousy. And, lastly – in your future posts I believe that it would be of benefit to you and your journalistic credibility to avoid drawing rather questionable, if not senseless, analogies …’heterosexual marriage…two children’… When someone diverts into such comparisons, as opposed to the simple adhering to, and dissemination of their topic or contention, it only serves to distract the reader, and can be a strong indicator of the writer’s overall ineptness. (And no, I do not know Pat Parelli personally…am not a devotee, and have no affiliations with his enterprise.)
Thanks for the discussion, Erica.
I took my horse to a mini-clinic, & he was used as the sample for “getting respect from a disrespectful horse.” The trainer is a Parelli trainer. My poor horse was totally bewildered about what he was being asked to do, and acted out in the round pen – VERY uncharacteristic behavior from my boy. The trainer commented on my horse being “forward” – not a characteristic my slug has ever possessed. So the demonstration actually induced a non-characteristic behavior from my horse, and not a good behavior. The biggest thing I took away from that demonstration is that we need to understand our horses from hours together daily, trying a variety of training techniques, be open and flexible, and find what works best for the individual animal.
P.S. my boy was so sore after all the bucking & kicking he did in the round pen demonstration that I haven’t been able to ride him this week :/
I don’t know how old this article is and I guess I could scroll up to find out but I don’t even want to go back over what this woman has written.
I think this is a bogus article. If you have so many answers on horse training, then why aren’t you out there “front and center”?
I have been to trainer after trainer. Competition after competition for years. I have been to some of the best trainers in the world and no one has been able to articulate “horse training” as well as Pat Parelli. He breaks it down so that ordinary people can understand the horse’s perspective. He compartmentalizes things so that a regular person can understand. I have never seen anything but excellent results with his way of training and I have really spirited horses which makes them hard to handle.
I have been to so many other trainers clinics and I usually leave those clinics with more questions. I learned that most trainers want to leave you with more questions so you will become a repeat customer. It is their business and they do that on purpose.
I am a pretty good judge of character and I do not get that vibe with the Parelli’s. They really want to see people succeed. That is the feeling I get from them and their training methods.
Also, Parelli never comes across as he is the God of natural horsemanship. He always credits those old time trainers he worked with long ago.
In all fairness, I will somehow get a hold of your book and read it. I will let you know if you explain things as well as Pat or if your just another one of those trainers who leaves me scratching my head!