Send Me On My Way

Evan recently got the new iPhone 5S, so of course we had to test it out on the horses. Here is a little video I put together using the new phone. Enjoy!

EDIT: Video was removed, please use link below

(Or view on youtube using this link).

Work on Yourself, Play with Your Horse!

One of the things that differs Parelli from other training programs, is that it focuses on training the human rather than the horse. As the human, this is a very humbling experience, and requires an open mind from the start.

My first insight to the Parelli program was at a tour stop in Columbus, Ohio. One of the take-home messages of that tour stop was that there is no such thing as a bad horse or a problem horse, there are just people who lack the knowledge or savvy to effectively communicate with such horses. As a fourteen year old 4-H student, this blew me away. In the traditional horse world, people "work" their horses. In the Parelli world, we work on ourselves and play with our horses. As someone who has experienced both worlds, I can assure you that Parelli world is much more fun!

In focusing on ourselves, to learn the language of the horse and to become better partners, we take a lot of pressure off the horse and remove the us vs. them mentality that places the blame on the horse. Additionally, framing the session with our horse as play, rather than training or work, is largely for our benefit so that we enter the arena with the right attitude. Horses are instinctually motivated by the need to be safe and comfortable first, and once these needs are met, horses will play. Humans, on the other hand, see working or training a horse as a means to an end. The end, or motivating factor for humans, is usually praise, recognition or, materials things. As a horse-person, it is okay to seek these things out, but a savvy horse-person ensures that the needs of his or her horse come first.

So, what you do have to look forward to in Parelli world? The answer is a beautiful journey of never ending self improvement for yourself that reaps lasting benefits for your horse.

Come see us on Parelli Connect and learn more about the Parelli program!

Like It Or Not, Progress.

In the past few months, a lot of things have changed in both my horsemanship and my life. I spent a lot of time just focusing on my relationship with Rydel and not worrying about having an agenda with her or worrying about how to translate our time together into blog posts. This was all pretty liberating for myself, but probably fairly boring for those of you who do (or did) follow my blog.

During this time off, however, I have been given the opportunity to reflect on my horsemanship journey, and more importantly, my attitude about my journey. First, I took some time to just slow down. In doing so, I learned that my horse has a lot to offer. From meeting me at the gate, to showing me where she wants to be scratched, to attempting to mutually groom with me (ouch!), to bucking and playing and jumping, it has been amazing to watch her grow into herself and open up more and more! This "slow down" period for us was relaxing and incredibly consistent. We ended up doing a lot of the same things everyday, practicing the things we were good at, and avoiding the things we are not. We are both Right Brain Introverts, after all, so it should not come as a surprise when I say we tended to stick within our comfort zone.

While we were progressing with our relationship and having some really great times together, it wasn't until a recent lesson with Parelli Professional, Jane Bartsch that i realized I wasn't being provocative enough. Jane challenged us with some zone 5 driving for our homework and taught us the beginning of long rein driving. I am excited to keep pushing our level of savvy to new heights! (Thanks, Jane!). In other exciting news, a few days after our lesson with Jane, we received word that Rydel and I passed our level 3 online audition! You can view the video Here. I intentionally waited to talk about it because I honestly thought we would fail on our circling game. I know it's not our absolute best, but I am pretty happy with the results.

Also during this time, I decided to apply for a demo spot at the Upper Marlboro, MD Horse and Soul Tour Stop. I wanted to challenge myself and provide some purpose for our play times. I decided to apply for the Psychology 101 demo with Linda, as I believe Rydel is a pretty classic RBI. Well, I finally finished the video, which I am excited to share with you all!. You can view it  on Youtube here!

So, what have I learned during this crazy adventure these last few months? I've learned that the phrase, never ending self improvement is not just a mantra on the days that we feel like it. Instead, we should be actively seeking out progress, in horsemanship and in life. This is not to say that we need to be constantly improving, per say. Maybe "progress" for you at this moment means having the savvy to know when to push yourself and when to take some reflective undemanding time. Whatever your action may be, it is progress as long as you are moving closer toward your goals. We owe it to ourselves and our horses to take an active role in achieving our goals and becoming the horsemen and women we want to be. My call to action for us all is this: Like it or not, progress!