Does anyone on her do Parelli ??? And is it any good???

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MadMacher

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I have been watching The Parelli Masterclass on Horse and Country TV and it has got my brain buzzing, just wondered if anyone does it and how they get on???
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I think you can probably learn something from everything. I like the idea of groundwork. I think if interested, a good idea would be to get a recommendation of a good trainer in your area, and go for a lesson too see what you think.

You can get books & dvds but its easier if someone can show you the basics. Also sometimes theres a bit of pressure to start buying lots of stuff, but you dont need to.

Since parelli wrote his book - nearly 20 years ago? - a lot more other trainers have become well known / started teaching, so I wouldn't restrict yourself just to parelli.

Some like parelli, some dont.

People will come on and slate it, and people will come on and fully endore it. I dont do either..... there are bits I say 'no thanks' too, and the bits I do find useful - like I would do with any training method, or teacher, traditional, classical etc.

I think the basic ideas behind it, which have been around for donkeys years, and the idea of working with the horse using cues rather than physically making the horse do something, is worth thinking about.

I think the more you investigate horse training, whoever is the human teacher & their ways of doing things, at least you can then cherry pick the bits you like, and come to your own conclusions.

I've studied various different methods, and its not so much about what you're supposed to do, but about the human in the situation, their experience & talent & williingness to learn new things (you never know it all) and their level of horsemanship & their willingness to see life from their horses perspective, which makes trainign much more efficent and simple for horse to understand whats expected of them, which makes a true horseperson.
 
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Elineh what a wonderful balanced and sensible comment on Parelli.

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I agree
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I got Sky a couple of weeks ago and have been watching the same programmes. A lot of what he says and does makes perfect sense to me, other bits I disagree with. If you take it all with a pinch of salt I think there are some useful ideas to be used, but if I were going to attempt to recreate some of the things he does I'd want an experienced trainer on hand. I think the theory behind it is more important than the 'games'.
 
I think some of what they say is sense, some is just rubbish! I've had Sky for a month and I get wound up watching the programmes sometimes. The Parelli's obviously have a great bond with their horses and are good riders (from what I've seen on the tv) especially the woman (can't remember her name!) but sometimes they irritate me. It's the anthropomorphising of horses that does my head in, talking about them being 'proud', 'caring' etc in the way that humans are. I also don't really get the bits where people are competing using Parelli. I thought it was about having a better bond with your horse, not proving that you can 'do' Parelli better than other people.
 
I have to turn over if they come on the telly, can't stand them! Their ideas might work, I can't watch long enough to find out. Far too American for my liking but what elaineh says about taking from it the parts you like makes sense.
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I have just got Sky too and have been watching H & C a bit. I find some of the Parelli quite interesting, but in all honesty I find some of it quite strange.

There is no denying that what can be achieved is impressive, but I fail to see the difference between a carrot stick and a whip and their long rope & a lunge line. I also don't understand what some of the exercises are meant to achieve such as getting your horse to shuffle along sideways with barrels under its belly. I also agree with you muffinino, about the competitive angle. I would have thought this defeats the point.

I feel that horse care can be a bit like religion. People choose a different way to do it, but it all achieves the same result in the end. No one way is wrong or right, it just depends which 'horse religion' you go with. There is nothing wrong either for those who like to pick & choose what works best for them & their horse.
 
I watch the programmes but I am very scepical. Friend keeps trying to persuade me to get the programme as I will have a foal next May and she said the work they do with foals is amazing.

When they talk about horses being either right or left brained extrovert or introvert none of those choices seems to fit my mare!
 
Totally agree about the lunge line/whip and carrot stick/line comment. That was the first thing I said when I watched the programme! Totally fail to see any difference. I've even seen them cracking the end of the carrot stick during the competitions.

I don't get the left brain/right brain introvert/extrovert thing either. Aagin, I think that's projecting human characteristics (which I'm sceptical about in relation to people anyway) on to a horse.
 
Totally agree with Elaineh - I too use bits of everything, and have often thought that a lot of "natural horsemanship" is in fact "old fashioned horsemanship" repackaged and marketed. My constant plea to my clients is to listen to their horses - the problems they present to me are invariably due to the human element, not the equine.
 
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I thought it was about having a better bond with your horse

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That's a common misunderstanding. Yes, Parelli does say that you will build a good bond with your horse, but the purpose of his programme is to produce horses that are able to work in any discipline, including competition.
 
I trained with Intelligent Horsemanship (Monty Roberts and Kelly Marks), and got my Parelli level 1 (as well as having studied lots of other trainers) to help have a (hopefully!) balanced all round view. I'm of the strong belief that you can learn something from everyone, even if it's learning something you don't want to do rather than something you do want to do. I'm doing a demo (see www.holistichorsehelp.com for more info) on Sunday 27th January if anyone fancies coming along.
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Like a lot of people I take bits from it, I have to say I used Monty's methods more and preferred it
Also monty is cheaper! until Sky got hold of some Parelli it was hundreds of £'s on thier dvds or nothing.
 
Great answer elaineh

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People will come on and slate it, and people will come on and fully endore it. I dont do either..... there are bits I say 'no thanks' too, and the bits I do find useful - like I would do with any training method, or teacher, traditional, classical etc.


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is exactly my attitude.
 
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That's a common misunderstanding. Yes, Parelli does say that you will build a good bond with your horse, but the purpose of his programme is to produce horses that are able to work in any discipline, including competition

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Fair enough, I can see how having a better bond could lead to better performance however it's the way that they are so competitive with the 'games' that I don't get. Surely they are meant to build that bond for the sake of the horse, not to show off how fantastic that bond and how you've achieved it oh so better than the next person?
 
i watched all the tv stuff and was really impressed and mum brought me the first set as a present when i got great pass marks in my gsces. I have 2 horses one that loves it and is so so clever and the other can't be bothered with it in the slightest and looks at me like i'm mad. I just do the bits that I like and skip the bits that i don't like or don't think will be useful. it's the same with monty roberts and join up, all kind of useful in same ways but not the be all and end all but I love the idea of bonding more with my horse and for that reason alone i've liked bits of all of them really.
 
Muffinino (love the name!). The thing is, Parelli should be whatever you want it to be, not all of the students are competetive, and many adapt the actual approach to suit themselves, they take what they like and leave other bits aside. Having said that, I think Pat Parelli himself is quite a competetive person, and he likes to show off a bit, he always came over to me as a bit of a big kid. I've attended a lot of clinics, and there can be little competitions and stuff, so that people can put what they've learnt to some purpose.
Having said that... most people like to show off what they and their horses can do, surely that's the point of horse shows, eventing etc? So I'm not sure why Parelli people should be above that in some way. They're human.
p.s. Sheadonsaffron, they do get a bit funny about advertising on here, so don't be surprised if your bit promoting your demo vanishes!
 
I agree with others, there are good and bad parts of Parelli. I know people who do it and think its wonderful in which case who are we to judge.

Personally, I can't watch the Parelli programs on Horse&Country. I watched one and it drove me nuts! Some bits were interesting but others were like "what the hell?!". I dislike the way that they seem to put across that their way is the only way. It is also overly American! I was open to going to watch at a local clinic however they charged a bomb just to spectate (and it wasnt even a demo!), the kit seems like a rip-off too. Very money orientated if you ask me.
 
See I don't actually think the equipment is very expensive at all. I never really understand why people always say this because when I had a nose at their site and priced up their whips, I found they were about the same cost as regular decent-quality ones.
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As to the question; well it's been answered already. I think anyone who says they don't do any "Parelli" with their horse, is misguided; because a lot of what "Parelli" is, is just good old fashioned common equine sense; stuff we've all been doing for decades.

I can't watch that programme though as Linda absolutely makes me cringe - she is such a useless rider and a dreadful communicator when there is a camera around.
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Quote from Christiamas:-

"As to the question; well it's been answered already. I think anyone who says they don't do any "Parelli" with their horse, is misguided; because a lot of what "Parelli" is, is just good old fashioned common equine sense; stuff we've all been doing for decades."

My thoughts exactly. I suppose I must have been using these techniques for the past 50 years but have just called it 'horsemanship based on experience'!!
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