Parelli - What happens if

F

Foxglove

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 April 2007
Messages
347
Location
Devon
Visit site
After reading the posts further down the page and having been unfortunate enough to see the program on Horse and Country TV I have been thinking.

What happens when someone who can ride but hasn't done any parelli training gets on a horse who has only ever been trained parelli. For example, if I got on that horse that was on the program, I would have picked up a contact and put my leg on. What would it do? The horse was quite clearly (to me anyway) uncomfortable with contact and has in theory never been ridden in any sort of a contact if those rein ties are anything to go by! Also all that leg flapping - leg means go backwards??????????

I half expect anything with a bit of spark might go over backwards if faced with normal english style riding.

Does anyone have the answer?
 
[ QUOTE ]

What happens when someone who can ride but hasn't done any parelli training gets on a horse who has only ever been trained parelli.

[/ QUOTE ]

The cynical answer is, the horse ends up on Project Horses. Take a look at some of their ads and you'll see what I mean.

In theory, though, to answer your question, i have no idea. I'd be interested to hear the answer as well.
 

Good point. I had never actually considered that! Unless it works under western riding techniques? tho I always assumed the aids in western were pretty similar to english riding, not that I've ever done parelli or western. Like Trundle says- would love to know the answer.
 
I too had assumed it was similar to Western but having been to a ranch in Wyoming I didn't see one rider ride Parelli style.

I found Western mirrored English Dressage in that everything was smooth and emphasis on suppleness and quietness. All that was different was the tack and actual movements like the sliding halt etc. I certainly didn't see any of the leg flapping and legs on horses shoulders that was found in Parelli.

In fact the horse I rode there went really nicely, not in the classic outline but responded perfectly well to english aids.

To my mind it almost gives western a bad name. Obviously this is my opinion and I am sure many Parelli enthusiatists will correct me.
 
[ QUOTE ]
After reading the posts further down the page and having been unfortunate enough to see the program on Horse and Country TV I have been thinking.

What happens when someone who can ride but hasn't done any parelli training gets on a horse who has only ever been trained parelli. For example, if I got on that horse that was on the program, I would have picked up a contact and put my leg on. What would it do? The horse was quite clearly (to me anyway) uncomfortable with contact and has in theory never been ridden in any sort of a contact if those rein ties are anything to go by! Also all that leg flapping - leg means go backwards??????????

I half expect anything with a bit of spark might go over backwards if faced with normal english style riding.

Does anyone have the answer?

[/ QUOTE ]


I have been reading this thinking -oh, I wonder too, how interesting, then I realised I know!!

Bog all is the short answer - I have ridden a Parelli trained horse despite never having done any Parelli myself, the owners said do X Y and Z, I did, and the horse repsonded. I tapped my feet on its shoulders to get it to back up when opening a gate, rode it in a rope halter and jumped 3' XC jumps on it quite happily despite never having ridden Parelli horses before in my life and never having sat on this horse before. We went for a nice hack then jumped in the woods on the way back. It was fine, the horse was nice to ride, we walked trotted and cantered and it was a darn sight nicer than some other horses I have ridden. Oh, and considering we were on a massive ranch in Oz, it could have done what it wanted and I would not have stopped for months, but it didn't.
 
Thats really nice to hear and you have proved that it can work in practice, but you were told how to ride it. What if you hadn't have those instructions? Do you think it would still have been the responsive ride it was?

I hope that doesn't sound critical, I'm just facinated about the practicalities!
 
I think it's like any horse - I would always ask a few questions before I got on a new horse anyway, which is all I did this time!

TBH though, this horse belonged to a chap who was previously a professional polo player with a 7 goal handicap, so I suspect whether he had got into Parelli or not, any horse of his would have been well schooled and nice to ride!!

I think I would have struggled with the backing up without the clues, but for the rest of it I think I could have found the buttons eventually!
 
English riding is harsh, more dominating; western isn't, it is subtle. If you got on most of my western horses and picked up a continuous contact then they would move away from the pressure, which would be to walk backwards. A couple of them may gently pull their head to encourage you to give them back their light mouth.

I obviously haven't seen the programme you are all talking about, but I have no idea what the leg flapping thing is? To ask a western horse to go back, you calmly take a light contact and give a gentle squeeze in the normal place, and lean back slightly. Every aid is subtle in western riding - quite unlike the forcefulness of English riding.

However, having said that, 2 of my western horses will actually tolerate English riding and once they know what style you prefer will settle on into it. My horse Jet does NOT like English, I know this because a couple of confirmed English riders have ridden him, both had a lot of trouble with him because the style is too harsh for him. I always ride him western and never have a moments bother; he'll do absolutely anything I ask of him.
 
[ QUOTE ]
but you were told how to ride it. What if you hadn't have those instructions?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you would VERY quickly find that out! Just in the same way as if you were riding a Prix St Georges horse - the aids of the majority of riders are clumsy, with horses like these you have to be correct and specific.
 
I think you are right Tia, English can be very fixed and I am sure we could learn from Western. I had a lesson from a very well known trainer a few years ago and it was very much yank them in, kick them on which I can't stand. In fact I just didn't have the strength. The horse was competed at Medium but was virtually dead to subtle aids.

Fortunately my instructor believes in keeping everything light and encouraging self carriage and mine go in a beautifully light contact.

Another example from this program was 'sticky feet' which involved yanking the horse's head, sawing the bit through the mouth to make it move from side to side. Apparantley it will make them stand still. Made me dizzy just watching!

It just seemed so rough, there was no smoothness and the horse looked very tense.
 
[ QUOTE ]

I obviously haven't seen the programme you are all talking about, but I have no idea what the leg flapping thing is? To ask a western horse to go back, you calmly take a light contact and give a gentle squeeze in the normal place, and lean back slightly.

[/ QUOTE ]

Which is NOT how you ask a Parelli horse to go back! At least not the one I rode - you tap them on the shoulders with your feet - I don't recall needing to lean back or take up a contact. So there is a difference too between western and Parelli horses...and quite how you would figure out the shoulders part without being told I have no idea - probably by pure chance one day.
 
Well the tapping with your leg on the shoulder is a pre-learning to using just a squeeze and a gentle contact. With a particularly dum horse, or one just learning back-up, you can do this.....but I think it is quite ungainly personally, so I generally dismiss that part and use voice commands instead, to help the horse understand.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Another example from this program was 'sticky feet' which involved yanking the horse's head, sawing the bit through the mouth to make it move from side to side. Apparantley it will make them stand still. Made me dizzy just watching!


[/ QUOTE ] Hmm...yes I think that might make me reconsider if this was the right thing for me....and yes I believe I would also be dizzy.

My mind is now spinning LOL!! What level were all of these horses? And what level were the handlers? I'm trying to understand what they were doing...difficult having not seen the programme, but it sounds a bit off the wall.
 
It was a ridden demo in America with Linda Parelli and the rider was level 3. The horse, which could have been really nice, was only 4 but from my understanding of this system, you have to go up through the levels so I guess was of the same level.

I felt that the horse seemed confused, maybe the rider was not giving the correct aids I don't know.

The aim was to carry out exercises such as circling around a barrel backwards and stradling a pole. I am not sure what this leads onto.
 
Sounds reasonably simple stuff for a 4 year old. How long does it take to complete a Level, do you know? Maybe the rider was just a useless rider? Does Linda get on the horses at any time?

I have to pop out now but will look back later.
cool.gif
 
To be honest I don't know, I have only really read about the ground work, the ridden work was a real eye opener. I suppose it would depend upon the handler. No she didn't get on it.

The clip of the ground work that was shown involved the carrot stick (expensive lunge whip
ooo.gif
) and a large green ball. The horse was essentially whip shy and stayed at the end of the lunge line.

I'm all for new ideas and different methods, but actually felt this was quite distressing to watch. I was never taken with it, felt it was very much overpriced common sense, but even less impressed now.
frown.gif
 
Ultimately, it shouldn't make any difference. As the aim of the Parelli programme is to produce horses that can be ridden in a bit, competed and generally treated like any other. The stuff with tapping legs etc should only be a training phase...
For example, if you ask your horse back, it should really just be a lift of the rein and sucking back your energy, at least that's what I would aim for. If the horse doesn't realise what you mean, then you could reinforce that with tapping the legs in front of the drive line, but you need to be clear about what you want the end result to be. There are other ways to go about it.
Personally I don't find Parelli the most efficient or straightforward NH approach when it comes to producing ridden work. I want to teach my horses to be soft in the bridle or halter right from the start, as it seems fairer to them. But that means that I get very choosy about who rides them, because I don't want someone taking a firm hold or using heavy aids and stuffing up all my hard work.
I don't get this new channel at home, but I'm hearing some very bizzare stuff about what the Parelli programmes there are showing. They don't seem to be doing themselves a lot of favours at the moment do they?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top