Parelli... why hit it on the head?

lilpinkdonkey4

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hiya, i have a friend who is backing a youngster for leadrein for her daughter. Anyway, she has been doing basic groundwork (poles etc). Yesterday i went to see how much longer she would be in our school and she was tapping the pony on the face with a bizzare stick, not hard but just to keep it moving. She went to the big Parelli Demo and so i can only presume she got it from here.

Can someone explain what she was doing... why tap it on the face when you can tap it on the bum to keep it moving?

Im not sure what i think of parelli, i personally havnt seen enough of it to make judgement.
 
Yes it is all a bit weird but I have a feeling that this post is going to open up the usual can of worms......!
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What gets me with Parelli is why they wear boots with concealed spikey little spurs in the heels at demonstrations... I've seen this a few times now! Surely if the horse is meant to be THAT responsive, they shouldn't need the spikey spurs and should just go off the riders seat & legs?

I'm now going to sit back & wait for Parelli fans to start shouting
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I have to say, i dont have a very high opinion of parelli at all
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The good aspects ive seen from it have mostly been common sense and nothing "new". The riding side that Linda does is, frankly appalling
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For me they seem to be feeding off nervous riders who have lost the confidence to actually ride.

Ive also got a hilarious image in my head now of someone poking a pony in the face with a carrot stick in the hope of creating some better working bond with it. Ho hum... i have a feeling i'll be blogging about parelli some time.
 
I must admit i haven't seen anyone on the tv hitting them on the face when i have watched it!
Seen them smacking the chest and bum but not the face!
I don't see the point in smacking any way, when they can feel the pressure of a fly on them!!!
 
Trundle, could I have some please?

Jojobah, that's about right.

I believe there are one or two aspects of parelli that are fine, but the whole set-up is a money spinner, nothing more. Take the good bits and leave the rest i say.
 
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What gets me with Parelli is why they wear boots with concealed spikey little spurs in the heels at demonstrations... I've seen this a few times now! Surely if the horse is meant to be THAT responsive, they shouldn't need the spikey spurs and should just go off the riders seat & legs?

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You mean rowled spurs? Aren't they worn generally for Western riding? I assume because Parelli is American, they just wear them out of habit sort of thing? Don't see why they'd use them otherwise?
 
Tierra, I quite agree with you! From what I've seen of Parelli, and the people I know who practice this method of horsemanship......yes, it seems a great cop-out for people who are too scared to ride their horses in the normal sense of the word RIDE!!
 
Aw, come on. I'll confess I'm not a fan of Parelli and I have a few issues with his empire but how come people see one (usually not very successful) person who has been to one clinic (usually not even as a participant) and then judge the whole works on that? If that person went to a clinic with Carl Hester or Pippa Funnell or Tim Stockdale then came home and still rode like a bag of c**p would you then automatically assume those guys are idiots or bad teachers?

I think Parelli at the base level is fantastically packaged basic horse care and handling. None of it is new, all of it is well proven even if it looks a little different in other schools of thought. The advanced "trick" stuff is not my bag but hey, if it keeps people off their horses if they don't actually want to ride (or improve their riding), whatever. He makes me grind my teeth, not because he's so off the mark, but because so many people - for and against - seem to take a tiny bit of it and become instantly convinced they know it all.
 
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What gets me with Parelli is why they wear boots with concealed spikey little spurs in the heels at demonstrations... I've seen this a few times now! Surely if the horse is meant to be THAT responsive, they shouldn't need the spikey spurs and should just go off the riders seat & legs?


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You mean rowled spurs? Aren't they worn generally for Western riding? I assume because Parelli is American, they just wear them out of habit sort of thing? Don't see why they'd use them otherwise?

Actually, no -they aren't rowled spurs. These are very small spurs that are concealled within the heal of the boot. They aren't like conventional spurs at all as I don't think you can take them off the boots, they are an integral part of the boots. They don't appear to be round ended like our spurs, what I have seen as they trotted past me at YOur Horse live a couple of years ago looked kind of like a pencil tip so I should imagine they could be sharp to compensate for their lack of size!
 
we were laughing today when I read out loud some of their advice to persuade your horse to always come to you over the stable door. Apparently if they turn their bum to you you are supposed to flick the leadrope at them and don't smile.
When they turn towards you stop flicking and smile..
CCJ immediately said, "Can horses really tell when you smile?"
We saw one of the livery clients flicking her lunge rein in her horse's face the other week, it wasn't happy at all. I can only surmise she's been reading some method like the above.. her horse looked totally confused and a bit scared.
There are some excellent things in parelli, but such a lot of stuff that can be misinterpreted too..
I'll stick with what I know from experience thanks, my horses come to see me in the field/stable wherever because they like me...and want to say hello.
 
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I thought parelli training was riding your horse in and out of rubber tyres
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And don't forget the big bouncing ball around its head! (What on earth is that all about?!).
 
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We have a saying in our house...

Parelli is a load of old rope, made in to a halter with a £ 50 pricetag!

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ROFL Absolutely priceless and very well explained!!!
 
Good Point as just stated by my OH....

Pat and Linda Parelli are making millions and they thank all the participants very much.....

Dont you all wish you'd thought of it first!!!
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I thought parelli training was riding your horse in and out of rubber tyres
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And don't forget the big bouncing ball around its head! (What on earth is that all about?!).

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Take a field, add 4 horses and a runaway lampshade
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then start a force 9 gale.

3 horses have a spazzy then hide behind 4th horse, 4th horse investigates alien, horse eating lampshade and then gives the all clear to scardey horses

The clue is : 4th horse is used to big bouncy balls and other out of place items .

It really isn't rocket science
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I cannot take Pat Parelli seriously. That moustache and style of dress is a bit too Village People for me. I keep expecting him to burst in to "YMCA" during a demo
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I thought parelli training was riding your horse in and out of rubber tyres
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And teaching it to stand on barrels, which has no actual use in the real world at all and is just a circus trick....
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I cannot take Pat Parelli seriously. That moustache and style of dress is a bit too Village People for me. I keep expecting him to burst in to "YMCA" during a demo
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I think you are missing the point..

If we take horses too seriously we will go mad
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Lighten up, PP won't mind if you have a laugh at his 'tash !!!

Horses are fun , that's his message
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[ QUOTE ]
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I thought parelli training was riding your horse in and out of rubber tyres
grin.gif


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And teaching it to stand on barrels, which has no actual use in the real world at all and is just a circus trick....
smirk.gif


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Tricks are a fun way to interact with your horse
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Horses are fun , that's his message
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I thought the message was "buy my overpriced merchandising"...
 
i know some people who have ruined lovely horses playing about with this parelli crap
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the horses in question are now the most confused, defensive/terrified bordering on dangerous animals i have ever had the displeasure to meet - thank god i'm not at that yard anymore - i couldn't stand watching it. to me, parelli is akin to the occult.
 
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