Parelli?

Andalucian said:
Bravo PaddyM, that's the best description I've ever heard for it. I'll be using it lots :)
Click to expand...
As people seem to like my description of PNH I think I'd better set out how I came to that conclusion before I get sacrificed to to the NH gods.
I'd been aware of PNH since it first hit the UK and watched numerous arguments over the years about it.
Now I like to think I'm fairly open minded when it comes to horse training. I've even been told i take a holistic view of horses what ever that means and decided to investigate fully before comming down on one side of the fence or the other.
To that end I borrowed the packs from an acquaintance and got myself all the gear (still have it).
Spent hours watching and re-watching the DVD's, studying the printed material etc and then tried it out over several weeks with a couple of horses.
The conclusion I came to both disappointed and worried me.
Disappointed because there really was nothing new in it, just variations of ideas and approaches I already take to produce a well rounded horse. Hence unnecessary for the experienced
Worried because getting the required result is dependant on one skill above all else - the ability to read the slightest change in a horses body language. This is something I believe (from experience) is seriously lacking in novices.
I also asked someone who is not new to horses but less experienced then me to use it under my supervision. Even they had trouble identifying the body languages changes until pointed out. Couple this with the 4 levels of pressure (1 being a whisper, 4 being what ever you have to do to get the response) and I could see how the system if followed independantly of any other method and guidance could easily produce a horse that is either completely shutdown or verging on dangerous.
It is for this reason I would say it is dangerous for novices to use. It's marketed at novices to allow them to slavishly follow the progam without regular experienced support. It is this group which in my opinion are least equiped to implement it successfully. There is also a huge amount of suedo science in there and a strong message that this is the only 'non-cruel' way to train your horse.
Ultimately it will be the horse that suffers.
Yes, there are relatively inexperienced people who have succeeded using this method but I would venture that these are the exception rather than the rule and that this group would have succeeded no matter what method they used due to a natural afinity with horses.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top