Parelli Savvy Club

[Murphs]

Anyone here a member? I've just watch the DVD that came with this months Your Horse mag and feel pretty inspired to do this properly (i've dabbled in the past!).

Just wondered if anyone else here was a member and how their training was coming along - do you tend to learn on your own or meet up with other people?

[silly_sop]

Me and my horse Shantih do Parelli, i can tell you now it's really worth it! I bought Shantih a few months ago, and I couldnt belive that the horse i bought home was the same horse that i tried out. I couldnt ride her safely, and she had some real bad 'respect' issues, it even used to take us 45 minutes to get the bit into her mouth.
I started Parelli and all the time and money has deffinately payed off. I think we've been doing it for 2 months, and i can now ride her in a halter and lead rope bareback without feeling afraid or scared (being a pretty short 16 yr old and a green rider matched up with a powerful barging horse wasnt a good mix). Its a really nice feeling to have your horse leave the herd and come trotting up to you, instead of walking away like usual, or follow you around at liberty (no ropes, ect) and when you jog off, she'll come trotting up behind you (no food by the way :) )
Where I am there are Parelli Play Days every month but i've never been to one, the Parelli Pack contains all the info u reely need, and there's always instructors to ring up if you need help.
The savvy club is where you pay i think $20 a month and you get the packs as you finish the levels.

[Esther.D]

We are a member. I did some of the initial stuff - firendly game etc with Rupert and it worked like magic. In 3 weeks of training twice a week or less he went from being a shy stressed pony who wounldn't trot let alone canter because he was so nervous to a very forward going pony who wants to canter everywhere and relates to me very well. I have been very impressed with it and intend to carry on with it.

[janet hakeney]

I am a great fan and I use it although I am not a member of the club. A friend of mine has all the packs and has lend her level one and two to me as she is now working on her three. Here is me on Tiga doing it even!!

[Murphs]

application form has gone off in the post:D :D :D

[Miriam]

I'd like to know how they assess you and do you have to pay extra for it?

[Murphs]

from what i can tell on the website - you can send a video off for assessment, there is a charge (£25 i think - can't be exactly sure)

[belle]

Janet

Tiga is gorgeous! Did you teach him the spanish walk using parelli??

[maverick927]

I've had my DVD for 5 dyas and only got around to watching it there and it is fantastic. I was amazed at the height they were jumping and even how quietly they worked with the foals. If it wasn't £150 a year I would definitely join as I would love to know how to do it properly.

[janet hakeney]

Thank you belle ....Tiga does a very cute 'my little pony' act. While Parelli can't claim the credit for teaching him Spanish Walk he has been going a hell of a lot better since we have been dabbling in the programme. He used to be a real pocket rocket that you couldn't let go of the reins on or you would be off at Haydock. He still has his moments but we can now canter round the field on a casual rein or with carrot sticks and he will do piaffe/passage with just the string round his neck.

If any of you are interested in the mare and foal work then some of the Parelli demos later in the year may well be featuring one of my Lusitano mares and her foal (Tiga is the dad) who is due at the end of this month. The mare, Nafetalina is one of Ingela Sainsburys project horses and she is intending on imprinting and training the foal a la Parelli. Ingela is a three star Instructor and is at most of the displays.

Last time I went to Ingelas house I saw her working two horses at liberty together. Hope, her level 4 horse, and Salty her 4yrs old Lippizanner. She had them side by side calling them towards her both of them in Spanish Walk. It was a wonderfull sight.

[silly_sop]

I'd like to know how they assess you and do you have to pay extra for it?

It depends on if your in the Savvy club or not (i think). If you just buy the pack seperately (like me) then you can self-assess. If you feel you can do everything, then you can go out and buy the next package. Either that, or you get a video camera and you record the tasks that you need to do for assessment (you can download the tasks off the internet or from an instructor). Different instructors charge different prices for assessments, in Australia there's a place that assesses for free because they send your tape over to training instructors to study.

If your in the savvy club i think you need to send the tape off to get assessed, otherwise they wont send you the next pack.

The best part about assessment is that you get a certificate, a parelli pin, and some savvy string when you pass. Level one is a green savvy string i think, but there are different colours as you go through the levels.

And they assess you on whether or not you can do a task, not really how well you do it. For example, one task would be cantering off, then bringing your horse to a stop....the horse's are in halters and string for this task. (You dont put a bit in the horses mouth until level 2). Another example would be to play the circling game (its sortof like lunging, only you stand fixed in one spot and the horse circles around you-you dont turn with the horse, and there's no whip, and theres a 4 lap maximum).

And being a Parelli student in amazing. It's like doing year one all over again, only just with games. It's very easy to get excited about (as you can see, i should stop jabbering on soon) and its so good to be doing something different. People have been known to drive past the paddock we play in, and slow down and just watch for a bit. It's really quite cool.

[Murphs]

Maverick - if you join the savvy club you pay by direct debit - £12.50 per month so it spreads the cost - you have to be a member for minimujm 12 mths but you get the pack straight away.

It was the initial £100+ straight off that had put me off in the past - i can justify the £12.50 per month:)

[Miriam]

Originally posted by silly_sop
[U].

And they assess you on whether or not you can do a task, not really how well you do it. For example, one task would be cantering off, then bringing your horse to a stop....the horse's are in halters and string for this task. (You dont put a bit in the horses mouth until level 2). Another example would be to play the circling game (its sortof like lunging, only you stand fixed in one spot and the horse circles around you-you dont turn with the horse, and there's no whip, and theres a 4 lap maximum).

And being a Parelli student in amazing. It's like doing year one all over again, only just with games. It's very easy to get excited about (as you can see, i should stop jabbering on soon) and its so good to be doing something different. People have been known to drive past the paddock we play in, and slow down and just watch for a bit. It's really quite cool.

Part of my probelm is that I hate bare-back riding and canter. The other thing is Rhi will lunge on one side but not the other. When lunging I have to use two lunge lines :(

Not sure if hubby is just kidding but he's just told me at £12.50 a month I cannot join :(

[janet hakeney]

Miriam....It sounds like just what you need if your horse has issues with circling both ways. You do not have to ride bareback and you do not have to take the tests at all. If you want to do the bareback bits then you can use a bareback pad which makes people feel more secure. Your horse will benefit from doing all the other things that you are comfortable doing and by the time you have done those you may feel like challenging yourself to do the things that at the moment you find the prospect of scary.

[bexj]

I watched the DVD too last night and I'm pretty impressed. I've also seen David and Karen O'Connor in action this weekend, and its good to see the Parelli skills transferred to the "traditional" horse events.....

Think my cheque is going in the post today!

[Rakeli]

Maverick - you don't have to join the savvy club anyway. You can just buy the packs, though I think it's cheaper to join as you'd probably get through level 1 and 2 packs in the first year, which would cost you way over £150!

[Miriam]

Janet I understand what you are saying but when I think about it it does seem a bit silly paying all that money if I don't do the assements and get the next kit :( I think part of my problem was lessons at he school I was at. I would always loose my stirrup cantering and when I asked why they told me that it was just me. No 'well your doing this and you should be doing that' one of the reasons why I left the school. As for bareback riding well I think like you Rhi would benefit as at the moment she can be fine one day and jumpy the next. My seat I don't think is that brill and I would fall off (now if they assess me on that I could do well :)) Will have to try and wrap Jeff (hubby) round my little finger.

[luv horses]

Janet could you please tell me what the extra loop around the horses neck is for as noone I've asked seems to beable to tell me. Is it an extra rein? I love the way the horses respond to this teaching it seems to achieve great results!

[janet hakeney]

luv horses.....on my horse pictured above the 'reins' are made up with the 22 foot line tied to the halter the rope left over once you have the reins as long as you want them is then taken back to the saddle and secured out of the way giving the extra 'loop'. It is usefull in that if you are riding round with the reins dropped on the horses neck and he puts his head down and the reins slide down to his ears while he is eating grass or something...you can get his head up and bend him round with the spare 'loop' that is attached to the saddle.

The red string around my horses neck is what they call the horsemans string and it has many uses. I am practicing controlling my horse at times using just the string rather than the bridle, but as my horse is a stallion I don't feel it is wise while riding in a field next to loads of someone elses mares to totally dispense with the halter in case of hormonal emergencies!!!:eek:

[Gemma R]

Oh I was sooo impressed by that DVD I have sent my cheque off in the post LOL - can't wait to trry it with Libby and I'm going to sue it on Oj when I get him in november :D

Janet - are you using all the parelli bitys and pieces - there expensive aren't they!!! the only thing I'm buying is the orange stickl - I'm getting the halter and rope elsewhere!!!

[janet hakeney]

There are loads of people doing NH equipment cheaper than Parelli. Look at Link (http://www.horsedata.co.uk/bridlework.asp)

I Use a Nungar Knots 'carrot stick' (a tomato stick in truth because it is almost identical but bright red) and their 12 foot and 22 foot lines and halter.

When you think of what some people spend on riding clothes and equipment it isn't that expensive...(£1500 saddles seem to be OK but the NH equipement isn't!!!) The Parelli equipment is of very good quality and if you want quality tools you should have to expect to pay for them as in any walk of life. There is of course the 'designer label' element to it which you can either go for or buy the cheaper alternatives that work equally as well, but may not endure.

[joy70]

Im really sad coz i too got the free DVD and went home all excited to watch it - when I unwrapped it & realised DOH!!! its a DVD Video not a video - we don't have DVD so ive been unable to watch

spose im going to have to see if i can find someone with a DVD who will let me watch it

[Esther.D]

You don't have a new computer do you joy70 - you can watch DVDs on some of the newer ones.

It does sound like the kind of thing I would do:rolleyes: :D

[Rakeli]

Echo Janet - it REALLY is worth buying the equipment despite the expense. The rope used is superb, and having wasted money on buying cheaper 'imitations' which were basically c*** and broke, I will now stick to Parelli stuff.

GemmaR - if I were you I would buy the halter and rope from Parelli and get the stick elsewhere. The rope is really very good value considering the quality, and I would say a cheaper carrot stick would be better than cheaper ropes.

[vyvyen]

Janet Hakeney your photos are fantastic! I'm sure these alone will inspire others to check out Parelli training. We've been involved with Parelli for about 2 years and it has transformed our horsemanship. We're not savvy club members but do go to Parelli days and Natural horsemanship days every month, oh and to clinics when we can afford to go;)

[LindaAd]

£12.50 a month isn't really that much, is it? It's the same as one lesson a month, and that's a pretty cheap lesson too.

I'm making up my mind whether to have a go.... it might be fun to do with Barney while I can't ride him. I was sorry they didn't show any of the "games" in the learning stages on the DVD.

[Murphs]

LindaAd - you can get cheap lessons! I pay £35 a lesson (1 hr private Alexander Tech) but i have to say it's worth it - great instructor and i've learnt so much - just started taking my own horse and in 3 lessons it's like riding a different horse (i've had her 3.5 yrs!)

I've just subscribed my £12.50 per month and i'm gonna give it a go - i also have a younger horse that can be a bit bossy so i'm hoping that i can "get inside her head" abit so we are talking the same language.

[Tootsie4U]

Just wanted to ask Janet if she's only got a rope halter on that horse? Impressive & bee-u-tee-full!

[janet hakeney]

Tootsie4U.....yes....it's not a camera trick....that stallion only has a rope halter on....and what you can't see out of shot is that all Ingelas mares are galloping round like loonies in the field behind him.

My only regret is that for understandable reasons stallions are not allowed to attend Parelli courses ( could make the libery work VERY :eek: interesting ) and Pat actively discourages people from working with stallions untill they are level 3 or above as he has seen so many nasty accidents with people and stallions. I just happen to have a breed of horse that it is traditional to ride ONLY stallions and although I do find them challenging at times because they are entire, Lusitanos have such wonderfull temperaments that I feel justified in keeping them entire. My general riding experience is fairly extensive and it has not taken me or them long to adapt to this new way of doing things.

[chapsi]

Janet,

Stunning photos, by the way.
You look so sucessful in what you have achieved with your horse, that you almost make me feel keen to try Parelli.
Unfortunately I lack motivation to attempt doing something within NH lines; I am surronded by people who are not very understanding, a sarcastic instructor and an unreliable horse (although we have good days now). I still feel uneasy to be on my own with him in the arena, without tack.

Mind you, I've heard of somebody in Ribatejo who has been attending Parelli courses abroard and has adapted much of it to Classical riding (Escola Portuguesa). I was considering contacting him.

By the way, are you also coming to the Festival do Cavalo Lusitano next week?

[janet hakeney]

chapsi....thank you for your kind comments. Two of Pat Parelli's top apprentices will be in Villa Franca studying with Lois Valenca. I'm not sure the dates they will be there but I will try and find out if I can. He is also sending two to each of the Royal School at Jerez, the Spanish Riding School and I think also the Cadre Noir.

I will be coming to Portugal on the 17th untill the 25th for a holiday and for the Lisbon show. I will be staying in Palhagueiras near Torres Vedras which I don't think can be that far from you. The couple that are coming with me, Gill and Andrew, are Parelli people, purhaps you would like to meet up with us one of the days we are there?

[Miriam]

Just out of interest is the Natural headcollar just the same as a Be-nice headcollar

[Kelly_Milton]

The Be-Nice halter works with slip knots, so when you pull the halter tightens around the poll and the nose. It's uses to teach horses to go into the pressure.

The Parelli halter or knotted halter is just that, a piece of string that is knotted to give you a halter. I use my halter all the time we did our first canter in it yesterday, it felt wonderful. For those dressage riders out their it really helps deepen your seat!!

[Miriam]

Thanks Kelly

[chapsi]

Janet,

definately, definately. I look forward meeting you as well as your friends. Perhaps you can visit me at the yard, meet me and my boy together, and perhaps be able to assess how do I go wrong to have such a stroppy, grumpy horse. Perhaps they'll give me ideas on how to work him safely on my own in the arena.
I've just been reading Kelly Marks book for the third time, and still don't feel confortable to do the Foundation Exercises alone with him.

Here is my contact: 219610768 (home), 261815121 (work) and 919856024 (mobile)

The Ribatejo contact I got is of a chap who breeds wild bulls (I think ?) and has attended Parelli courses abroad. He claims that he knows Parelli in person, who has been a guest at his home twice.

[janet hakeney]

Chapsi,

I will phone you while we are over and see if we can find a time that suits to see you. How far away from Torres Vedras are you?

The guy in the Ribatejo may be speaking the truth. I know that Pat Parelli went to Portugal last autumn and stayed with someone who had bulls because he got horned in the leg while playing with one....and was still limping from it when he was at Essen in Germany a few weeks later.

Janet

[chapsi]

It's a small world, isn't it? This might be the break that both horse and I so rightly need.
Ah, ah, our wild bulls are not for fussying. Why do men need to put themselves to the test with a wild bull? That was careless, Parelli could have got himself killed.
Torres Vedras is very close from Mafra. It's the previous motorway junction (A8), maybe 30 minute drive.

By the way, June 19th it's Bank Holiday, and on 20th I'll be off work. I am also planning to go over to the Festival do Cavalo Lusitano on the same weekend.