Parelli - days 1 & 2

[Dales_Lover]

Well, I finally got my Parelli Partnerhip pack through the other day, got very excited :rolleyes:, watched the video and read all the booklets. I saw a couple of things on the video which I knew I wouldn't be using (such as the mounting thing - I like to use a mounting block, better for the saddle and the horses back) and the trombone effect (didn't really get what that was for).

Anyhow, up I went to Ebby, she had a snooze in her stable first and then I put my halter (sadly no 12 foot line but a nicely coloured purple leadrope did the job :D ) on her, collected my make shift carrot stick for the day (a reddy/orangey whip :p ) and we set out to do the Friendly Game. Well, it sorta went like this -

Ebby - "Hello Mum, right ok, yep you can give me a stroke on my nose ...... no Mum that's a dried bogey - I've been saving that for ages! :rolleyes: Honestly Mum ...... you don't know a thing do you .......... hang on, NO, YOU CAN NOT TOUCH ME THERE (her belly and chest area) ....... GRRRRR .......... I'll bite ya hand off ...... ooooh, the stick is touching me on my belly ......... don't mind the stick....... but I WILL bite your hand off .... grrrr..... "

Me - "Ebby, shush, bite the stick not me :rolleyes: "

And, it went on like that for a while. In the end she let my hand touch her all over without eating it, so I let her have some grass to eat and then we started the Porcipine Game :)

For a pony that is suppost to have done this before, you wouldnt think so :o after 5 mins she soon got the turn on her rear end, and yesterday I only had to make a hand gesture to move her over. We still need to work on turning on her front end though, and I haven't attemped to back her up using her nosey wosey. Backing up on her chest was either super or awful :rolleyes: so thats another thing we have to practice today.

I just hope soon my carrot stick, savvy string and hackamore comes!

Also, whats on the cassette tape? I'm a bit scared to listen too it :p

[Alibi]

Don't listen to the tape when you're feeling tired, it sends you to sleep then you have nightmares about Pat Parelli's moustache!!:D

Which mounting thing do you mean? the one where you ask them to put their head down, you lean on their neck and they throw you up - its very handy when riding bareback! otherwise agree with you i'd rather use the fence to mount.

Whats the trombone effect?? I've watched those videos a million times but never came across it? Hmm will have to go and watch them again now you've got me thinking!

Sounds like you did well for your first session. Its much nicer to start of with your hands as i always found that i poked my horse with the carrot stick when i first started, which they weren't impressed with!

Hope you have another good session today!

[katieB]

Originally posted by Dales_Lover

For a pony that is suppost to have done this before, you wouldnt think so :o after 5 mins she soon got the turn on her rear end, and yesterday I only had to make a hand gesture to move her over. We still need to work on turning on her front end though, and I haven't attemped to back her up using her nosey wosey. Backing up on her chest was either super or awful :rolleyes: so thats another thing we have to practice today.

Just a thought as this my main downfall with the Seven Games - check your body languge. I am terrible for trying to concentrate on getting her to move and forgetting to do the whole send and relax body language. If you say she has done this before then it may be you are forgetting your BL, maybe not the case but worth a thought. Have fun! :)

[Dales_Lover]

Originally posted by Alibi
Don't listen to the tape when you're feeling tired, it sends you to sleep then you have nightmares about Pat Parelli's moustache!!:D

:D I won't listen to it tonight then!!

The mounting thing - I've only got one video, and its on the one where he shows you what everything should like like in L1. He mounts from the ground, 3 times getting so he is standing up straight in one stirrup then going back down again - I can see it would be useful for some people, but I don't want to put the strain on Ebby's back - and her saddle (as she is a roly poly pony) would be round her belly if I tried (and so would I!).

The trombone effect - well, it had me in stitches! I think its to slow your horse down (Mum was chatting too me then so I was only half watching) and you have to run your hand down the rein when riding 3 times, and then you should turn him to a stop? (Someone correct me if I'm wrong here!) I've ridden Ebby before in a rope halter, and only a small squeeze is needed to bring her back to me, so I think I'll stick to my way.

Katie B - Ahh that's probably making her confused and slow - I must work on my BL then :nods: I will make a mental note of that today - thank you!

I think today we are going to do some bare back jumping :p ho hum!!

[Harry Hobbes]

The trombone effect - well, it had me in stitches! I think its to slow your horse down (Mum was chatting too me then so I was only half watching) and you have to run your hand down the rein when riding 3 times, and then you should turn him to a stop? Parelli uses the "trombone" image to communicate the idea that the rider must get hold of the lead rope close to the horse's head, and remain in a balanced riding posture, with an independent seat, so that the rider can physically bring the head around and bend the horse. The "trombone" action is almost universally understood, so Parelli uses the image for teaching the human the arm/hand action necessary to safely perform the maneuver.

If one does not reach way forward, while simultaneously pulling the lead rope back with the other hand (i.e., like working a trombone), then to bend the horse, one can only either a) lean forward at the waist to grab the lead rope close, or b) attempt to bend the horse with a long lead. Either of these methods put the rider at a greater risk of truly being "...in stitches."

The "trombone" action is a very effective and safe method to bend the horse from the saddle while remaining in a balanced riding posture. It also serves as a minor rider-balancing exercise, helping to promote an independent seat.

Best regards,
Harry

[Dales_Lover]

Cheers for that Harry - makes more sense now.

Slowing the horse down bit is still confusing me - what Pat showed was in the area, to slow the horse down he circled her till she stopped. If you follow his rules and don't pull back on the reins to slow down, how are you going to slow down on tracksand on the roads? To slow down from a canter up our tracks by turning around, it would really not be possible - they are so small and narrow, that horse and rider would probably be catapolted out the side door ???

[Sue Carnell]

From how I understand it, sliding the hand down the rope 3 times is to prepare the horse, let him know you're about to bend him to a stop. Lift the rope, slide your hand down and up the rope like a trombone, then on the third go, keep hold of the rope, instead of sliding your hand back up it, bending his head towards your knee. Initially, bend him each time you stop.

You aren't turning him to stop, you're bending him to a stop. If he turns and keeps turning and circling, let the life out (relax, slump, look at your feet) and wait until he stops and then relaxes. Allow him to stay bent for a few seconds, rub his forehead (friendly) then straighten him up again. Start by bending his head towards you on the ground, then progress to in the saddle at halt, when you've got it at halt go to walk, etc.

Eventually all you'll need to do is let your life out and maybe lift the rope. By level two you won't be bending to a stop each time, but intially you do in order to really get the bend understood. Once it's easy and he's stopping long before the bend you would only practice with the full bend occasionally.

The trombone is part of the preparation, the before. The horse knows what happens before what happens happens, and responds to that and your letting your life out. The total bend to a stop is also an emergency stop, but the horse needs to learn it first. It also helps stop the rider panicking and grabbing hold. Your horse is cantering off with you? Let the life out, reach down the rope and trombone, he should be back to walk before you get to the bending, if you've practiced enough.

It isn't circling to a stop, it's bending to a stop. The idea is that the horse bends his neck and brings his head to your knee, starting at halt with him not moving his feet at all, not that he goes in circles. With practice, by the time you get out on the tracks (Parelli reckons you should be pretty established with your stops first) you should be able to just relax yourself, sigh and yawn and lift your rope to stop, or slow. No bending or circling required.

Hope this helps. :D

[Dales_Lover]

Ah ha - I totally understand now - thank you Sue!

Going to go off now and do some more reading up ....... :D

[Dales_Lover]

Forgot to say how our session went today :o :rolleyes:

Ebby was VERY pleased to see me, it was all whinny nicker whinny, mum at last you've come to see me, where have you been, please can I have a scracth - you know how it is :D I fly sprayed her quickly and then she did a full circle of 'bum' turning each way, and a full circle of 'shoulder' turning each way as well :D she then backed up pretty straight, then we tried backing up by her nose. The first go I had to use phase 4 (I was certainly leaning on her nose thats for sure!), next time was phase 3, next phase 1 :p and then the next phase 3. we did a quick friendly game in the form of some lovely scratches and cuddles, did one more back up from chest (no phase needed, just small hand gesture) then a phase 3 from the nose, which resulted in her getting lots more friendly game and scratches (shes decided she lives scratches more than strokes).

I decided to call it a night then, as I needed to get home so I moved her fence so she had nice new grass and did her water and poo picked. Little madam didn't even raise her head when I called night night :rolleyes:

Have to go and write it all in my log book now..... cor we've improved already! :D

[Harry Hobbes]

Slowing the horse down bit is still confusing me - what Pat showed was in the area, to slow the horse down he circled her till she stopped. However, if he'd let go prior to the complete stop, he would only have transitioned the horse down to a slower speed/gait.

In other words, the bending to one side serves as a universal slow down maneuver. Hold it long enough, and the horse stops; letting go at the speed the rider determines serves merely to slow the horse down to that speed.

If you and your horse get good at a smooth "emergency stop" (i.e., the infamous "One-Rein Stop", as Parelli demonstrated), then you can merely slow your horse as much as you wish by merely bending it with one rein. So, on a narrow path where there's no room to circle, you merely bend the nose off center, and hold the bend until the horse transitions down to the desired speed.

But, again, the horse must be quite proficient at the one-rein stop for it to respond to a mere bend.

Parelli demonstrates this slowing down by bending approach, without a full stop, in his original training videos from 1993. He merely "...tips the nose to the outside [toward the arena fence]..." This works very well; I use and teach the technique with every trainee.

Best regards,
Harry