Parelli at my yard with youngsters?

Lucy J · #1 20th Aug 2002, 09:42 AM

After being told my yard is not taking on any more liveries, I have just found out someone who trains youngsters using the parelli method may be moving to our yard. Now, the Parelli bit I can just about cope with, because it will mean I get to see the training in action which may reduce my scepticism, but I am wary about someone coming in and training youngsters to sell them on. I always find that horses constantly coming and going upsets herd behaviour and can make the horses insecure.

Am I being silly?

Kerry's Partner!! · #2 20th Aug 2002, 05:36 PM

No you are not being silly. I have no idea how things will turn out. But you have a healthy scepticism I'd say so you can watch what happens from the outset with an open mind with you and yours uppermost in your own mind and then tell us all what happens - it'll be interesting to hear how the frequent comings and goings impact on the long-stayers.

Crystal Fire · #3 20th Aug 2002, 07:28 PM

Hi Lucy - how ya doing?
I'm just starting my 4 yr old using Parelli methods, but I wouldn't dream of using it to "train" youngsters to sell on. Why? I'm not qualified, and I'd be really surprised if this person is either.
To be an approved young horse trainer a Parelli student has to first pass level 3, then do special training with Pat, then pass to his standards and become endorsed. Sounding more and more unlikely??
I'd just distance yourself from it if I was you. But bear in mind if you see anything you don't like the look of - they probably don't know what they are doing. If you get really concerned, and they are actually using the word "Parelli" in any advertising etc, contact the UK Savvy Centre 01884 881254 and they will look into it. They will at least stop the person claiming to be anything they are not. If you like, as soon as you get a name, you can email me privately and I will tell you if they are endorsed - I know them all.
p.s. My 4 yr old Arab accepted the saddle calmly today, and me on her back for the first time. I'm over the moon!

Kerry's Partner!! · #4 20th Aug 2002, 07:33 PM

That's a brilliant reply you gave to Lucy in my humble opinion. BUT, it sounds like there are some people about who you suspect profess to be what they are not. I'm all for naming and shaming in the interests of the horses, ponies and riders they "abuse" in this respect, so the only thing I was disappointed with was the request for a private message.

cvb · #5 20th Aug 2002, 08:01 PM

but its really easy to check out if someone really is the Parelli level they claim to be or not. So its not like Crystal Fire and Lucy would be keeping anything from us ??

Sue Carnell · #6 20th Aug 2002, 10:08 PM

One of the problems with NH (or anything else for that matter) is that dabbling can make things worse. I had a horse to load yesterday, I tried what I knew only to discover that what others half knew had already been tried, thus making my job twice as hard. Going in half baked makes the horses very suspicious and less likely to respond. I can now quite understand Mike Peace's frustration when he told me that often he gets horses that everyone else has already tried with. Makes his job much harder (and mine). Sadly, the owner of the horse with the problem loading hadn't gone in half baked with stuff she didn't know, she'd entrusted her horse to so-called experts, who were more like Wally's sig file than knowledgeable horse folk from what I can gather. Bandwagons come to mind. Not only that, but people getting onto bandwagons can make perfectly reasonable methods of training acquire undeserved bad reputations, when people will say they do 'such and such' when in reality they don't do anything like.

PS: Yes I did load the horse and eventually without too much difficulty, but he made me work for it (mentally), when it shouldn't really have been that hard.

To Lucy regarding your original question. Ime, yes, constantly changing herds can upset horses considerably. They become settled and work out their 'pecking' order and their paddock friends. Is there any way that the more stable occupants can stay together in more fixed herds? Introducing new horses to an established group is often a very anxious (and dangerous) time, so the less it has to be done the better imho.

Sue Carnell
sue@eclipse.co.uk

Crystal Fire · #7 21st Aug 2002, 07:51 AM

If Lucy posts the name of the person up here I will be happy to confirm if they are qualified to do what they claim. (I'm 99% certain that they are not - because there just are so few PNH young horse trainers in this country, and they mainly have their own yards). But I thought I'd better not guess at names, because I don't want to be done for libel. I do know names of people who are claiming to be what they are not, and I've passed their details on to the Savvy Centre. One particular was in Kent, but has moved on I'm not sure where, so I was just wondering...? Unfortunately they can be very sneaky and use phrases like "drawing on Parelli/Monty Roberts/Michael Peace methods", which gives them a big loophole.
I suggested Lucy mail me personally because I know her, and we could chat in a bit more detail, nothing sinister. As said above, it's easy to check qualifications of anyone making claims to use a particular system, and I always would, be it Intelligent Horsemanship, PNH, whatever.
The note about changing horse herds about is SO right. But Lucy hasn't actually said that this would be the case with her horse, maybe the youngsters will be kept separately. Hope so. If they are to be mixed in with the regular horses, then questions about worming programmes come to mind as well.
p.s Every horseman I've been to has had tales to tell about the horse that came to them after everything else had been tried. Does this say something about the owners?

Lucy J · #8 21st Aug 2002, 08:27 AM

I am going to try and persuade the yard owners not to go down this route. I think someone has seen them coming and is looking for a way to train horses at a yard where they can get away with paying little. If it will only be one or two horses I don't mind so much. I'll find out the name. I just wanted to check I was not being silly before I approached the yard owners with my worries.

Our horses are split into mares and geldings, so that would be the case with the new horses. We have quite a strict worming program as it is. I just think its maybe time I started looking at other yards. I picked this one because it was quiet, stable and handy, but it all looks set to change.

I'll raise my concerns tonight and see what gets said.

Incidently, Ciara is going much better with her new saddle, we even managed to turn right at the end of the driveway, but i'm still getting used to it