# Pat Parelli



## barnrat (Jan 1, 2007)

before yesterday I completely didn't understand Pat Parelli's methods at all and thought that it could never really work. 

Yesterday night the barn owners, and Sarah and I took our TB out to Patty's (barn owner) friends barn so she could take a look and determine what we should do with him. Her name is Terri and she is working on her level 3 parelli hoping to become a certified instructor. Terri did some ground work with him and determined we should leave him there for a couple days and have Sarah and I come out and she would help us train him. We woke up this morning and set out for her barn we got there thinking that All that would happen was some ground work and what not. Sarah and I decided she would work with Viento having done some Parelli with him already. I thought I would be there and just watch but she took out one of her already trained horses and had me ride him. It was a totally different ride that really made Parelli work for me. I have become a much better rider, I feel that the point I'm at took me a year to achieve but all thats happened is me coming out twice today. I can ride bareback with little to no reins at the walk and trot, bring him back down to the walk and even halt with no pulling. I don't have a bridle on and in fact I have a rope halter on. I am a REALLY in confident rider and I have gained so much confidence. 

To tell you about viento now. Sarah did lots of groundwork this morning then the next thing we knew sarah was on him bareback with a halter walking around with NO bucks, NO rears and a VERY calm horse. Tonight Sarah did very little groundwork and was able to get on and actually tell him where she wanted to go and she even trotted. She walked him over some small barrels and even walked him over a tarp. I know that she probably has gained so much more confidence then me and I dont even know how that can be possible when I am SO happy. 

I want to hear what you guys think about Pat Parelli! tell me your stories!


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## Moraitis (Jul 2, 2007)

*Parelli*

To be honest i haven't done much pat parelli natural horsemanship, and i never use to like him at all. some of his methods were a little strange when he first started out, before he becae more popular.
my father is/was a race horse trainer/breeder/shower/lil' bit of everything really, and he use to start all of our horses. he met parelli a couple of times in his younger days on the horse scene and found him to be a couple of kangaroos short in the top paddock! but i have found that some of his methods are really taking off now and seem fairly popular.

the methods that my family have always used are monty roberts methods. he's been around a fair while longer than parelli and i find his methods more understandable for me personally as they are based on the horses instinctive behaviour, being a flight animal etc etc. these methods hae held true for me with alot of horses, and having just purchased an ex race horse off the track 8 months ago i have found his methods to work fantastically in getting him to bond with me and calm down. he's a beautiful horse now, affectionate and gentle. i think this is mainly because of monty roberts methods, as he was a little crazy and terrified when i actually purchased him.
he was completely head shy, and it is very obvious that he has either head butted something trying to get away from someone or someone has hit him with something as he has small scar tissue cloud in his eye which the vet attributed to either of the above mentioned actions. now that he has been restarted, he'll drop his head down to put the bridle on, he will nuzzle you and allow you to cuddle his face and play wit his ears.
he also use to be a pain in the butt to catch, ad now he walks up to you and waits for you to put his halter on.
i guess i know that the methods have worked because he'll do these things for me, the person he has bonded to, but he will still be very cautious around new people, especially men.

so that's my little rave. i reckon each to their own really, but monty roberts definitely has someinteresting reads if you want to look them up. lot of problem solving too. i think any natural method is better than the breaking method an hobbles. )


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## barnrat (Jan 1, 2007)

I started my pony with Monty Roberts. I agree that it works extremely well. But, It wasn't until i personally started Pat Parelli that Myke came to me in the turnout. Actually before when I did Monty roberts Myke Ran from me.  but now myke looks at me and If I stop coming to him he comes the rest of the way. shouldn't be too long until myke responds to me when I first walk in..I hope. Sarah goes anywhere near Raini's turnout and Raini is Galloping to Sarah and Follows her along the fence line....

Poor Sarah, due to some lucky reasons Sarah is back being able to take Raini out when ever. but poor Sarah. Patty and Don plan on selling one of the two horses. that she is working with and she has been asked which one she wants to stay and what one she wants to go. POOR SARAH!!!


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## desperate horsewife (Jun 21, 2007)

I saw my first Parelli video last month. I find him irritating for the most part (he seemed a bit arrogant), and the snippet that had him riding I found horrifying (horrible, jerky hand that kept banging the horse's mouth.) 

I did like his suggestion regarding a hot wire round pen, and found that what I've been doing all along isn't really any different than all this '_new age natural_' that's going on :wink: And since I suppose what I saw him doing is mirroring what I'm doing, I'd have to say I like some of what he does, eh?

I never realized when I was younger how blessed I was not to have the money to attend clinics, lol! But because I never watched anyone else, and because my folks never paid for a single lesson, I had to learn on my own what worked best with my horses. It always seems to shock people these days when they ask 'who do you follow', and I tell them no one, that Pat Parelli was probably in diapers the same time as me, or maybe even afterwards. I always like to tell them that good horsemanship is good horsemanship, but that some folks have also developed their marketing skills :wink:


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## DesertGal (Apr 28, 2007)

I looked into Parelli when I got Christy. I started out trying a few super beginner stuff, but neither Christy nor I really did well with it. :? 

I then tried John Lyons, and we both did much better. I have since switched to Leslie Desmond, and this is working super well!  

Basically I use different things from different trainers, put them together and use what works best for me and what Christy responds to best. Now, I just need the time to work with her!


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## Flying B (Jul 4, 2007)

Parelli work for a few people, I don't like it he leaves steps out, 
John Lyons is good, Desetgal that is all they do is take what they learn from trainers be for them and keep what they like, sometimes you will have to change some stuff with different horses, if the horse dose not get something its not the horses fault it is the rider's then you just change it up a little until they get it.


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

just got a parelli package yesterday, wasn't too impressed with it....tell you how i feel about it if i don't fall asleep watching it.


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## Flying B (Jul 4, 2007)

LOL I know what you mean, he is not that good, there I said it. I think he is out there trying to sell as much DVDs as he can, if you know how to train a horse then you would know what I mean. You can't just look at one trainer you have to look and watch a lot of them to have a option on if one is good or not. Can he train a horse yes but how many trainers use him? That should say it all. The way he trains will take a lot longer than it should, and if you pay a trainer for 30 days and you don't see a lot of change then you are going to be mad.


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## desperate horsewife (Jun 21, 2007)

> if you pay a trainer for 30 days and you don't see a lot of change then you are going to be mad.


I think this is an unrealistic expectation that a lot of horse owners have. You've got to remember that a horse has had far more than 30 days to learn the behavior that hes' being sent to a trainer for. With some horses, 30 days will give you a glimpse of change, some will have made huge strides, and there there are those that really, really need more time.

I know some folks who swear by Parelli, mostly because he breaks it down into steps they can follow. I've a friend who's done quite well with his system; it works for her. I guess that's why hes' making money and a name for himself, eh?


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

saw it...wasn't impressed, could of showed more in his intro dvd to get some one more hooked


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I watched couple Parelli's video and frankly that was boring for most part. I used Buck Brannaman and methods and they seemed to be working.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Flying B said:


> The way he trains will take a lot longer than it should, and if you pay a trainer for 30 days and you don't see a lot of change then you are going to be mad.


Well, some trainers I'v seen in my area are extremely harsh on horses. Yes, they break them in 30-15-10 days, but you can break horse's mind too this way.


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## Haflinger (Jul 16, 2007)

I had some interesting encounters with his carrotstick and other methods...

e had a trainer that learned his methods coming to our club, but i never joined...
Some things are nice, but these are essential things just natural horsebahviour..
This is how a horse reacts...No hokus pokus and his special method... 

I have to agree with "desperate housewife"..
I had a similar growing up... and rasied my horses on m y own.
Honestly i never cared much for the Guru trip! Knowledge is good, but i don't have to worship one of them and pay ungoodly amounts of money to get my horse trained just to put a trainingmehtod on him i an't aprove off all the way!

Like with all the animals I train, i do what works! I take a pick here and try out something new from there.. but I keep my own stile, It works!


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## Flying B (Jul 4, 2007)

desperate horsewife, You would be one of a few that think that, I try to tell so many people that same thing. Sometimes you can train something out of a horse in 30 days, but it doesn't do any good when they will just train it to do again after 3 days back at there place. 

Kitten val, I get on a horse just after 1 or 2 times in the round pen if you do it right you can have a ok horse after 30 days nothing close to broke but, I don't call a horse the will not buck broke it takes a lot more than that for me to call a horse broke. 

Haflinger, I will use a carrot stick time to time but not when I am riding, " just natural horse behavior" you said it you just got to know how to speak horse and know what they are thinking, there's nothing special about it. You could not be more right "do what works" if it works for you and your horse than why change it? 

I have never seen so many people think the same way I do about Parelli, I was thinking I was going to get jumped on for saying what I said.


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## Haflinger (Jul 16, 2007)

Well i had to smile... :wink: 
i was expected to get jumped because i am not totally fond of him...
I used to get jumped for that...

the thing is, everybody is different, and every horse is different, what is good for one is not necessarily good for the other...

Every trainer ias good to learn something from... good or bad...
but you have to be able to make it your own... then it will work!


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## Spirithorse (Jun 21, 2007)

LOVE Parelli! It works, and it works well! I looked into Monty Roberts at first, but his sytle isn't complete in my opinion, but Parelli's is complete. It's amazing.


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## firelight27 (Jul 20, 2007)

Pat Parelli is wonderful, but so is John Lyons, and Clinton Anderson, and a ton of other trainers I love to death. 

I think it all depends on the person's natural style, as well as their learning style. Its the same as when we are trying to learn something in college, everyone goes about a different way, and oftentimes, trying someone elses way just doesn't work for us.

For me, I like Pat Parelli/John Lyons/Clinton on the ground, and then Clinton Anderson/Bob Avila/John Lyons in the saddle (yup, I use all their stuff.) I mix and match babe! Lol. 

In any case, I always start a horse with Parelli's games. It makes ground work fun, and it really does get the horse's moving in all directions with just a suggestion from the ground. By the time I get in the saddle they know pressure in certain places means to move in the same way we did on the ground. They respect and trust me by the time saddle work comes, and they also are excellent loading into the trailer. Even with trained horses, I play the games a bit to see what kind of mood they are in before I get on. Parelli calls them pre-flight checks, and they help me work out the horse's mental issues of the day before I climb aboard.

As for in the saddle, I've never really tried alot of Parelli's stuff. I dont know... it just never appealled to me so much. I worship his ground work but I'm still true to John Lyons and Bob Avilla. I think mostly I take lessons/advice from many well known trainers and their videos/articles and use them if I like them and if the work for me. End of story.


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