Today I attended the open house at the Parelli Center in Reddick, Florida. The Center is located on a large wooded property a few miles from downtown Ocala. Sitting on a pretty little palomino mare at the entrance of the driveway, a Parelli intern pointed visitors toward a parking area. I followed the crowd to a registration table, where we were welcomed and directed past a large playground area toward the education center.
Parelli students were everywhere, riding or leading horses and talking to visitors. As I approached the education center, I could see bleachers and chairs surrounding a riding ring where several students were riding their horses. All were riding without bridles and some were riding bareback as well. It was quite a demonstration of horsemanship and not for the only time during the day I thought to myself how much I wish I could do what they were doing.
Once these demonstrations were over, Pat's son Caton performed a demonstration with a horse that he has been training. Riding one horse, he directed the second horse that was moving alongside, sing a long training stick with a piece of white cloth tied to the end. He had the two horses performing a virtual horse pas de duex that included a number of maneuvers, including spins. It was a wonderful demonstration of the kind of harmony that can exist between horses and human.
Following Caton's demonstration, an announcer told the crowd that during the remaining time in the morning session, there would various kinds of Parelli games taking place. In the riding ring, students would be playing with their horses at liberty. Each participant would have three minutes to get his or her horse to complete five separate obstacles. Their horses would have to jump a single barrel laying on its side, side pass over a second barrel, stand with all four feet on a square platform, back up several feet to finally step over a rail laid on the ground, and finally circle four laps around his or her human. In other areas on the property, students would be performing another obstacle course with their horse on line, riding an obstacle course or doing a barrel pattern.
I stayed at the riding ring to watch the liberty games. On participant brought in two miniature horses, Barnum and Bailey. These two adorable fuzzy critters were no more than a couple feet tall at the shoulder but I was fascinated by how athletic they were. Neither of them could side pass over a barrel because they simply weren't tall enough and at liberty, they declined to jump the barrel but when I followed them over to the on-line demonstration, each tiny horse managed a huge, for them, jump over a barrel, something I can't get my own 16 hand horse, Sonny, to do.
Around lunch time, I wandered over behind the education building where some vendors were serving lunch. After purchasing a barbeque sandwich, I asked a nice older couple at the only table that wasn't full, if they minded if I sat with them.
"We would mind it if you didn't." replied the woman with a friendly smile. '
We chatted amiably for a while and when I told them I was starting the Fast Track course on Monday and was a little nervous about it, they both told me not to worry, I was going to have a great time. It was only later that I learned I had been eating with Pat Parelli's mom and dad.
In the afternoon session, John Barr, the head of the Parelli education program, conducted a class with several students. He wanted everyone attending the open house to get a sense of what it would be like to be a student in a course at the center. As the students rode, John simultaneously gave them guidance while explaining to the crowd what he was doing and why. As the class progressed, I could see how both the horses and the students were beginning to move with more rhythm and relaxation and as they did, their movements became more subtle and precise.
Finally, Pat Parelli came into the ring to talk to the crowd about what he was trying to accomplish with Parelli Natural Horsemanshipä and about some of the new things that would be happening in the near future. His enthuse for what he is doing is really quite contagious and it was clear that many in the crowd had been impressed by what they had seen during the day as I had.
After having spent the day watching the various demonstrations and talking to a number of the students and faculty, I feel much more at ease about my upcoming Fast Track program. Everyone I met was both friendly and supportive. The facility itself is also an inviting environment. There are several playground areas with any number of inventive obstacles, including bridges, pedestals, barrels, a variety of jumps and large truck tires placed around. There are also riding rings and round corrals and much of the area is shaded..
While John Barr was conducting the afternoon class, he told the crowd that he felt confident in saying that attending a course at the Parelli Center was a life changing experience for any human and their horse. On Monday, Sonny and I will begin our Fast Track course. I'm anxious to see how it will change our lives. Stay posted, I'm looking forward to sharing our experience with you.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Settling In
Well, Sonny and I both made it to Florida safely and we are now comfortably settled at Whitehall Manor, a lovely farm just down the street from the Parelli Center.
I drove in from Jacksonville and arrived around lunch time. Whitehall Manor is an impressive farm with a large white mansion situated behind a pond at the end of a long drive. The property has many large trees shading the horse paddocks and a lots of Spanish Moss adds a sense of old southern charm. After being buzzed through the front gate, I drove over to the barn to meet Monica, who gave me the key to my new diggs for the next month and showed me around. The barn apartment I rented is a cute efficiency, with a small living room, a bedroom with a spacious closet and a tiny kitchen. It's best feature is a covered porch, a perfect place for morning coffee, that overlooks the field where Sonny is now grazing contentedly.
Sonny arrived in Ocala yesterday and was being held at the Brook Ledge terminal. The first thing I did after unloading my suitcases was to call Brook Ledge and ask if they could bring Sonny over to Whitehall Manor.
"Yep, I know just where that is. We're only about 10 minutes from there." the Brook Ledge terminal employee told me over the phone. "We'll send you big boy right over to you."
About 15 minutes later, the Brook Ledge trailer turned in through the gates to the farm and pulled up in front of the barn. As the driver climbed out of the truck, I asked him if Sonny had given him any trouble.
"He was a perfect gentleman." The driver told me. "He's a real nice horse."
I followed the driver around to the side of the horse trailer and waited while he lowered the ramp.
"We took him out of his stall and let him graze some yesterday," he told me as he unfastened the door. "He sure likes to eat."
"Thank you. I really appreciate that." I said as I led Sonny down the ramp. "This was the first time I sent Sonny anywhere and I was kind of nervous about it."
"Well you are very welcome. We like horses at Brook Ledge, especially good old boys like this one."
Sonny was his usual, unconcerned self as I led him through the barn to the paddock gate. After nosing around to see if I had any treats, he wandered off to check out the horses in the adjacent field. He didn't seem at all upset by the ride down to Florida or the change in scenery and when i gave him his grain, he gobbled it down, licking his feeding tub clean. What a relief it was to see how well he had weathered his trip.
Tomorrow is the open house at the Parelli Center and I am going to go over and take a look. I know I will feel more comfortable when the course starts on Monday if I am familiar with the lay of the land. Besides, it will be fun to see the demonstrations. More about that tomorrow.
I drove in from Jacksonville and arrived around lunch time. Whitehall Manor is an impressive farm with a large white mansion situated behind a pond at the end of a long drive. The property has many large trees shading the horse paddocks and a lots of Spanish Moss adds a sense of old southern charm. After being buzzed through the front gate, I drove over to the barn to meet Monica, who gave me the key to my new diggs for the next month and showed me around. The barn apartment I rented is a cute efficiency, with a small living room, a bedroom with a spacious closet and a tiny kitchen. It's best feature is a covered porch, a perfect place for morning coffee, that overlooks the field where Sonny is now grazing contentedly.
Sonny arrived in Ocala yesterday and was being held at the Brook Ledge terminal. The first thing I did after unloading my suitcases was to call Brook Ledge and ask if they could bring Sonny over to Whitehall Manor.
"Yep, I know just where that is. We're only about 10 minutes from there." the Brook Ledge terminal employee told me over the phone. "We'll send you big boy right over to you."
About 15 minutes later, the Brook Ledge trailer turned in through the gates to the farm and pulled up in front of the barn. As the driver climbed out of the truck, I asked him if Sonny had given him any trouble.
"He was a perfect gentleman." The driver told me. "He's a real nice horse."
I followed the driver around to the side of the horse trailer and waited while he lowered the ramp.
"We took him out of his stall and let him graze some yesterday," he told me as he unfastened the door. "He sure likes to eat."
"Thank you. I really appreciate that." I said as I led Sonny down the ramp. "This was the first time I sent Sonny anywhere and I was kind of nervous about it."
"Well you are very welcome. We like horses at Brook Ledge, especially good old boys like this one."
Sonny was his usual, unconcerned self as I led him through the barn to the paddock gate. After nosing around to see if I had any treats, he wandered off to check out the horses in the adjacent field. He didn't seem at all upset by the ride down to Florida or the change in scenery and when i gave him his grain, he gobbled it down, licking his feeding tub clean. What a relief it was to see how well he had weathered his trip.
Tomorrow is the open house at the Parelli Center and I am going to go over and take a look. I know I will feel more comfortable when the course starts on Monday if I am familiar with the lay of the land. Besides, it will be fun to see the demonstrations. More about that tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
On the Road to Reddick
Sonny and I left for Reddick, Florida today. We are headed to the Parelli Center to attend a four week Fast Track program to study Parelli Natural Horsemanshipä and while our physical trip got underway today, the journey actually began three years ago.
Its been three years now since I began working at the horse rescue. Shortly after I began working there, our director, Elena DiSilvestro invited me to attend a Parelli even in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I’d never heard of Pat Parelli and didn’t know anything about natural horsemanship but I was intrigued by Elena’s enthusiasm for this unknown (to me) horse trainer. Unfortunately, I had a conflict and wasn’t able to attend the event, but Elena lent me a series of DVDs that explained the most basic level of the Parelli method
After watching the DVDs and reading about Parelli on the internet, I was curious enough to purchase the basic tools, a rope halter and 12’ line and a carrot stick and 6’ string and begin experimenting with Sonny. For several weeks, I played Parelli's Seven Games with Sonny and was amazed at the change it created in his responsiveness and our relationship. Before long I was hooked.
After attending several clinics with five-star Parelli instructor Carol Coppinger and taking weekly lessons with my local Parelli instructor Jane Bartsch, I really wanted to take my horsemanship to the next level by attending a class at one of the Parelli Centers in the USA but I just couldn't seem to figure out the logistics. My mother, who is a spry 87 years old, lives with me and she doesn't really like to be alone for long periods of time. I had considered taking her with me to Florida while I took a course but the idea of leaving her alone from 7 am to 7 pm each day while I was attending classes and playing with Sonny just didn't seem like the right thing to do.
Then this spring I received an e-mail from Parelli Central that was about to change my life. The e-mail announced that there were a small number of scholarships available for Fast Track programs at the Parelli Centers. Interested parties were encouraged to use the on-line application. I casually mentioned this to my mother and she immediately encouraged me to apply. When I told her that I thought it wouldn't be much fun for her to be hanging around a hotel room day after day while I attended classes, she told me not to worry, we'd figure something out.
So I filled out the application and then pretty much forgot about it until early August when I opened my e-mail one day and found an e-mail from Parelli University. I was almost afraid to open the message but when I did, the first word I saw was "Congratulations!" I had been accepted to the Fast Track program and granted a partial scholarship. It took a few minutes for the message to sink in but when it did, I grabbed my phone, called Jane Bartsch and gushed out, "The most wonderful thing has happened. I've been give a scholarship to the November Fast Track program. There were over 1200 applicants. I don't know why they picked me but I am definitely going!"
And that's how Sonny and I came to be on the road to Reddick, Florida. Because I don't own a horse trailer, Sonny is being moved by Brook Ledge transportation. When the Brook Ledge tractor trailer pulled down Rowan Farm's driveway this morning, I realized that Sonny was going to have a more comfortable ride to Florida than I was. Sonny's been in stock trailers and two horse trailers but he had never seen anything like the Brook Ledge 18 wheel tractor trailer with it steep, wooden paneled ramp. But being the good Parelli partner that he is, he walked right up the ramp and settled into his box stall without any hesitation. I slipped him a horse cookie and patted him on the nose before surrendering him to the care of the very nice Brook Ledge employees. Then I jumped into my car and headed south.
As I write this, I am sitting in an hotel room in Emporia, Virginia, just a few miles north of the North Carolina boarder. According to MapQuest, it is an 11 hour drive from Emporia to Reddick. I should be reunited with Sonny in Reddick by Friday. And on Saturday, I hope to attend an open house at the Parelli Center to get an idea of what the campus is like. We start our adventure on Monday and I plan to keep a journal of our progress. So if you would like to join Sonny and I on our journey, keep an eye on my blog and I will be posting regular reports.
Its been three years now since I began working at the horse rescue. Shortly after I began working there, our director, Elena DiSilvestro invited me to attend a Parelli even in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I’d never heard of Pat Parelli and didn’t know anything about natural horsemanship but I was intrigued by Elena’s enthusiasm for this unknown (to me) horse trainer. Unfortunately, I had a conflict and wasn’t able to attend the event, but Elena lent me a series of DVDs that explained the most basic level of the Parelli method
After watching the DVDs and reading about Parelli on the internet, I was curious enough to purchase the basic tools, a rope halter and 12’ line and a carrot stick and 6’ string and begin experimenting with Sonny. For several weeks, I played Parelli's Seven Games with Sonny and was amazed at the change it created in his responsiveness and our relationship. Before long I was hooked.
After attending several clinics with five-star Parelli instructor Carol Coppinger and taking weekly lessons with my local Parelli instructor Jane Bartsch, I really wanted to take my horsemanship to the next level by attending a class at one of the Parelli Centers in the USA but I just couldn't seem to figure out the logistics. My mother, who is a spry 87 years old, lives with me and she doesn't really like to be alone for long periods of time. I had considered taking her with me to Florida while I took a course but the idea of leaving her alone from 7 am to 7 pm each day while I was attending classes and playing with Sonny just didn't seem like the right thing to do.
Then this spring I received an e-mail from Parelli Central that was about to change my life. The e-mail announced that there were a small number of scholarships available for Fast Track programs at the Parelli Centers. Interested parties were encouraged to use the on-line application. I casually mentioned this to my mother and she immediately encouraged me to apply. When I told her that I thought it wouldn't be much fun for her to be hanging around a hotel room day after day while I attended classes, she told me not to worry, we'd figure something out.
So I filled out the application and then pretty much forgot about it until early August when I opened my e-mail one day and found an e-mail from Parelli University. I was almost afraid to open the message but when I did, the first word I saw was "Congratulations!" I had been accepted to the Fast Track program and granted a partial scholarship. It took a few minutes for the message to sink in but when it did, I grabbed my phone, called Jane Bartsch and gushed out, "The most wonderful thing has happened. I've been give a scholarship to the November Fast Track program. There were over 1200 applicants. I don't know why they picked me but I am definitely going!"
And that's how Sonny and I came to be on the road to Reddick, Florida. Because I don't own a horse trailer, Sonny is being moved by Brook Ledge transportation. When the Brook Ledge tractor trailer pulled down Rowan Farm's driveway this morning, I realized that Sonny was going to have a more comfortable ride to Florida than I was. Sonny's been in stock trailers and two horse trailers but he had never seen anything like the Brook Ledge 18 wheel tractor trailer with it steep, wooden paneled ramp. But being the good Parelli partner that he is, he walked right up the ramp and settled into his box stall without any hesitation. I slipped him a horse cookie and patted him on the nose before surrendering him to the care of the very nice Brook Ledge employees. Then I jumped into my car and headed south.
As I write this, I am sitting in an hotel room in Emporia, Virginia, just a few miles north of the North Carolina boarder. According to MapQuest, it is an 11 hour drive from Emporia to Reddick. I should be reunited with Sonny in Reddick by Friday. And on Saturday, I hope to attend an open house at the Parelli Center to get an idea of what the campus is like. We start our adventure on Monday and I plan to keep a journal of our progress. So if you would like to join Sonny and I on our journey, keep an eye on my blog and I will be posting regular reports.
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