Attending the Parelli Center Open House

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.