Relaxation and Rhythm on the Trail

Written by Anne Evans, Level 3 Parelli student

It was with much excitement and anticipation that I waited for the Trail Riding Clinic with 4-Star Parelli Instructor, Carmen Smith. It was being held at the beautiful Tepon Equestrian Grounds, Wondecla, on the beautiful Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland. 

The whole riding group lined up

We were treated to stunning weather with sunny, warm days, and lovely, mild nights. I desperately needed help with my extreme right brain extrovert (RBE) Arabian gelding, Falak, as he was quite unpredictable and very unconfident out on trails. I had owned Falak several years earlier but soon sold him when I realised he was too much horse for me and I didn’t have the confidence or experience to help him at the time. After passing Level Two and feeling I now had enough quivers in my bow, I was given the opportunity to own Falak again and we have been playing at Level Three for seven months now.

Falak, practising his patience and relaxation

The Clinic was run over three days and was just what Falak and I needed. Carmen’s ability to communicate and get her message across clearly and precisely was nothing short of fantastic. Her knowledge was gratefully received by everyone and the change and improvement in both horses and riders was lovely to see. Carmen transformed our group of overexcited, nervous horses (and riders) - some with huge bubbles - into lovely, relaxed, evenly spaced joys to ride.

 

Our aim for the weekend was relaxation and rhythm. We started each day online, emotionally and mentally assessing our horses. After sorting the impulsive from the less impulsive, we headed off with the slowest in the lead. We played games such as Leap Frog, where two or three horses rode single file with the last horse walking or trotting up past the others and settling in the lead where “leap frog” was called and the last horse would then commence their way up to the front. This was teaching our horses calmness and not to be impulsive and chase horses.

Riding up and down hills

Rock Slide was another fun game we played. Imagine a dozen horses all reversing up a dusty country road then all in unison, disengaging the hindquarters, then side passing, then directing the forehand and reversing again. How clever were we?

Another challenge from Carmen was to partner up and share a single savvy string between two riders and not to release our grip while performing a myriad of tasks. My partner, Alison, and I were challenged to reverse a circle without letting go of our string, which we proudly achieved. All the while we were noticing our horses were becoming quieter and braver as they were given tasks to occupy their minds. We played the seven games with a purpose, often using obstacles, and causing them to flow together. We were taught the importance of release.

Some horses experienced their very first creek crossings. I’m sure a couple of these horses thought a crocodile would get them if their feet got wet but with passive persistence in the proper position they all eventually crossed to the other side. We were all taught to respect our horse’s thresholds and not push until they were ready.

Davina and Anne taking a break

We were faced with all types of traffic as well with some motorists being very considerate but also having to deal with the not so savvy and the downright rude! A fun game we played with Carmen was cutting the cars! As a car approached we all placed zone 1 on it and as it passed we all followed it. I wonder what the drivers thought? 

Our horses learnt to cope with friendly horses in paddocks, a very cute little Shetland pony and an extremely “out there Arabian” that was hell bent on showing all our horses how athletic and fleet of foot she was. What a show she put on, all the while our horses stood calmly.

Enjoying lunch out on the trail

Carmen taught us some knot savvy, which came in really handy later in the day when we were having lunch at a picturesque spot. Falak was tied up with the “bank robber’s” knot when all of a sudden, three trail bikes appeared out of nowhere. Falak went right brain immediately but luckily didn’t pull back and my knot survived his extreme reaction until I was able to get to his side and untie him and move him to a safe place.

We all enjoyed the weekend so much. The fantastic company, the laughs, the achievements -big and small - were all greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much, Carmen. Thank you, Pat and Linda Parelli, for developing such a program attainable to all.   

Posted by Sharon Parbery, Regional Correspondent – Australia/NZ (volunteer)

Sun, surf and family fun!

I was so awestruck the first time I saw this photo of Marieke and her horse in the surf

that I couldn’t stop smiling. I thought, now there’s a dynamic woman getting the most

out of her horsemanship and I wanted to know more about Marieke and her journey. I

think you will agree that this is one incredible family that have enormous fun with

their horses. They have certainly inspired me to get out there and have some fun with

my family and horses alike. Sharon Parbery, Parelli Regional Correspondent (volunteer)

Here is Marieke’s story:

“To say that everything equine is our life is an understatement. My own love of horses

started from about the time in which my memory did. I watched horses, hung out with

horses, dreamt of horses and, of course, always daydreamed and visualised being a

part of a herd some day. Today, I live that dream; my herd of two children, an

amazing horseman husband and four horses!

I met my husband, Rob, while we were both competing on the endurance circuit. In

fact, it was our horses, Queen and Kunami, who fell in love first. We have all

competed for over ten years in 40-60km events. Rob proposed my hand in marriage

while on horseback, in the moonlight at 13th Beach, Barwon Heads, which is now

considered our special place.

Our two children are also equine enthusiasts. Our nine year old daughter took on

Buster, a Welsh/Shetland Pinto 10hh, when they were both the age of three and since

then they have successfully completed 3 x 5km and 1 x 20km endurance rides,

copious trail rides, Pony club and many an agricultural show. And our four year old

son, Diesel, completed his first 5km led trail ride at two and since then has completed

two official 5km endurance rides and a 9km trail ride through KDTRC, of which Rob

is president. He has also competed at Kyneton Show.

We broke Buster to cart quite easily around three years ago, which serves as yet

another purpose for us and adds much delight for our children and our local

community, who always show delight when we take him out through the quiet streets.

We have also taken on a young Arab Fairview filly named Roxy, that Rob and I also

broke in as a team. She too, is a delightful soul and very curious and willing.

And George, a rescue Pony, is new to our herd and was saved from a number of wild,

brumby ponies slaughtered in Jeparit, Northern Victoria. Unhandled, malnourished

and riddled with lice, we took George on with one intention; to save him from a most

pointless and wasteful death. He is now likely to be another loved part of our family.

Since July, we started a ridged re-feeding program as well as a regular handling

regime that has gone hand in hand with physical ground work to necessitate hoof and

teeth care. George is responding well to our handling methods, which we attribute to

being the same way that we raise our children; positive reinforcement first, allow a

sense of freedom, conduct everything with patience, love and understanding. We

capitalise on good behaviour which provides an opening for willingness being

captured through many wide and varied experiences as we can provide.

Rob took on Kunami as an 18 month old colt and successfully broke him into saddle

at about three, after much ground work had been completed. The connection between

Kunami and Rob was the most unique that I had ever witnessed. They both enjoyed a

special bond and Rob was able to do more with this horse than I had seen done before.

They were connected with total respect, love and understanding. I speak of Kunami in

the past tense as we lost this gorgeous fella two years ago through incurable bowel

disease. We lost a great friend!

Queen, my grey Arab mare, loves to be first and up front where she is most

comfortable. Our first few races were a battle as my intention was to keep her back

and maintain energy. Learning more about her over time, I now allow her to run her

race to where she feels comfort and this lends itself to a less stressful ride. The feeling

of transition from spirited to comfortable is magic.

Queen and Kunami both love the beach, however, for different reasons.

It is the love that Rob and I have of this special place that I believe rubs off on the

horses. Kunami loved the dune work; ups and downs and the challenges of underfoot

softness. Both love the wide stretch of 4 km beach where they would freely race

beside each other.

After the horses have ridded themselves of cobwebs and worked up a nice sweat, we

end the day on the beach with surf work. Horses respond more willingly when being

‘asked’ rather than being told. The asking is all the more easier if the foundation of

trust and respect has been established first. Responding to Queens’ willingness and

trust in me, I began coaxing her into the surf each time we visited the beach. We

would go in deeper and deeper and ensure that each experience was a good one and

finishing on a good note. I always wear a helmet as the surf can get very rough and

stay saddled to lessen the risk of coming off. Queen now anticipates each wave and

we ride in to the rear of the wave and diagonally out to surf. There is nothing more

exhilarating and an extra bonus is that the salt water is very therapeutic for muscles

and skin.

We believe that there is great importance in handling horses with purpose and with a

set intention in mind. This is key and is definitely what each horse seeks from its

leader. We work and play with our horses; ‘work’ in determining leadership and

respect and ‘play’ in providing as many experiences as possible. More often than not,

our horses comply with our sometimes unconventional activities.

Our horses are all barefoot and have been for seven years. Rob barefoot trims our herd

and to this day none have been lame, touch wood.

Two years ago I sustained a hefty riding accident. Queen tripped and fell on some

unstable rocks at high speed and I fell with her. Queen was perfectly in tact, however,

I broke my neck; a fracture of the C1. As the triage doctor confirmed, any more

intense and it would have been ‘lights out’! Needless to say, although I was braced

and out of action for some time, my helmet was my saviour, along with some good

old fashioned luck. I am now a true soap box helmet advocate. I am lucky that,

although a tad more cautious, my trust and love of all things equine is still in tact and

I thank my lucky stars everyday at how I blessed we all are!”

Marieke Featonby, Australia

(To contact Marieke visit her Facebook page)

Amazing Encounters: Meeting old neighbours

Written by Katarina Tawiri, New Zealand

The funniest things can happen in the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand!

Today, I rushed home from work because I was expecting the hoof care lady. As I approached the far corner of the farm in my car, I saw the horses grazing right there, far, far away from the barn. So when the hoof care lady arrived, I suggested she drive down to the horses and trim their feet right there in the paddock. She happily agreed and off we went.

Katarina with her horses

The corner of that paddock is at a four-way country road intersection. While the lady was trimming my horses’ hooves, a couple of guys with pine branches in their hands positioned themselves all around the intersection. The horses got a bit suspicious, as it did look like a gathering of predators, and to make it even more mysterious, they were all wearing high viz jackets in bright orange! Some vehicles with flashing lights were positioned at strategic points and I had the feeling that some sort of stock movement was going to happen. I promised the hoof care lady that I would tell her as soon as I saw or heard anything so that she could get herself to a safe place just in case one of the horses got a fright. I jokingly added, "I will let you know as soon as the elephant herd arrives!". Then, we both agreed that the horses would let us know well before either of us could hear or see anything. We were wrong on all points!

The amazing Bison

Out of the blue, four gorgeous, fully grown Bison (American Buffalos) came galloping down the road. The ‘predators’ at the intersection jumped into action, making the buffalos move down the road to the right. Both of my horses moved their feet a little and grew about two feet taller. But they must have recognized the smell and movement of the buffalos and settled down immediately. These very same buffalos were once my horses’ paddock neighbours when we lived further down the road. They are a rare sight in New Zealand and I was privileged to observe their behaviour for more than half a year, as I lived in a caravan right next door to their grazing grounds. Buffalos in many ways are very similar to wild horses; they are amazingly agile, fast, can turn on a dime and jump just like a horse. What a lovely treat for me and my horses to meet our old neighbours, even if it was just on the run!

Posted by Sharon Parbery
Volunteer Correspondent, Parelli Social Media (Australia/NZ)

Parelli Instructor gives a hand to RDA volunteers by Sue Pratt

 

On Tuesday the 20^th September Riding for the Disabled Illawarra Centre was very privileged to have Lillan Roquet 2* Parelli Professional, come to the centre to do a demonstration on horse psychology and “horsenalitly” for us.

The centre is run entirely by volunteers, with varying levels of horse experience. Our wonderful horses are all donated or loaned to us, RDA being the perfect retirement for them, giving them a caring home with a little regular gentle exercise. The horses firstly undergo a three month trial and training program to determine their suitability, before being accepted into our riding program. Safety for our riders and the well being of our horses are our top priorities, and all our volunteers are keen to learn more about how to understand the horses they are dealing with.

Lillan played with a couple of the horses that our less experienced volunteers find challenging, explaining why these horses would do the things they do, and how to be better leaders for them.

First Lillan played with LBI George, whose subtle dominance games would often go unobserved, until “all of a sudden, for no reason at all” he’d be leaning on them and dragging them around. Lillan showed the volunteers how to be the effective leader George needed, while at the same time showing how light George could be if you use phases consistently.

Lillan and George

Then RBI Bambi was brought in. Bambi is very dominant in the paddock with the other horses, and would shake his head around when being held by a leader, which was unnerving for our less confident volunteers. The question was whether this was dominance from Bambi, or due to unconfidence. We had already determined that Bambi was very quick to pick up on people’s emotions. He is a great example of “your horse is your mirror”!  Lillan observed that Bambi was having trouble looking at her with two eyes, and that confidence (or lack of it) was the problem here. Unfortunately her demonstration with Bambi was cut short as the wind picked up and heavens opened!

Lillan and RDA Volunteer

It was wonderful to see these horses change under Lillan’s approach, and for everyone to understand what motivated their behaviour. It was also great, next time at RDA to watch the girls handling the horses with a new level of awareness, understanding and savvy!

Here’s what some of the volunteers had to say:

“I found it really cool that we always knew about the small things the horses do like Bambi for example, kept on stopping in class and I found it great learning why he did that (being unconfident and freezing up)!” Rachel

“I liked how she showed us how to be the leader.

For example how to make George move instead of walking around him …..

Also how to wait for them to process the thought.

And have enthusiasm even when making only small steps forward.” Karin

We’d all like to send a very big THANK YOU to Lillan for volunteering her time to help a very good cause.

If you’d like to know more about RDA Illawarra check out our website www.rdaillawarra.org.au

Sue Pratt

Parelli student & RDA coach & volunteer.

Posted by Isabelle Greenfield