Fun, truth, excellence and results

Written by Katie Wahlheim

I recently came across Katie's latest audition video where she filmed her liberty session on a beach in South Australia. It was so beautiful to witness the obvious connection and trust Katie had created with her horse that I wanted to find out more about this talented woman. Sharon Parbery, Regional Correspondent - Australia/NZ (volunteer)

This is Katie's story: 

Since I was a young girl I have always loved horses; their soft eyes, flowing manes, rhythmic canter and, of course, their smell of sweet grass on a sunny day. What a majestic and amazing animal - the horse.

As a young girl you would find me sneaking over the road to feed grass and carrots, at any time of the day or night, to the agisted horses. I so badly wanted a horse of my own but, unfortunately, my parents could not afford one. So, I would ride friends’ horses or visit the local trail riding centre just to hug them.

Katie during her audition taping at the beach

It wasn’t until I was around 21 years old that a dear friend offered to lease me her Australian Stock Horse mare, to breed a foal.  Little did I know this kind offer would start me on a journey of self discovery, love and learning of natural horsemanship. With a little foal on the way, I realised I knew nothing about starting a young horse. In fact, I hardly knew anything about horsemanship and so my search began. Lucky for me, and with the help of my friend, I discovered Parelli Natural Horsemanship.

I spent those early years studying under Shane and Meredith Ransley (Parelli instructors at the time) and going to clinics that Pat Parelli himself ran here in South Australia. It was wonderful to meet Pat face to face and to ask him questions, but the most amazing thing was watching Linda and Pat with their students do things with their horses that I had never seen before – it was amazing. There was no other system I wanted to learn than Parelli.

Baby Rose was born

Soon enough, my little red bay filly was born and I continued building on the ingredients and dynamics I needed to become a great leader for my horse. I passed my Level 1 on an Arab I had purchased called ‘H’, who was by no means an easy horse; he was well beyond my savvy level at the time. I remember how daunting it was to ride with one rein, but by the end of the clinic I forgot how to ride with two!

Working on lateral flexion

I continued on my journey with a wonderful little welsh pony called Bodie. This little man taught me so much that I will be forever grateful that he came into my life. Together, we built a fantastic horse-human relationship and he grew my savvy in ways I could never have dreamt. There are many highlights of our relationship, some of which included taking a pony that would not trailer load to one that would do so at liberty (even yoyo in backwards), riding out with no other herd members and having full trust in me as a leader, hiding those hindquarters, bridleless riding, developing my timing and the power of focus and a soft feel; I could think it, and he would do it. I had never experienced such a bond with a horse before. I am forever grateful to Pat and Linda for the knowledge they share – inspirational.

Standing on the pedestool at liberty

During this time I met my now husband Darren, who had never even ridden a horse. He purchased his first horse, a standard bred named Jake who was severely neglected, and together they started their journey of Parelli Natural Horsemanship. I also spent time helping friends with their horses. I will never forget my best friend’s two little ponies that hated trailer loading. I spent three sessions playing with them and the trailer and I am so thankful for Pat’s systems because one hot summers day my girlfriend rang to say a bushfire was heading to their property and asked if I could come and get the ponies. I was standing in the middle of their paddock on dusk, with flames shooting up at the top of their property and smoke rolling through – it was terrifying. I popped the ponies’ halters on and took them to the trailer, using the same foundations we had laid twelve months earlier, and asked the ponies to load up and they did exactly that. They self loaded into the trailer. It is so important to have good foundations and to put the relationship first, I can’t stress that enough.

Finally, it was time to start my young horse, Rose; she was the reason I started my journey. Using the home study program that Pat and Linda developed, Rose and I began laying the foundations of what is now an amazing bond. She is now 13 years old and has had a foal, which is now two.

Jake and Rose at liberty on the beach

I only recently mustered up the courage to submit our Level 3 auditions (and I can encourage anyone afraid to give it a try to “just do it!!”). Some of the photos shown here demonstrate highlights of our relationship today.

I can encourage anyone that wants to have a bond with their horse like no other, that the Parelli program is a must. Both my husband and I have not only been kept safe all these years, but we have wonderful partnerships with our horses, have met some amazing people and absolutely have had fun times. We have learnt truths about ourselves and our horses, found excellence in our horsemanship and have achieved amazing results, some that you can only ever dream of. Thank you Pat and Linda.

A tender moment!

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

The Savvy As Team – Alice Springs, Australia

Written by Telisha Kotzur

In the centre of our great country, there is a town called Alice – well, Alice Springs to be exact. And in this town is a dedicated group of Parelli students who call themselves the Savvy As Team. They gather frequently for play days where they share knowledge, support each other’s horsemanship goals and ride out into the wonderful desert landscape. Telisha Kotzur is a member of the Savvy As Team and here she shares her experiences with this dedicated group of Parelli students. Sharon Parbery, Regional Correspondent – Australia/NZ (volunteer)

This is Telisha’s story:

I have lived in Alice Springs for just over two years and I have had horses for more than ten years. I played polocrosse and competed in Darwin for five years, spent a year as a track rider in Victoria riding race horses and I have done a lot of trail riding. Horses are my passion!

Parelli Natural Horsemanship became part of my life at the start of this year. I had always heard a lot of stories about Parelli because my aunt had been very involved in it for a few years and she always shared her stories about the things she could do with her Friesian mare. I was really amazed at it all and wanted to get more involved, I just didn't know how.

Telisha and her horse at a Savvy As play day

It all started when I went to buy some horse feed and I noticed a flyer advertising a Parelli clinic that was going to be held in Alice Springs. It was a total shock to me that out in the middle of the desert there was a group of ladies doing Parelli. It got me very excited and I rang up Alison McCleary straight away and organised a time to come down to join in on a few of the fun days before the clinic started, to get myself savvy to the ways of Parelli. The Savvy As team were fantastic and they taught me the basics of it all before the clinic started.

When the clinic came around, it was an absolute blast! I had my own horse there and Rob McAuliffe, the Parelli instructor, was just fantastic. My horse and I learnt so much and it made me become a lot more aware of things that I had done by habit that really were affecting my horse’s behaviour. It really changed my ways and helped me with understanding my horse in a more natural way. It is amazing, especially when you can notice the change in your horse!

Rob McAuliffe's clinic in the outback

We had another clinic in August and that was also so beneficial to both me and my horse. We learnt a lot more about finesse, liberty and understanding the concept of ‘feel of, feel for and feel together’. The seven games are such a great tool to know as well. I believe the horses really enjoy the games and it gets their minds thinking.

The Savvy As group is an amazing bunch of ladies who are so committed to learning more and teaching people and horses about Parelli Natural Horsemanship. Without them, and their commitment, there would not be a Savvy As team in Alice Springs.

Some of the Savvy As team riding out

Since the clinics, I have not looked back. I love everything about Parelli. It has been a really big eye opener to understanding horse language. There is so much to know about these amazing and majestic creatures and Pat Parelli has discovered a secret that every horse owner should take hold of and learn more about because it is priceless to have a real relationship with your own horse and to understand them at their level; not to become predators to our beloved friends, but to become partners for life!

It's the savvy way!

Telisha Kotzur

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

Raising the Baar in Oxley, Victoria

I recently had the opportunity to attend the 5 day Raising the Baar in the King Valley’ Parelli Camp at Oxley in Victoria. I like to consider myself fairly easy going but I have to admit to feeling somewhat nervous as I headed off to my first camp with my horse Jazzy – I was thinking on the way - amazing instructors, was I at the right level and of course did I pack enough food? But I thought it’ll be right and turned the music up. 

On day 1 we had introductions and backgrounds from all that attended. After the intro’s we  built up from on the ground with yo yo’s, driving game, squeeze game and saddling, with the emphasis of doing it with “excellence”. I remember thinking these are simple things, but then it hit home that the simple things done with excellence makes the more challenging tasks easier on the human and horse (AKA setting up for success). All these little things like the way you halter, bridle, saddle, mount and dismount...these are not little things at all they are MEGA-MUNGUS. My horse stated looking at me licking and chewing thinking what has happened to my human? It made a massive difference in the way my horse responded and looked at me.

Over the next few days John insisted on maintaining your focus, both on the ground and in the saddle. The problem was all my school reports consistently said Rowan is easily distracted and constantly distracts others. I have worked on this over the years but John had me thinking about it in a different way. No wonder my horse doesn’t walk straight lines, follow the rail as well as I would like. I had little to no focus. Previously Jazzy mainly did what I suggested/asked, but you could always see he had a question. So I started focusing on my focus... My horse had clear direction and could see a change in me therefore less phases and more response.

One of the highlights for me included watching John demonstrate with Jazzy how to overcome an issue I had with his hind legs. We had not been able to lift his back feet since a bad farrier experience from years ago and yet with passive persistence John made what had begun to seem impossible look simple. Within 40 minutes he could increase the intensity by skipping up to Jazzy, lifting his feet and was even able to complete a trim. I have continued with this since the course and it is as if there was never an issue with his hind feet. Although I am already a huge fan of the program it really was a great personal reminder as to why.

Another highlight was seeing other student’s progress over the 5 days, from float loading to the level 3 & 4’s doing flying lead changes.

Of course now I look back and wonder what was there to be worried about?  John & Kathy Baar were amazing, inspiring and supportive - along with local instructors including Kaye Thomas and Fiona Darling. Last but not least the other students  -  I always find Parelli students  to be positive and encouraging of each other in their horsemanship journeys, whatever their discipline.

Rowan Gill

Posted by Isabelle Greenfield, Parelli Volunteer Correspondent, Australia/NZ

Raise the Baar in Victoria

Here is a bit of a blog on our raise the Baar super camp held in October for five glorious days doing nothing but enjoying each others company with our horses under the excellent tutelage of Fiona Darling and John and Kathy Baar at Oxley recreation reserve in beautiful North East Victoria.

Writing this is really putting me out of my comfort zone and thank god we have spell check!!! I will do my best :)

Sonya and I arrived on the Wednesday 26th October so very excited to be attending this camp and we had such a long way to drive 45 minutes away, so we were first to arrive!! We set up camp and staked out two big yards for our horses.

The Oxley reserve is set out perfectly for horse and rider. There was a huge grassed football oval that we rode on and had plenty of shade from the well established trees.

Thursday we rose from our comfy sleep in our floats to the sound of excitement and anticipation for our first day of our clinic and meeting John and Kathy Baar who came all the way from America and travelled 18 hours in a plane just to teach us!! We felt so special. 

In starting we certainly got the message to be particular in everything we do with our horses and how we conduct ourselves.

If we form a horseshoe then it's got to be a perfect shaped horseshoe, haltering perfect, saddling perfect, bridling perfect, mounting perfect (best if the girth is done up but they tell me it can be done without :)) so get the picture, perfect practice in all we do to benefit our horses and our level of horsemanship. Level one with perfection!!! That was my biggest learning for the camp.

There were about thirty riders and we were put into our groups on our level of savvy. I can't comment too much on Fiona's group level's 1/2 as they were all a fair bit away from us in the sand arena but I can tell you they were having fun because you could here heaps of  raucous laughter!!

We were all combined in John and Kathy's group for a couple of days and on the third day we split into our level 2/3.......... 3/4 groups.

We started on line and most horses were eager to play!!! Day three they looked ready to ride.

John and Kathy are a great team and super teachers and you can see they have such a great relationship with each other and they passed that along to us in their teaching. You can really see and feel that they truly love what they do.

Other important memories that stuck out for me and you may like to review for yourselves were to trust the program, be willing to be stretched and don't give up. Rhythm first and then comes relaxation.  Horses are afraid of predatory behavior!! Don't let the horse be wrong for so long that he thinks he's right. Sometimes you may have to take a horse to hell and BACK.

When you start to get a bit stuck, prepare online for how you rode the day before.

We also learned a bit of savvy. Very important to know what, why and for what purpose you are putting a bit or hackamore on a horses head or in his mouth. I could go on and on because we did learn so much but now the rest is up to us :)

Over the five days which are never long enough I noticed all the horses and humans making big improvements thanks to the wonderful dedicated teachers in Fiona, Kathy and John.

I must say a huge THANK YOU to the helpers for your generosity and time and you all know who you are ( I am not naming you all because I might miss someone) I am always blown away by the Parelli professionalism. 

I used to do camps and have lessons before I started studying Parelli and it was fend for yourselves; we never had helpers!!! 

So we were very privileged to have you.

Yvette Fenning our official photographer who came all the way down from Rockhampton!! (yes I know a photographer!!) took hundreds of shots so look out Parelli Connect and Facebook. :)

I was so proud to be part of this Super camp and didn't want it to end but there is always more around the corner to improve our horsemanship and savvy thanks to two dedicated people in Pat and Linda Parelli...................................................................

Fiona Burnell  :)

Posted by Isabelle Greenfield. Parelli Volunteer Correspondent, Australia/NZ

Horsenality Breakthrough - Let’s Party!

Written by Lisa Kerr

When I went to buy Doug he had to be herded across the road like a wild thing; no one could get near him. This peaked my interest, as I love a challenge. It didn’t take long for me to gain Doug’s trust to a degree so I could catch him and do some things with him. He had been broken in and ridden a few times and then left in the paddock for a year or so.

Lisa playing online

My background is in dressage. Although I hadn’t ridden much in 20 years, I thought I could just ‘get him in line’ in the usual way – tell him off, growl at him, get strong with him when he misbehaved. As I began handling him more, and riding him, it soon became apparent that I couldn’t keep up the ‘traditional’ way of riding with him. It just felt wrong and I couldn’t keep pushing myself to be brave with a horse that felt like a ticking time bomb. There have been a few moments when I have thought to myself, “This horse is too much for me, I’ll have to give him back or sell him on”.

Lisa preparing for a ride

A customer of mine is a horseman and happened to mention Parelli. I started to look into it via Parelli Connect. Next, I ordered a Horsenality Match Report and the jigsaw puzzle began to fall into place. Once I realized Doug was basically a party boy, I made the decision to join the party with him, and have fun. For instance, when I see him being ‘exuberant’ in the paddock I no longer think, “Oh my God, now I have to ride that!”. Instead, I smile, knowing that’s simply his horsenality and I have the tools to successfully work with him. I just put on my party hat and away we go!

This could have been a very different outcome for me and Doug, a rather sad one. Thank goodness for the wisdom of Parelli!

Lisa Kerr

Kyogle, New South Wales

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

A Ride to Remember

  Written by Paisley Walker.
Arriving at the International Savvy Centre in Pagosa Springs, Colorado early July for a twelve week externship, I had to pinch myself! A sentiment I felt many times as I constantly had to remind myself that no, this was not a dream.

I remember Pat saying on ‘The Horseman’s Apprentice’ that this course was not a “twelve week pony party”, which is true. However, whilst there was a considerable amount of hard work involved, no one could deny that the amount of fun we had made this statement sometimes questionable. In our final week Pat explained that his role, and that of his instructors, was to educate, inspire and empower. And for me, these three words capture my experience completely.   

Our group of eighteen was led by Berrin MacFarlane, a 4* Parelli Professional who’s ability to set us all up individually for success, was exceptional. The course was loosely structured around the four savvys, with three weeks devoted to each. Within this though, we were lucky enough to be involved with the numerous other events taking place on campus, including Pat’s ‘Wow with Cows’, Linda’s ‘Game of Contact’, Carol Coppinger’s  ‘2* Instructor Course’ and of course, the SUMMIT!

 Describing an average day at the ranch is difficult, as as you can imagine, there really wasn’t one. However, most mornings began with a turbulent game of soccer to develop our physical, mental and emotional fitness. Onlookers may have winced during our first few weeks on the field, as most of us hadn’t played sports since high school PE and were also adjusting to the high altitude. Yet, by the end we were undeniably World Cup quality.

Following this, the rest of the morning would usually be spent with lessons from Berrin intended to take us to level four and beyond. The style of these lessons varied from being out with our horses, to classroom theory and group simulations. We were also able to make use of the fantastic facilities available; arenas, meadows, round pens and play fields – all with complimentary breathtaking scenery and the odd chipmunk, deer and coyote. 

  Riding Cutie at the Parelli Centre in Pagosa Springs, Colorado

Most afternoons were spent either assisting with ranch maintenance or processing auditions. Then, after a hearty dinner, it was back out with our horses to consolidate the lessons of the day. However, this daily routine was often broken up by the numerous opportunities that presented themselves, such as watching Linda’s lessons’ with Walter Zettl, supporting Pat at a cutting clinic led by George Ferrante and personal development training with Jim Paterson.

The chance to immerse oneself in natural horsemanship for three months and be surrounded by passionate, like minded people is one in a million. I learnt so much that I still find myself processing a lot of the concepts today. Yet, if I had to identify one particular thing that I have taken away from this experience, it is the need to be more provocative and progressive, and I now feel I have the savvy to do this!

2* Instructor Course Graduation

The final week came around far too quickly, and once testing (live auditions in all savvys) was complete it was time for our final reviews. I was so pleased to find out that I had successfully qualified for an internship and that I would be awarded my 2* Parelli Professional status once I had achieved my level four in three savvys!

On our last day dry eyes were scarce and it was very hard to say goodbye to such an extraordinary place and so many exceptional people. Yet, my saving grace was that my trip was not over yet, as I was off to Atwood Ranch as a working student for four weeks!

 

Playing with the babies at Atwood Ranch in Orland, California

Atwood Ranch in Orland, California is a very special place, and it was a privilege to get

to spend time there. Working alongside the horse health and development team, including Jessica Coyle (a fellow Western Australian!) and Parelli Professional Jeanie Shepherd, I was able to help with daily horse care and training. Jake Shoemark currently heads the horse development program at Atwood, and to be able to assist him and play with some of the young horses and ranch geldings was an incredible opportunity. It really was the perfect environment to put the theory I had learnt at the Parelli centre into practice.

Some personal highlights include putting the first six rides on a young horse with Jake’s guidance, weekly lessons with the Atwood staff from Helen Topp and getting to hang out with the star, Magic, who is currently at the ranch. Leaving Atwood was REALLY hard, but I was also eager to go home and play with my levels horse Phoenix and young warmblood, Aspen. 

One of my favorite Atwood horses, Dynamo.

Returning home was quite surreal, but I am very excited about the future. My goals now include getting my level four, setting myself up as Parelli Professional and returning to the states as an intern. I am very grateful to the team at Atwood and all those who supported me over the last four months. I encourage anyone considering this path to take the ride, enjoy the journey and live the dream!  

Paisley Walker

paisleypnh@gmail.com

 

Posted by Isabelle Greenfield, Parelli Volunteer Correspondent, Australia-NZ