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)