It might be 2 am but my mind is working full tilt. I always feel so great after completing my weekly riding lesson. A little bit more accomplished every time. Tonight, as we did a ‘mock’ test for levels one and two she marked down the scores to see what we needed to go over and work on. Well, when all was said and done my score was a 92%… and I’m guessing not being able to lope with the right lead had something to do with that missing mark.
Now we are ready to work on level three…. right after I study my butt off for the theory part of the first two levels. Although it’s nothing I haven’t done before, so I think I’ll be OK and pass with flying colors. (fingers crossed)
I have been quite ambitious this summer and ordered other videos on horsemanship and reining as well. It feels so good to get out of that rut and learn more. There’s never a good time to quit learning. It feels so good to have a new connection with my horse. Everything I have read so far leads back to ‘natural horsemanship’, understanding the horse and communicating with it in a language it understands.
This is based on a “feel” for the horse. Knowing what it’s going to do before they do it, and asking it at the correct time to do as you want them to. To give them the proper cues to prepare them for the transition and when they are in balance they will then be successful. There are many AMAZING trainers out there and many who hold clinics or are willing to share their knowledge.
I have looked at information from horsemen such as Josh Lyons, Craig Johnson, Jonathan Field, Tom Dorrance, Julie Goodnight, Al Dunning, and Ray Hunt, just to name a few. The art of horsemanship seems to really shine through the Parelli courses. I think this will be something I will look into and be able learn a lot more from. I will let you know my thoughts and feelings as soon as I have first hand experience with their educational material.