To Parelli or not to Parelli?

I've heard so much talk about Parelli, both positive and negative. I've looked at their program, and I'm having a hard time justifying that kind of price tag. What concerns me more though is when I look on eBay for used sets, most of them are only the first series with "only one disc opened."

Does that mean they didn't like it once they got it? Did the first disc or two make so much difference that they didn't need to open the rest of the set? Did they just not have the time? Did their horse not cooperate? Did they lack the desire to work at having that kind of relationship with their horse? Did they sell their horse? Send him off to a trainer?

I've read all the things about their program on their website. I ordered (and watched) their free DVD. I have a book that I picked up from Amazon that briefly describes all of the "Seven Games."

Yesterday my husband and I sat down and watched a couple of the Parelli tv shows I'd recorded on our newly acquired RFD-TV station. I actually really enjoyed Pat. He was down to earth, and entertaining and there were several "oh wow" moments. He no doubt has a wonderful understanding of horses and how to communicate to them. I realize the price tag on the programs is high, but how do you value knowledge and time? For them to put down in writing and on film all of the methods and tricks they've discovered over the years, and offer that up to the general public is a monumental task which should be rewarded. I also think the programs could save some people an enormous amount of time in training and understanding their horse. Something is only valued by what people are willing to pay. Selling their program enables them to work full time at something they love. I'm a firm believer in supporting that.

But I've yet to see Pat actually get on a horse. Surely he knows how to ride. Right? I understand ground work is the foundation for everything you do with your horse. If you have no foundation, you have nothing and riding isn't going to be a pleasant experience for anyone. But where does the riding come in with this program? Why doesn't anyone talk about it? They have the advanced programs which seem to include it, but does anyone ever buy them? Maybe they do and they're the people who use them and keep them and don't stick them up on eBay. I've never seen them there anyway.

There's just something about it. I like that it's not beating the horse into something. And having a horse that's been obviously abused, I'm kind of thinking that it might be a better way to go with her. I guess I'll have to keep doing some researching. I think it's like anything else, no one way is "right" and I'll probably use different methods depending on how she reacts. I really like Pat's mentality though, and so much of what he says really makes sense.

A pedigree!

I got her papers today! I'm soooo beyond excited I cannot even begin to explain! I can register her now! Even better, there's an amnesty program going on right now and I can do it for a LOT less money!

I had to go to the post office with the registered mail slip to pick them up. I actually squealed when I opened them up and realized everything I needed was there. My kids thought this was some kind of game. I held the papers up and our 4 year old started "woohoo"'ing with me. The two-year old joined in the shrieking.

I had to call my mom and tell her of course. She was excited, too.

It started raining while we were out and was pretty much pouring by the time we got home. I unloaded groceries and was in the process of putting them away. Walking past the back door, I see Anya there. Wet. So I slid open the door and said, "Anya, you have a barn. Go use it," and shut the door. I put away the things in my hand and realized, "she wants to see the papers!"

So I pulled them out and went to the door again. I slid the door open and unfolded the papers and held them up so she could see. I swear to you she laughed. It was a happy, giggly sound. It was almost a nicker, but...not. It wasn't a nicker. It wasn't her nicker anyway. It was like a laugh! I kept the papers inside so they didn't get wet and was showing her and laughed at her laughing. She started up the steps. "Nooo, noooo, you can't come in." She stopped, but stuck her nose in the door and touched the papers with her muzzle. Then she backed down and said, "I just had to touch them." I told her what a pretty girl she was and gave her an apple. I went back to putting groceries away and looked out the window a few minutes later and she was standing in her barn.

So being the curious type that I am, I had to start looking for pictures of her parents now that I had their names and their owner's name. Her sire is Ivory Man. Her dam is Money Makes Me Sparkle. Google didn't fail me. I came up with pictures of her sire, who is actually a cremello. No idea exactly what that means because I've never cared too much about the color thing. (I'm not a science fan and that brown plus gray always equals a spotted somethingorother just doesn't interest me.) Basically, he's really light/white colored, which was an "ohhhh!" moment for me. She may be a palamino, but she's not very golden. She's much more white than gold. Her new winter coat seems especially so. Maybe she's just really sun-bleached. Still, it's kind of nice to know that runs in her dad's side of the family.

I can find a lot of Ivory Man's offspring, but not too much on the pedigree before him. I plan to keep looking.

I can't find anything about her dam. I do have a few pictures of her standing next to Anya as a brand new filly, but nothing that really shows her well.

The mare was purchased in foal by the people that I got Anya from. But then they sold Anya, and the mare.

I have a feeling that the people I got her from had gone all the way to Kentucky (oh yeah, that's where the parents were from) to buy this mare who was in foal to Ivory Man. They breed TWH for a living, so I can see they'd want to bring in some different bloodlines to their herd. But my guess is they were banking on a colt and not a filly. A colt would grow up into a stallion to breed with their existing broodmares. A filly...well they already had broodmares, and as I understand it, it's better to continue the line via the stallions rather than the mares. So in that scenario, it would make sense to me that they would sell the mare-who-didn't-have-a-colt as well as the filly-who-they-hoped-was-a-boy.

I had an impossible time getting her dam and sire's names from the people we bought her from. Getting these papers is the first time I've seen them. It's nice to know more about her, but it doesn't make her worth any more to me than she was before I got those papers. I really feel like she deserves it though.

Now, to pick a name for her registration papers!

First whinny - flashback

Mon Aug 27th, 2007 12:12 pm

She's really a sweetheart. My husband teases that I love her more than I love him. I just don't have the heart to tell him he's right!

She whinnied for me on Friday and I just melted. I'd gone to get groceries and hollered at the kids to get in the house. She heard me and whinnied. I was so excited! She's now nickering at me every time I go out. She's also letting me scratch her blaze and she's rubbing her head harder against my hand and turning her head so I can get her ears and poll.

She's really a doll and I'm so thrilled with her. I'm under no illusions that it's all going to be a cakewalk, but she's got such a great personality that I think we'll do pretty well.

As sweet as she is it's hard for me to imagine someone hitting her with a rope. I know it happens and it's obviously happened to her by her reaction. I've been taking the lead rope out with me every time I go. Sometimes I clip it on her, sometimes not. But my hope is that she'll realize it's not the much feared North Carolina Horse Eating Rope.

Before and after...

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. I think this is one of those times. As I was putting these together to see the difference, I actually cried. It breaks my heart to see how bad she looked, and I was so thrilled to have her that I didn't even see it. I can sure see it now.



Please forgive her Highness's dirt covered coat. She'd been rolling. As always.

Christmas Cookies!

I guess you know you're a horse owner when for Christmas you don't make typical "Christmas Cookies," you make horse cookies instead.

The kids and I made a whole bunch of cookies and put them in little bucket-shaped Christmas tins. We took some to our riding instructor. We took a bucket to our farrier. We took another bucket to the lady at the horsey store (feed store) here that we always go to. I made up a little label with the ingredients and a little "baked with love" bit from me and the kids. Then I added:

Reluctantly given up by Anya, the beautiful Palomino Tennessee Walking Horse Princess.

It also had her picture printed in black and white.

The blue tarp

We had a really huge wind storm a few weeks back. I had hay in the front that I'd unloaded but not gotten moved into the hay barn. I'd just thrown a tarp over it and planned to move it the next morning. The wind blew the tarp off, and it went flying. I looked for it for about 20 minutes and finally just figured it was gone.

Then this morning, our neighbors a few houses over came walking up carrying this tarp. He asked if it was ours, and I said it probably was the one that got blown away in the storm. It apparently ended up at his place somewhere. He passed it over the fence and Anya didn't even flinch. It wasn't folded or anything, just a big open tarp. I thanked him and went to go put it away. Then I realized that it would be a perfect opportunity to see how spooky she'd get about it.

Obviously it was okay with her coming over the fence. So I kinda waved it around and rattled it a bit, she didn't care. I laid it out on the ground and waited to see what she'd do. She went over and sniffed it, wasn't very interested and turned to walk away. I walked onto the tarp and she stopped and looked at me. I got her to come back toward me and then took a few steps backward. She put a foot on the tarp. It made that sound that tarps do, and she kinda looked down, but didn't move off. I backed up another step and she stood there. I took a few more steps back trying to get her to walk across the tarp to me.

She put the second foot on and still wasn't overly concerned. I walked back some more, turned around and kept going. She walked right across it with no problem. I turned her around and had her walk back onto the tarp and made her stop. She looked at me like I was a little strange. I made her turn on the tarp and it made its tarpy sounds and I swear she rolled her eyes at me. I let her go, she walked off. I picked up one corner and drug it around behind me and she followed me with no problem.

It's so amazing to see the progress in her. There are times like this that she just amazes me with her willingness and her nonchalance.

The bite - flashback

I posted this on a forum and have pasted it here, because it's kinda part of the whole process.

9/24/2007 6:58:50 PM

I know this seems like a strange question. First off, I do have to say she bit our 4-year old daughter one day last week. Kiddo was standing at her head petting her, I was standing beside the horse's shoulder. It looked to me like the horse nosed her and kind of pushed her away. She said "she bit me!" I didn't see any place she'd been bitten but had seen the nose shove, so I held the lead up closer to her halter and took a step more towards her head. (I'd been brushing her.) Just as I did this, she bit my daughter's shoulder. I yelled "NO!" and popped her on the muzzle good with my hand.

I don't know if it was a jealousy thing "back away from my mom" or a herd thing "get back little foal." The bite wasn't bad, and very small so it was really just a nip. Not that I think that's at all acceptable. It's just not as bad as I expected on a 4-year old little shoulder. The horse was pissed at me a few days but didn't try to bite again and seemed to get over it. Obviously, that was not an accident - she meant to bite and I let her know that biting is NOT acceptable.

Today the farrier came for the first time since we've had her. She did really well. I was very proud of her. They gave her a 9+ out of 10 for behavior, especially with being only 3-years old. She didn't try to bite or kick, she did try pulling her leg away some but by the second foot was pretty much okay with it. She's not really great with having her back feet handled for very long yet, but will tolerate some and did much better than I expected her to do. Overall, I was really happy with how she did, and of course she gots lots of love afterward.

The vet came literally 10 minutes later for booster shots, she commented on how much more calm she seemed since they had been out last. She did say she was having some discharge and asked me if she was in heat. Turns out she is, and I didn't know. I haven't read anything about horsey cycles.

I told the vet about the bite, she said some mares will get more aggressive when in heat. I totally understand PMS! So she just just be really watchful especially when she's in heat. Again, she did really well and I was awfully proud of her. I spent a good hour or so with her this afternoon a few hours later and brushed her and groomed her and talked to her, etc. I didn't tie her, she just stood and let me do it.

Then tonight I go out to feed her. I had a gallon size plastic canister with her food in it to take out to her, the same drill as every other night. Our retriever started toward me from across the yard. Horse is standing at the back door. Dog is coming right at her, headed for me. The horse does NOT like the dog, and the dog really wants to like the horse. I do know the dog has growled and bit at her several times when the horse got a little too interested in sniffing her. Point being, I know they are still working out their own issues. I'd told the dog to go back because usually the horse will turn her butt and kick out at her and I didn't want her to get kicked. The dog kept coming.

The horse throws her head and bites the **** out of my thigh. I screamed - out of surprise and pain. I've never been bitten by a horse before. The dog turned and ran, the horse backed up, I dropped the feed container, grabbed my thigh and my husband came running. All in the period of about 2 seconds.

I really do *not* think she meant to bite *me.* I think she meant to bite at the dog who was coming at us and I just happened to be standing there in range. Not that it's any better, but I don't think it was intended for me per se.

My husband is livid. He's not at all a horse person. I went inside, sat and cried a few minutes, had my husband get the dog in and I went out and fed her without any problem from her. The bite is bad, the skin isn't broken but it sure looks like it should be. It's very very purple and bruised up almost immediately and hurts like crap. She meant business.

What am I missing? What am I not doing? What should I be doing? Was this just one of those "accidents happen" and hope that my piercing shriek scared her to death and she doesn't do it again? Is this because she had a bad day, is in heat and I was just standing in the wrong place?

I love her to pieces. Her ground manners are usually excellent. She will let me rub her ears, rub the top of her head, she stands for grooming, braiding, comes right to you, halters and accepts the lead rope without any problems. She's grown apparently and the beginning of last week I tried putting the same halter on her 4 times because I was sure I was doing something wrong or it was buckled wrong. I quit and tried another one, same thing - I just couldn't get it up over her ears. She just stood there and let me figure out the halters didn't fit anymore. So she really is very patient and calm most of the time. I just don't know if this is a problem beginning to surface or something else.

A postscript:

She hasn't bitten or even attempted to bite since that incident. I really think that it was just a combination of circumstances all at one time that threw her into a blind rage kind of thing and I happened to be within range.

I did a lot of searching for what horse bites look like, because I'd never had one. I had no idea if you were supposed to do anything for it or not. There was a severe shortage of pictures, which I think is a good thing. But just for the sake of adding one more to the very small number, I took a picture of my leg. This was taken a week after the bite. It is not for the squeamish. You have been warned. Horse bite