On May 2, 1998, I became a registered Pat Parelli student!   What does that mean?   It means I committed to becoming less of a Predator styled rider and that my horses would be encouraged to become Calmer and Braver and act less like a Prey Animals.

Parelli Natural Horse-Man-Ship revolves around The Seven Games.   The games are played from the ground, allowing the human to learn a system of communication which horses already fully understand.   The goal of the games is for Horse and Human to learn to communicate, trust each other, and become a team which has a better chance of achieving excellence instead of mere mediocrity.

Once established from the ground, the games transfer to mounted work.   I'm now able to ride my happy dressage horses with one rein and a rope halter....   in walk, trot, canter, and even in lateral work and reinback!

For me, the strongest message I've gotten from my PNH training so far is about me, not the horses!   I'm now very aware of when I shift into Predator Mode, enough so that I can now prevent it.   Sometimes, this means I have to give myself a timeout and think things through....   And the first thing I usually ask myself is:

The longterm effects of Parelli Natural Horse-Man-Ship training are incredible and become easier to envision with exposure to early results.   Once started, it only takes some imagination to come up with more ways to improve the equine-human relationship further.

My relationships with the horses in my life improves everyday.   And, the freestyle riding does wonders for my seat, balance, and confidence as a dressage rider and equestrian.