by Garry Stauber

This month brought many comments. Here are just a few of the comments to articles we received last month.

Cause of Premature Foal Births
"Very informative. I enjoyed the article."
Kay Greenbury

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Calm Cooperative Confident
¡°I guess the one thing I still have some trouble getting over is when people see Pat performing some of the most incredible feats with horses and then sniff and turn away like it's not worth even finding out about!
I guess there comes a time when the value of what one has to offer is overshadowed by the ambition for profit and marketing. It seems there is a balance to everything and perhaps The Parelli's have tipped the scale to the other side - the Too Much Side

"...I pulled the bridle off and was riding with a Carrot Stick..."  - When all goes well, all is well.  However if something happened and the bridleless horse spooked and bolted (unless the Parelli's genetically reprogram their horses and remove their thousands of years survival instincts and that is not possible), how would you control the horse?  How would an average (or less than average) rider, in the same situation and equipment be able to control the horse even if Pat Parelli himself could do it?

I also guess that if a young horse is agitated, for one reason or the other, having another rider running circles around with a stick (call it a carrot stick if you wish) flying in the air will not, at best, help the situation.

Honestly, I have the feeling that admitting "...it was my arrogance that really was the problem" was used as an advertisement also. A technique were the user asserts his/her "superior" status by admitting a mistake that underlines his/her achievement (i.e. due to the Parelli method I have become such a good rider that I have become arrogant; now I have admitted my arrogance so what remains is that I am such a good rider due to the Parelli method).  If that is not the case what was the purpose of this article then?

It sounds to me that every Parelli article I have read nowadays has the purpose to market the Parelli system and nothing much else in it.

"People make their own choices and arrive at the appropriate destinations. Am I to judge whether that's good or bad?" - very well said, now re-read "I guess the one thing I still have some trouble getting over is when people see Pat performing some of the most incredible feats with horses and then sniff and turn away like it's not worth even finding out about!"
Dark Horse

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Calm Cooperative Confident

"Wonderful reflections.  I have one of those horses who is crazy and I am not the best leader. <G> We are going to be doing some parelli work this spring.

Hopefully we will get to where you have gotten.

Meanwhile...To all those other frightened humans on their out of control horses...My experience is that the only thing really wrong with my horse...is me. :-)"
Gracie

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Calm Cooperative Confident

"I think that with any training method you will have believers, skeptics and total disbelievers. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. My opinion is that any method that supports developing a relationship with your horse is worth taking a look at. I have found that for me, the age old "dominant, force-the-horse methods" do not work well and more over they do not leave me feeling good about the relationship with my horse. While I understand Dark Horse's frustration with having to purchase the information they are seeking, I guess it's also important to understand that there is a flip side to that coin and the Parelli's are entitled to be compensated for sharing their knowledge. Of course the Parelli's are going to market their system...how else would they expect people to hear about it and generate interest?

I feel just like Gracie... I need a better understanding of how to communicate with my horses!"
Carrie Bale

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Calm Cooperative Confident

"I have a 2 and 1/2 yr. old fresian/thoroughbred who I am training with the Parelli system on DVD with the help of a friend who is Parelli trained. I keep my horse in a huge facility with lots of people with lots of opinions.  My horse can't be turned out in the outdoor arenas (he jumped a 5 foot fence from a standing position) right now so I train him late at night in one of the smaller arenas. I love the fact that I'm developing trust and understanding with my horse. I'm not the best leader, but my friend is teaching me to be one using the Parelli methods.  Thanks for the great article."
Jill

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No Regrets
"you know how Garth says it...
'Our lives are better left to chance,
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance'"
Christine

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No Regrets
"wow - what a heartwrenching story - and what an important message. It is so easy for we humans to take life for granted when in fact, as Martha says, we never know when it will end, or when it will end for those we love. Living life with gusto, and also with honor can be a challenge.  How enriched our lives are though, when we truly live, and love!"
Jo

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Complaining About the Equine Industry
"Do not have much use/respect for AQHA however had to join in order to register my horse and establish legal ownership. One of the "benefits" for joining per AQHA is that registered horses have higher value...?? Many say the US horse market is very slow and spiraling down. During the same time I have observed that good horses are bought/sold all of the time for lots of money.  The market is flooded with horses and there are a lot of choices. The market is slow for those horses that are not well trained and bred. The good horses that are matched with fair price tags find new homes quickly. Many good points in this article."
Dark Horse