I can't believe so many are critical of the teachings of horsemen of the caliber of John Lyons and Pat Parelli. My opinion is that one can learn from any of these men if one listens and practices what they teach. I have followed Lyons for years, attended his clinics, and even baked cookies for him when he came to our town to deliver a round pen years ago. He took the time then to demonstrate for the few people at our barn on his horse Zip and has always said that what he does in a clinic is done quickly in order to teach his method, but should take much longer when done at home. I also admire Pat Parelli and have attended three clinics by his certified instructors and a demonstration by him. Not at any time did he or his instructors imply that his training methods were a quick fix. On the contrary, it takes a good 3-6 months to train yourself and your horse to complete level 1. The "games" you learn are, in fact, teaching your horse the basics such as moving away from pressure, responding to your body language, staying out of your space, desensitizing and gaining trust and comfort when they are with you. It has made a world of difference in my "hot" Arab/Saddlebred mare. In order to progress to Level 2, you must send a video of the 20+ required tasks to be assessed by a certified instructor and only when you have successfully passed this test are you allowed to go on to the next level. When you reach Level 2, you can expect to spend at least 18 months learning those skills which include things like responding to light aids to que to move forward, flying lead changes, side passing, backing, work at liberty, and loading onto a trailer while you sit on the fender. His method is structured and methodical, each lesson building on the last and the most important thing is that IT WORKS! And it works not only to train you and your horse physically, it trains you both mentally and emotionally. Parelli is now working with David and Karen O'Connor, of Olympic fame, and Leon Harrel, the world champion cutting horse expert. His methods apply to all riding disciplines. They are basic. To learn more about his methods, you can go to his website www.parelli.com - Barbara Williams
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