People assume that I am a Parelli trainer, because I call myself a "natural horsemanship'' trainer. I feel like the term "natural horsemanship" leaves a bad taste in people's mouths because of Parelli. I have a lot of issues with the Parelli program, but I am not here to bash his name.
You have to commend Parelli for inspiring people to get off the couch - step away from the DVD - and actually work with their horses. But the Parelli stick is not magic. The only 'magic' Parelli has is marketing genius.
Now I think that the Parelli program has some great things going for it;
- Marketing genius: Parelli's second wife is a marketing GURU and they used that expertise to market his program in the right price bracket to the right people.
- Because the program breaks down basic skills into step-by-step "levels" it allows the owner to be hands on, creating interaction and developing a greater bond.
- It is set up to make the consumer dependant on the product.
I think the program is good in that it has inspired thousands of horse owners to get off the couch and interact with their horses. It creates a market for the non-riders, playing the 'seven games'. And it popularized teaching methods that use less force.
Enter human error: methods don't teach, teachers teach. To be an effective teacher for your horse you have to know how to analyze behavior, when and how to apply method, you have to have good timing, handling skills, and knowledge. Most horse owners simply do not have the experience to apply these methods correctly or effectively. Especially when the methods are NOT scientific and require feel.
One of the major issues comes from teaching method without the theory to back it up. The 'how' without the 'why'. The problem is that you should to be actively training not only for a physical response but an emotional one. Anybody can chase a horse in a circle, but when you do it without understanding what you are looking for other than physically, you end up with a disconnected horse three steps ahead of you, this can be sometimes very dangerous. I have seen WAY too many "level three Parelli" horses who charge, kick, are pushy, rude, and generally disrespectful. Why does this happen? It happens when you only care about getting a physical response, and when you ignore the body language, and the emotional, and mental aspect of that action. For example: If you reward a horse for moving in a circle, even though they were moving into your space, "flipping you the bird", and dropping a hip/shoulder into you (that is a threat), you reward them for taking leadership. Now that your horse has established his leadership, why should he be respectful of you? YOU need to get out of HIS way! HE is the leader. So we see the classic Parelli result, a couch trainer who has romanticized the entire natural horsemanship idea, and the poor horse who is losing his marbles. NO, a DVD, a rope halter, and an orange stick do NOT make you a qualified trainer.
The good news? The magic is not in your Parelli kit, it's in YOU. You can become an effective handler, rider, and essentially trainer, for your horse. But this is achieved through experience, understanding method AND theory, timing, and consistency. You NEED a qualified trainer to be there with you every step of the way so you can ask questions, gain experience safely, develop feel and timing, and become a knowledgeable horse owner. I cannot over emphasise how important it is to TAKE LESSONS. Trust me, your horse will thank you.
