Why I Left Parelli Natural Horsemanship | Equestrian Vlog

[@KarenGray-rh5eh]

Thank you for your honesty and integrity. Free thinkers like you are to be valued and listened to.

[@sidilicious11]

At age 40 I finally had some land and the money to get a horse again after 20 years. She was a young green horse who was extremely challenging. Like yours she was scared and aggressive. I struggled with her for a few years and finally put her up for sale. It was then I met someone who raved over PNH and I took her off the market and decided to see what I could do with it. That was around 1996. I got his first videos and then the booklets and practiced until we had a solid level one and into level two. It worked! She was finally manageable and I could ride her in a halter no problem. Manageable but sullen. After a few years a friend introduced me to clicker training and I took a few workshops with Alexandra Kurland. It was a revelation! Rewarding for positive behavior and ignoring the negative. I quit doing the PNH escalating phases and learned to focus and reward the positive. My horse loved it. Then 10 years ago I bought yearling and combined PNH with clicker training, which was what I knew. He was ultra sensitive and highly sceptical. The natural horsemanship terrified him. He was by far the most challenging horse I’d had so far. I’m isolated, not around horsey people, but by this time there were a ton of horse training videos on KZbin. I watched so many women trainers that were evolving fantastic, compassionate, ways of relating to their horses. I learned so much. Eventually I came upon Steve Young Horsemanship. He studied natural horsemanship from Buck Branaman and devised his own techniques. He has a simple repertoire of groundwork that invokes very little escalation of phases and relies on really refined timing of the release of pressure. I think he’s the best I’ve seen. Because of him and some others I’ve come a long way with my gelding. And feel like I’m in such a good place with him after 9 years. Parelli was a big step forward in horse training for the time that he came on the scene. Since then others are taking it much further or finding their own wonderful approaches. I’m glad I learned PNH, and have kept some things that work for me and my horses, and let many others go. I enjoyed your explanations of your journey through PNH and beyond.

[@upliftequine]

That's a cool story. I'm developing a similar system on my own, I don't have much experience with Buck Branaman but he sounds kind at least. I'm currently studying the Equus Empeiria Liberty Academy, I encourage you to check it out, it was developed by a veterinarian.

[@sidilicious11]

@@upliftequine I will check it out.

[@sidilicious11]

@@upliftequine oh yeah, I am subscribed to her channel. Haven’t delved in yet but it’s so impressive!

[@janekiceniuk1578]

Great work. I discovered Steve YH last yr. Love watching him.

[@janekiceniuk1578]

​@@upliftequine I'll check it out. They made a movie/documentary about Buck, I think it's called BUCK😊

[@janekiceniuk1578]

I briefly practiced Parelli. There was a certified instructor close to me. Had a few lessons, they were the most expensive lessons I've paid for

[@janekiceniuk1578]

Talking about the piaffe, so wrong. And yet his wife is a dressage rider. I saw a video where his wife & a dressage master(cant remember) sitting watching. I cant believe they would agree with that method of piaffe.

[@upliftequine]

Yeah I have formed the opinion that she understands dressage on a very low level and sees could likely not tell the difference between leg movers and a true collected movement.