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This morning I was greeted at the doorstep by three young deer, and I am unsure who was more surprised, them or me! This gave me a really good feeling for today and then I remembered it was Linda Parelli's demo day and it certainly felt as if Christmas and my birthday had arrived at the same time! This was a rumour still at this stage however!
The day started in the usual fashion with Remuda with Tina and Megan. They confirmed the Linda rumour and then we simulated how pressure can encourage an increase or decrease in motion and we practiced change of direction on a circle in conga-horses.
Day Nine of Liberty and Horse Behaviour
The demonstrations today were Sideways Game and the Squeeze Game (the last two games). Carmen did the demonstration and then Jesse took a student's horse to show problem solving techniques. I gleaned the following important points:
Sideways Game: Level 1 is from zones 1 and 3, using a fence to stop forwards motion and the windscreen wiper technique in zones 1 and 4. Level 2 would be without the fence, the 22ft line and over/beside obstacles. Level 3 is moving up to the 45ft line, at liberty, with your feet still and both towards and away from you. It seems that the most powerful tool for the Sideways Game is to create a positive pattern, for example, sideways to a barrel then stop, then sideways to another barrel and stop - repeat. The biggest problem seems to be drifting forwards - simply stop, ask for back up to original position, then re-ask. If the problem is drifting backwards - simply continue until one sideways step is made, then release.
Squeeze Game: Level 1 is between me and a fence, over a log or through a gate. Level 2 could be through water, under a tarp or trailer loading. Level 3 could be jumping or trailer loading from a distance and at speed. The ultimate squeeze game is riding - a predator in zone 3 on top and on both sides! Perhaps the squeexe game should be really good at zone 3 before mounting?!?! The squeeze game differs from the circling game in that it is 'invite, turn and wait' not 'send, allow and bring back'. It is best to be progressive with the squeeze game to encourage confidence and by using markers for your turn and wait phases, your horse will understand the pattern better.
In the afternoon we had the Linda Parelli demonstration which was fabulous. There are loads of photos for you to view if you are interested. She was very playful and the whole session had an enormous sense of fun. Remmer and her were definitely playing and not working. It was a masterful display of how to engage the mind of a left brained introvert and get energy and effort willingly offered. Linda then did a Q&A session where we could ask anything. There were lots of questions about her horses, her journey, her recent lessons with Walter Zettl and whether Pat Parelli had ever ridden her horses. Her answers were entertaining and the insight was very interesting. We may have this treat repeated in the other courses coming up, which I am really looking forward to.
Play with Roget went very well. I am learning how to meet his play needs without allowing him to go too far! It seems to require great control over the amount of energy I project, especially in the circling game, when he is very sensitive. We do have the most amazing bring back however, he turns and comes running with a look of 'didn't I do good?' on his face - which can only make you grin back!
Today was the circling game day. Carmen took the demonstration and did a fantastic job with her mare, Miss Lukie, showing how to make the circling game interesting for both horse and human. Level 1 circling could be on a 12ft line, slow speed using the 'lead it, lift it, swing it, touch it' method. Level 2 could be on a longer line, at a faster speed with the requirement of the horse to maintain gait. The change of direction and long phase 1....... quick 2,3 and 4 could also be used. Level 3 is the refinement of all the above and then spins at liberty also.
There were a number of interesting points to consider when playing circling and the most important is a thing called 'positional truth'. This is where your body does the same things every time it makes the same request and the movement is different for different requests. For example, for the disengage tilt the head and shoulders to the side; for the turn draw stand tall and lean/walk backwards. This will stop confusion in the horse as to whether the request is 'game over' (disengage) or 'please make the turn' (draw). Another useful tool is dividing the circle into quadrants and measuring progress by quadrants.
Jesse then covered some common problems with some student's horses:
My horse won't go - play the 'Get out of my Quadrant' Game by hitting the same spot hard and rhythmically.
My horse stops - say thank you and then change direction.
My horse changes gait - resend or change direction.
My horse goes too fast - go slowly and reinforce the slowness and use change of direction.
My horse won't turn - take your time, set it up and wait.
Playing the circling game with Roget had some 'how interesting' moments today! He has been a closet extrovert all along! He lulled me into believing he was left brain introvert requiring incentive, i.e. carrots, when really he is the extrovert type needing lots of play! The circling game seems to be the game for him where his playfulness really comes out and as such his sensitivity increases enormously. I think that of all the games, the circling game he finds the least interesting and therefore makes up his own games! He is such fun! I was challenged however, I need to locate the playful extrovert in me without turning the energy up - easier said than done - practice required here!
In the evening I went to dinner with Beth (my house mate) and Lynn (see photo), as Lynn is only staying for course 1 and will be leaving on Friday :-( We have got on really well with Lynn and had a wonderful night out at Pagosa Springs' best restaurant. I drove, but Beth and Lynn got a little tipsy and we all had a really good evening. Hopefully we will stay in touch in the future.
After a beautiful start to the morning where from my doorstep I could see Lake Pagosa was covered in mist (see photo), Remuda with Carmen and Megan covered 2 rein driving in the 'conga-horse'. A conga-horse is a line of people holding onto each other's belt loops pretending to be different parts of the horse. This sounds really silly and did challenge my confort zone somewhat, but proved to be highly powerful. You really can feel people's intent and how heavy the feel on the rope can be.
It highlights how important the friendly game is and the need for thinking time.The background card for today was the 3 Systems of the Horse and how they relate to the Parelli levels:Level 1 Partnership - respect - the mental systemLevel 2 Harmony - impulsion - the emotional systemLevel 3 Refinement - flexion - the physical systemDay Seven of Liberty & Horse BehaviourToday's game is the Yo-Yo Game. Yo-yo is exactly as it sounds - foward and back, to and fro, north and south or even, approach and retreat. It is the game of equilibrium - equal motion in opposing directions.The yo-yo game should always have a purpose to help the horse understand, i.e. back up and put a hind foot on a cone, rather than just back up! It is also important to uise the appropriate amount of pressue for the response required - make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult.If straightness is an issue, then be creative and instead of micro-managing and constantly correcting, use a fence! To encourage confidence and a 'yes - I can do that' attitude in your horse, break tasks down. For example, playing with a line in the sand, then your rope, next a pole will enable you one day to yo-yo a log. Use an obstacle to help identify when you are going to change your yo from yo-- to --yo. By being consistent and making the change at the same obstacle your horse will be looking for the change and may even begin to offer!Level 3 yo-yos could be up/down a hill or around a slalom, while level 4 are piaffe, passage, the slide stop and cow cutting! Yo-yo can be as interesting (or dull) as you make it - so be creative!
This morning's remuda started by reviewing the previous week and discussing the trailer loading demonstration we had seen on Friday. We covered Pat's four savvys for trailer loading, which really rang a bell with me! Here they are:1. Don't wait until you're late for the show!
2. Don't take him to the trailer to see if he won't load!
3. Don't ask a trying horse to try!
4. Don't hurry and shut the gate!The background card for today, The 4 Savvys (Online, Liberty, Freestyle and Finesse), had a interesting definition of what Savvy means...... Knowing when to be, where to be, how to be and what to do when you get there!Day Six of Liberty & Horse BehaviourSo day six is all about the Principle Games, Friendly, Porcupine and Driving, and how to take them to another level from the standard.The Friendly Game is also known as the Confidence Game. This game is all about Rhythm, Relaxation and Retreat. It could be simply walking past something, hanging out, desensitising the ears and mouth or flicking with the carrot stick or rope. More advanced games could be in motion or doing the Jack Daniels (staggering) and Happy Cowboy (skipping) tests. Find out whether there are any 'Yeh - but.....' spots that need attention and use approach and retreat, feel and timing. This game should sandwich everything you do, i.e. friendly - squeeze - friendly.The Porcupine Game involves steady pressure, including follow a feel and yield to a feel. When phase four fails to have the desired result, it is effective to use angles instead of more force/pressure. Remember: nose, neck, maybe feet. Always sandwich with the friendly game: friendly - porcupine - friendly to a stop (this will help stop your horse).The Driving Game should be a balance of the drive and draw using the power of focus. More advanced simulations could involve two rein driving, however, to avoid micro-managing your horse, you need to be a master of one rein driving first. Increasing distances, changing zones and varying speeds will all make the driving game more interesting for the horse.Before the end of class, John did a fabulous inspirational demonstration of high level driving. He entered on a golf buggy and played with obstacles from zone 5, even following over the bridge. He then left the buggy and did some flashy half passes at the canter - it was really impressive.After class, Beth, Lynn and I decided to go to Goodman's to do some shopping. So we drove into Pagosa and tried on a multitude of hats and boots (cowboy). I finally decided on a pair of Ariat cowboy boots and a 100% wool crushable stetson, so you're all forewarned!We then returned to the ranch where the heavens opened and a lightning storm blew in off the rockies, putting a stop to intentions of playing with our horses. This did provide the perfect test for my new purchases however, both of which passed with flying colours!
Saturday was declared human day and as such the bare minimum was done with the horses; mucking out , feeding and watering. I spent the day visiting a local western tack shop and cathcing up on emails, my blog entries and photographs.The western tack shop was so not my style and even made me feel vaguely uncomfortable with so many 'predator' items and dead animals hanging around the walls. I don't think I'll be visiting any more in a hurry!Sunday was declared human and horse day, so I spent the whole morning with Roget practicing stuff we covered last week and bonding. This morning was really successful and I think we made alot of progress with our communication. My signals need only be subtle and soft to gain a response (I think the carrot incentives are proving very powerful!).After lunch, I went back to bed to read and rest. I was more exhausted than I had realised and needed to reenergise ready for the next week.
I have uploaded some photographs onto flickr and will continue to do so, as and when I get the time.
I have also updated some of the blog entries with a photograph for those of you who prefer picture books! To date, the head shot of Roget is my favourite, but hopefully there are better ones to come.......
Now I'm off to the centre to take more photos so hopefully by the end of this weekend you will have a really good visual impression of where I am and what it's like!
Remuda with Avery concentrated on the 45' line and I came to the stark realisation that I am very dangerous with this tool! Thank God I have never been near a horse with one yet! I was hitting myself in the face, my throw could go anywhere - left, right, up or down and at one point I managed to lasso someone's leg (maybe a future career at the rodeo?). This is a tool I need to practice with before I start using it!
I also found out that Roget is the son of Casper (Pat's top top horse) and one of his mares, MayDay! This explains some of the behaviour I witnessed yesterday - how interesting!
Day Five of Liberty & Horse Behaviour
Leadership in the Human was today's topic and how to empower yourself to be a good leader. Remember that 'You don't know what you don't know, until you know it!' so don't beat yourself up for lack of knowledge, just continue pushing yourself as a learner. We covered an interesting cycle:
Unconscious Incompetence -> Conscious Incompetence -> Conscious Competence -> Unconscious Competence -> Unconscious Incompetence -> Conscious Incom.......
An interesting exercise was to complete the horsenality chart on myself. It turns out that I am quadrapolar! I think many of you already knew that though!
The practical demonstration for the leadership day was none other than the ultimate leadership test of trailer loading. And thankfully the demo horse was a left brain introvert, so I used it as a great example of how to communicate with Roget in a positive manner and get results.
So Roget and I had a fantastic time this afternoon: playing, cuddling (see photo) and generally enjoying each other's company and achieving tasks. Why did today go so much better than yesterday? Incentive in the shape of carrot chunks, rest and rubs! If there was a carrot chunk in it for Roget, he gave me effort, attention, affection and a wonderful look on his face (you know the one when the dog knows you have a biscuit for him). We achieved everything I asked for (no more 'telling' notice) and he did it willingly - if only this was always the way between horse and human.
Remuda with Avery was great fun this morning. Carrot stick, 22' rope and phases practice.
Firstly we had to find phase 1 (as gentle as possible) and phase 4 (effective last resort) by hitting a barrel with a carrot stick without emotion. My phase 1 was was excellent, but my phase 4 was described as a 'limp kipper'! Next was phases 1 through 4 along the 22' rope to the halter, again without emotion. It was very interesting that I realised my phases with a horse have unconscious emotion - it is very difficult to be emotional with a post! Lastly, carrot stick/savvy string practice - hit the same spot 3 times with both hands, then 'quick draw McGraw' - hold the end of your string and lay the stick on the floor; close your eyes, pull the string and the stick handle should land in your hand...... try this, it's difficult!
Day Four of Liberty & Horse Behaviour
Today we covered the 7 games. These are the 7 games horses play with each other and therefore the best language for humans and horses to communicate with.
There are 3 principle games: friendly; porcupine and driving.
There are 4 purpose games: yo-yo, circling, sideways and squeeze.
The principle games are the ABC and the purpose games are the words, sentences, paragraphs and hopefully one day a story!
To improve the draw - naturally attracting the horse towards you - use the friendly, squeeze and yo-yo games, the hindquarter disengage and S-patterns.
To improve the drive - naturally sending the horse away from you - use the driving, circling, sideways and yo-yo games, the forehand disengage and falling leaf patterns.
Interesting thought: When we put a halter on a horse's head, we are really putting it on their feet!
Next we looked at the four types of horses and the difficulties they may have with certain games due to their horsenalities. For example, moving the forehand is difficult for a left brain horse as it is yielding the dominance. Or a right brain may find disengaging the hind quarters difficult, as this is yielding it's ability to flee.
A demonstration of the seven games with student's horses by the faculty members and an inspirational session with their own, highlighted the following:
1. Set it up for success - nose, neck, maybe feet.
2. Slow and right beats fast and wrong - play the 'Hot and Cold' game.
3. Make a plan and visualise the end result before starting.
4. Suggest - Ask - Tell - Promise (then check friendly game).
Win the 7 Games, but win for both of you..... try to think of the human winning, but the horse winning the prize!
Roget and I had an interesting session - meaning I had some 'How interesting!' moments! In hind sight I was acting the predator and telling, rather than communicating. Arrghhhhh! It is sometimes very difficult to stop being a predator, especially when you have an agenda! He definitely is left brained introvert and I will have to change my ways to get us singing from the same hymn sheet.
Remember: left brain introverts require incentive - I'd better go buy some carrots for tomorrow!
We had a lovely surprise today - it was like Christmas! All the 6 weekers were given goody bags (really good stuff - confidence snaffle, level 3 pack, finesse reins, etc...) and an opportunity to win a private lesson with Linda Parelli at the end of our course! How exciting is that!?! Keep all your fingers and toes crossed for me!
Wednesday morning started with Remuda taken by Jesse. We covered communication and body (or universal) language by playing a game where you ask the horse (your human partner) to do something, i.e. put a foot on a chair, by using the universal language only. You then swap and have a go at being the 'horse'. This proved incredibly powerful and highlighted the need to be gentle, to allow thinking time, the power of focus and to reward with rests or by being friendly. The answer is to break the task into 100 small steps and to look after every step!
Great tip: Play with your 'best' horse first, then take that feeling to the next best and so on....
Day Three of Liberty&HorseBehaviour
We put human emotions onto horses (anthropomorphism); horses do not miss us, require praise, fell jealousy, etc - these are human emotions. The horse's heirachy of needs are.... Safety, Comfort, Play and then Incentive (Food). These needs are directly linked to their horsenality.
RB Extrovert - Safety - Bonnie and Whinney
RB Introvert - Comfort - Dillon
LB Extrovert - Play - Whinney
LB Introvert - Incentive - Dillon and Bonnie
Respect is the horse giving the appropriate response to pressure and the human, the appropriate application of pressure.
Strategies to deal with RB or safety/comfort issues are 'rhythm, relaxation and retreat', consistency, good friendly game and remember you have 1000 fresh starts.
Strategies to deal with LB or play/incentive issues are variety, to keep moving on and doing, incentives such as food, scratches and rest, and the power of reverse psychology.
Roget and I had an assignment to teach something new, which proved difficult as he is a Parelli lease horse and therefore has already done most things! So I took the attitude that everything is new for our partnership, regardless of either of our pasts and went and experimented. Firstly I simply requested he place his foot on the log and this went smoothly, so we quickly moved on to jumping a bank. Again, this went smoothly, so I looked for something more challenging and chose an enormous tractor tyre and suggested he walked through it......
Well he happily placed his two front feet in, then paused and asked for direction. I told him he was on the right tracks and encouraged him to place his hind legs in also. He lifted them and pawed at the tyre, but could not put them inside. He then asked another question and I told him he was on the right track. This time he moved his front feet further forwards to make room for the hinds. I then suggested he try the hinds again, but this he found too claustrophobic and continued merely to lift them up and rub the tyre. I accepted this as a try and called it game over. Remember - it's not about the tyre - it's about the relationship! And with the relationship building, I think we succeeded!
Wednesday evening was spent singing songs around the camp fire (see photo) with Pat and Caton Parelli and a country western singer (who is well known in America, but not to me!). This proved just a little surreal! It was very interesting to see Pat as a learner guitarist when I am used to observing his mastery of natural horsemanship, when he is very much the teacher/expert.
I also saw Linda Parelli today driving a bright yellow convertible jeep - surprised at her choice of car! She waved pleasantly as we drove past, which was nice.
Human1. Don't act like a predator.2. Have an independant seat.3. Think like a horse-man.4. Use the natural power of focus.Horse1. Don't act like a prey animal.2. Don't change gait.3. Don't change direction.4. Look where you are going.When you take over the horse's responsibilities, instead of teaching him to uphold them, and when you don't take care of your own, there can be no partnership.
Well we started the day in the usual fashion - making our declaration of the 8 principles and then 100% extrovert participation in the Parelli "Good Morning" (it actually didnt feel quite so uncomfortable today)!Oooops! I almost forgot to mention that I had breakfast with Mark Weiler! He is very much a people person and very entertaining. He was very interested in our experiences and extremely enthusiastic about ensuring everything was perfect, he demands perfection in everything Parelli! For those who don't know who Mark is, he is the Leadership in Parelli "Love, Language and Leadership" - that means the President. Pat Parelli is the Love (or passion) and Linda Parelli, the language (or teacher). So that's two down and one to go!Day Two of Liberty&HorseBehaviourTuesday covered the characteristics of left and right brained horses and what attributes can be used to help label them. For example, left brains can be pushy, confident and curious; and right brains, spooky, reactive and nervous. It is worth noting that whilst mild left brain behaviour helps horses and humans get along, in the wild it would probably mean death. While all the right brains are running for their lives, a left brain is still curious to know what spooked them - and the lion would have lunch!Interesting fact: Horses learn 4 times faster than humans and are exceptional "one time learners". A human example of this is a child being told not to touch the hot iron, but still does it, but will never do it again!Right brain horses and extreme left brain horses (dominant) need bringing into the "centre ground" where a learning relationship can be formed. This is achieved through Love, Language and Leadership in equal doses.Human decisions regarding the emotional state of the horse and therefore the strategy to use have a 50:50 chance of being right! And if you are wrong, you can always try the other thing! There are 1000 fresh starts every day.There are five areas of confidence to the horse; their Leader, Themselves, their Herd, their Environment and themself as a Learner. If you protect these areas, the centre ground and therefore the learning relationship, will be easy to find. For example, if your horse is unconfident away from his herd, then do the things you want to do in his pasture - don't take him away and expect him to 'behave' as you just ignored of of his 5 confidence areas.We also covered strategies for the twohorse types; left brain and right brain. Examples would be to be playful and provocative, to go somewhere and do something with a left brain. And with a right brain, retreat, be consistent and allow lots of time for thinking.Roget and I played more "Me and My Shadow" but today intermittantly I reversed the balance of leadership to him 49% and me 51%. This allowed me to observe how he behaved faced with following me over obstacles and to provide a bit of variation and interest. Well he loved it, his energy and interest came up and I learned that he needs a provocative leader who can be creative and spontaneous, so I think I have a task on my hands! Today he was left brain introvert - but who knows what horsenality will show up tomorrow!After dinner I attended Pat's sister's dance class (preparing for the dancing at the Conference) and learnt the "Swing"! "Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow, slow, quick, quick, slow........" Well there were 20 girls and 3 boys so we had to share and pretend to be boys! So I am learning new and unexpected skills - all part of the Parelli experience!
1. Horse-man-ship is natural.2. Don't make or teach assumptions.3. Communication is 2 or more individuals sharing and understanding an idea.4. Horses and Humans have mutual responsibilties.5. The attitude of justice is effective.6. Body language is the universal language.7. Horses teach Humans and Humans teach Horses.8. Principles, purpose and time are the tools of teaching.
Apologies for the delay in writing - been busy! And before all the emails come in about photos - I'll do some at the weekend - been busy! Anyway, it will be worth the wait!Day One of Liberty&HorseBehaviourI learned the Parelli declaration of the 8 principles of horse-man-ship (a horse and a man on a journey) which I shall post separately for those that are interested. And then I was plunged into the scary world of 100% participation American style! Dancing, clapping, yahooing! and that was just their way of saying 'Good Morning!' - so out of my comfort zone, we Brits are definitely more reserved!Next was my responsibilities as a learner. 100% participation, knowing the power of empowering "how" questions, recognising their effect upon others and living through the question to find the answer myself. Also recognising those sneaky little voices in your head that say helpful things like "I already know that" and replying "thankyou for sharing that with me, but maybe I can learn something new anyway"!"It's not about the........trailer, jump, piece of plastic, etc...." was then covered and what that really means. If the horse trusts your leadership then he will do anything for you. And to remember that, even today, the number one use for horses (even above recreation) is for food/meat and therefore it should not be suprising that the ultimate prey animal sees us as PREDATORS!Interesting fact: EQUUS mean equal to us.Wild horses live perfectly content lives. WE bring horses into OUR environment and provide for their needs - food, water, farrier, dentist - but all of these are physical needs. Like humans, horses have mental and emotional needs also- how do we cater for these? Mostly we don't.A horse's horsenality consists of the following; innate characteristics, spirit, learned behaviour and environment. We have influence over the latter two only. Learned behaviour comes from the dam, herd and humans and can be both good AND bad! Horses are cowards, claustrophobics and panickaholics by varying degrees - it's their nature.I played "Me and My Shadow" with Roget today. "Me" was Roget and "My Shadow" was me - basically I gave him 51% leadership and kept 49%, so he was the boss! He took me on a grand tour of all the feed buckets we could find, the best grazing spots to be had and the route out to the forest, where I can only assume he likes to go hacking. My job was to shadow, i.e. copy his behaviour and stance, try to feel what he was feeling and focus on the things he deemed important. This was a powerful exercise.Horsenality wise, I believe Roget to be Left Brained, but am unsure whether it is extrovert or introvert at the moment (he may be both?). Generally he is friendly, responsive, food orientated and a very nice chap!
For all those who requested a photo of Roget, well here is; handsome chap isn't he!
Will write more later - but I knew you couldn't wait to meet him in the 'flesh' as it were! And I'm sure there will be lots more to come!
We finally arrived in Pagosa Springs on Saturday evening - exhausted and excited simultaneously. The journey along route 285 was beautiful - exactly how I imagined Colorado to be. Wide open spaces, incredibly flat; then mountains seem to emerge from nowhere, all rocky and covered in fir trees. We also saw some deer grazing by the roadside, completely oblivious to all the traffic passing by.
Pagosa Springs is a small town with beautiful scenery - I will be posting pictures online as soon as I can, so you can see for yourself. And the Parelli Centre is more than I imagined. Everything has been carefully designed to ensure imagination and success are inevitable - can't wait to get started tomorrow!
Most importantly I met my lease horse this afternoon. His name is "Roget" - a bay quarter horse, I would guess he is 16hh and he is a true middleweight (I have started him on a diet, as he has a round belly also!). It seems he is famous - quite a few people recognised him as we took a little stroll! Apparently he is on all the Parelli tour stop flyers jumping a buck fence, so I am going to try to track one down to keep for my memories.
It is too early for me to give you an idea of his horsenality as we have spent only a short time together mosying around, but I do know he likes his food LOTS and is VERY friendly, wanting to smell and touch all the people we came across (probably checking for more food!). He is also sensitive; light suggestion (phase 1) caused backing up and fore quarters disengagement. Obviously, I will learn more in the coming weeks - all 6 of them - and my journey with Roget will reveal his horsenality and much much more.
P.S. We saw Pat Parelli today! As we were driving back to our house this evening, we passed him on the track and got a friendly wave and of course, we waved back so enthusiastically we surely looked like maniacs! Exciting though - Pat Parelli in the flesh!
Packing, washing and possibly a little panicking!
Tomorrow I will leave for Heathrow to spend the night in the Hilton over the road from Terminal 4. After seeing the climate change protesters on the News, I thought it prudent to travel the day before my flight, rather than risk travelling up on Friday morning.
I have spent today making last minute visits to say "Cheerio!" to friends and neighbours I will not see now until October. That seems ages away, I mean October is in Autumn! And having not experienced a summer yet in Wales, Autumn seems a long way off!
Next entry will probably be in Colorado after having flown to Denver and then driven to my home for six weeks in Pagosa Springs - so I'll catch up with you then. Take care.
The UK Parelli Conference has come and gone. Unfortunately I could not attend, due to laminitic ponies needing lots of attention. However, I will be attending the US one whilst away - so don't feel too sad for me!
Gareth did go and had an absolutely fantastic time. He came home like a man possessed, ready to progress his relationship with Whinney - I am expecting great things from them when I return from Colorado!
Gareth brought pressies home too! I have a Savvy pen, two conference t-shirts and the new Success DVD Series - which I have already started to watch and looks great! I shall take them with me, to make the flight time pass more quickly.
Anyway, I am still stressing about packing and making more and more lists, so I'm going to sign off to get back to that!
Last thing - many thanks to my parents for the pocket money for the trip (thought I was getting too old for pocket money!). Anyway, it will be well spent! Thank you!
This morning I was greeted at the doorstep by three young deer, and I am unsure who was more surprised, them or me! This gave me a really good feeling for today and then I remembered it was Linda Parelli's demo day and it certainly felt as if Christmas and my birthday had arrived at the same time! This was a rumour still at this stage however!
