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Pat 's Building Up Balance Over Jum ps Through t he Levels

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8 HOME | Parelli Savvy Times Issue 22

Larry Smith participated in Samantha Thorning and Kat

Green?s (both of whom are 2-Star Parelli Professionals) 13 Things to Do With Excellence workshop in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

Larry attended along with his wife, Kendall. He brought his horse Montana, who is an 18-year-old Quarter Horse gelding. ?We don?t really know anything of his lineage or background except that we purchased him from a fellow Parelli student two years prior,? said Larry. ?We had never owned horses before moving here 18 months ago. We had been taking riding lessons in Denver and our instructor advised us to find a horse like him for a first buy. She was right. He?s a great horse, well-mannered, and has helped teach me. Montana is a

low-spirited RBI on the cusp of RBE, but he rarely goes there.?

Until Larry and Kendall moved to Pagosa Springs, they knew nothing of Parelli Natural Horsemanship. ?When we bought a house here, we asked our riding instructor for a recommendation for a trainer in

Pagosa. She looked at us like we had three eyes! Then she said, ?You?ll know it when you see it.? My wife started googling for trainers here in town, and of course, Pat was top of the list.

?Then about a week later, I was in a hardware store looking for

something, and while I was standing in the checkout line, the Natural Horsemanship book by Pat Parelli was staring me in the face. So I bought and read it. I had almost no clue what he was actually trying to tell me, so when we arrived in town, we walked into the Parelli office and asked to speak with a trainer. Kat Green came out and spoke with us.?

Parelli hasn?t changed Larry and Montana?s relationship so much as it has allowed them to create one. ?Unlike most people, we had no experience to overcome. That said, we had no experience at all either. PNH has provided a framework for learning while doing, and that has worked out well for both of us.?

13 Things to Do With Excellence grabbed Larry?s attention right away since he?s a perfectionist. ?Coming out of winter, it seemed like a great opportunity to start

13 Things To Do With Excellence Workshop

with Larry Smith

Taught by 2-St ar Parell i Professionals Kat Green & Sam ant ha Thorning

LEARNING HIGHLIGHT

Lar ry Sm it h playing w it h Mont ana On Line.

out the season with a focus on good habits. My goals for this clinic were primarily to refresh my memory of the items presented and to ensure that I still correctly managed Direct versus Indirect rein techniques.?

Larry absolutely feels that he achieved his goals. ?At the end of the day, I refreshed my memory on many small items as well as the realization that if I use every opportunity to practice perfectly, then I will ingrain perfect practice in daily horse tasks.?

This was Larry?s fourth clinic with Kat, who is also his personal Parelli instructor. ?The one thing

that stood out for me was that Kat managed the clinic very well. She had us on time without rushing, and she also gave us time for aspects that needed extra attention.

"I think having Samantha in the arena allowed Kat to shine. This was my first workshop with Samantha, and I learned a lot by just watching her and then asking her questions. She?s knowledgeable and communicates well.?

For Larry, there was no solitary highlight of the clinic. ?It was a lot of small highlights that added up and made it a

very valuable experience. From the tips on how to get my horse to halter himself, to lift ing his feet by asking, to taking off the halter while bridled. They were all good things, but overall, this was a

great spring tune-up.?

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Check out parelli.com/professionals to find a Professional in your area.

Photos courtesy of Amanda Sims.

Kat t eaching Lar ry about t he im por t ance of feel on t he rein.

Sam ant ha, Blu, and Kat inst ruct ing t heir st udent s on t he next st ep of t he workshop.

Mont ana put t ing in a l i t t le ext ra ef for t over som e bar rels On Line.

10 HOME | Parelli Savvy Times Issue 22

Kr ist ie Hef l ing and Miles, Lar ry Sm it h and Mont ana, Kendall Sm it h and Whiskey, Sam ant ha Thorning, and Kat Green w it h Blu.

11Parelli Savvy Times Issue 22 | HOME

PROFESSIONALS HIGHLIGHT

On April 15th, David Lichman (5-Star Master

Parelli Professional) and Micaela Love (3-Star Parelli Professional and Game of Contact Certified) teamed up to present an Open Liberty Rehearsal and invited Parelli students and Professionals to audit.

?When I was around 16-years-old, I had the opportunity to work for David as a working student,? said Micaela. ?In exchange, he helped me obtain my Level 3 and prepared me for a four-week Fast Track as well as my first adventure to the Parelli Savvy Center. Since then, I have continued to take every opportunity possible to assist and continue learning and growing as an instructor from his example. Since I am now back in

California as a licensed Parelli Professional, David and I have been brainstorming on future plans to work together. The Open Rehearsal for David?s Liberty came about as a way to find our target audience and build a community in our area.

?While assisting him most recently in Gilroy, California, our conversation turned to planning a workshop series in which we will join forces and teach together. From there, the idea of offering a free inspirational event was born. David and I decided very last minute to go ahead with his Liberty Rehearsal (we decided at 9:00 in the morning on Thursday and the event took place at 5:00 in the evening the following Saturday). Thanks to David?s sterling reputation in our area, we generated a ton of interest and had 52 people show

Open Liberty Rehearsal

with David Lichman and Micaela Love

Two Parell i Professionals Team Up

Micaela and David w it h t he st r ing of horses for t he Liber t y Rehearsal.

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up to watch and learn!

?The evening was very casual. Auditors brought folding chairs with them and set up camp along the arena rails. The evening began with David introducing himself and a issuing a thank you to his ?team,?? said Micaela.

His team consisted of David?s son, Sam; his working student, Davina, who helped set up; Micaela?s parents, Jim and Kim Johnson, who offered to host the event at their facility; and Cheryl

and Micaela, who coordinated and advertised the event.

?After that, David played with his horses as if he were practicing at home,? said Micaela. ?He played a litt le with his new horse, Paulo, who is amazing! Then he played with Julio, Scotty, and Paulo all at once. In closing, David had Davina, his working student, demonstrate some Liberty with Patches the Pony.?

Though there weren?t many questions at the end, there were a handful that Micaela recalled:

1. When will you do another open rehearsal for us to come watch?!

2. How long do you generally play at Liberty with your horses?

3. What kind of cookies do you use?

4. How did you learn/how did you teach the ?School Halt??

Even though the purpose of the rehearsal was not to teach in a direct manner, Micaela identified the value as, ?creating a place for old friends and acquaintances to reconnect. As the cars were pulling in and chairs were being set, there was a chorus of reunions happening all over.

For me, it was so fun to see those long time Parelli folks brought together again.

?The other take away that I heard from several people was the inspiration to get out there and do more with their horses. Watching David play with his horses infected the audience with a desire to have more imagination and fun!? said Micaela.

?Honestly, the list of things that I have learned from David over the past ten years is infinite!

The most common things that I have found myself passing along to my students are

1. ?Get in, get out, and get over it.? This is something I remember David saying years ago when he was helping a student become more effective with her phases.

2. ?Maintain gait, maintain direction. Maintain posture, maintain flexion? which are higher level additions to the horse?s responsibilit ies of act

Wat ching David at play w it h his horses is not hing shor t of inspirat ional.

David's work ing st udent Davina playing w it h Pat ches at Liber t y.

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like a partner, maintain gait, maintain direction, and watch where you are going,?? said Micaela.

Even though their relationship began as a student and teacher connection, David has learned from Micaela along the way as well. ?Micaela?s observations of riders has given me some clues as to why horses behave a certain way,? said David. ?I?m recalling once when she noticed that a rider was blocking turns with her leg? which I hadn?t seen.?

?This event was just the beginning," said Micaela, "and I can?t wait to offer more education and inspiration to the Northern California community alongside one of the masters, David Lichman.?

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Stay tuned for more events from David Lichman (5-Star Master Parelli Professional and Horse Development Specialist) and Micaela Love (3-Star Parelli Professional & Game of Contact Certified).

To find a Parelli Professional in your area, visit professionals.parelli.com.

Photos by Jerome Love.

Pat ches plays just as hard as he works, even over a bar rel at Liber t y!

Lot s of l ick ing and chew ing f rom t his group!

Julio, Scot t y, and Paulo having great fun at Liber t y.

Next MonthPat Parelli's Mane Event

Using the Seven Games to Introduce

New Pasture Mates

Tools & Techniques Touchstone

Action Plan and Articles

Would you l ike t o be feat ured in Savvy Times?

Submit your story and at least three high resolution photos to SavvyTimes@parelli.com.

SAVVY TIMESIssue 20

FounderPat Parelli

Edit or -in-ChiefLinda Parelli

Edit orAmanda Sims

Cont ent UnicornSamantha Thorning

Phot ographerCoco

Cont r ibut orsPat ParelliLinda ParelliAmanda Sims Samantha ThorningKat GreenOlivia GoddardLarry SmithDavid LichmanMicaela LoveSeth BurgessLetitia Glenn

See you next month!