Main Category for the Parelli Foundation Blog
I’m fascinated with the concept of leadership. Some people believe that great leaders are born with the inherent skills and personality traits that predispose them to becoming effective leaders. Others say that leadership is a skill (or set of skills) that can be learned, and thus taught. Perhaps there’s some merit to both theories. But my horses have shown me there’s something much more important than either, and it’s simply this:
In order to become an effective leader, the individual must have a compelling REASON to lead.
“I dream’ed a dream to-night,” said Shakespeare’s Romeo: a dream of love reviving life. When Kim Meagher came across Romeo, a terrified three-week-old sorrel bay with his dam at a kill auction, both with gaping wounds, she too dream’ed a dream – that the safe haven she had previously provided for 200 horses would give them both a chance for a future.
If someone were to ask my horses the question, “What does it mean to listen?”, I’m pretty sure they would say: “Everything. It means everything.” Although horses have the ability to vocalize, their primary modes of communication are behavior, body language, touch and energy. We humans, on the other hand, tend to rely almost exclusively on spoken and written language to communicate. Because horses cannot speak or interpret our complex spoken languages, those of us who want to train and/or ride horses must learn to use body language, touch and energy to communicate with them.
Lori Northrup, president of the Parelli Foundation Board of Directors, has been named New York State Horse Council’s “2016 Horseperson of the Year.”
The experts agreed that burnout does occur in therapy horses and identified several situations where it was more common. Symptoms of burnout were recorded as were situations which increased the likelihood of symptoms occurring. A variety of recommendations were made to minimize burnout in therapy horses.
While there is no specific Parelli Nartural Horsemanship curriculum currently designed for 4-H clubs, with a little guidance and modification the materials available can be made appropriate for teaching kids. I’ll now share some things that I have observed to be successful in the Partners with Horses club.
There are lots of good reasons to attend a college or university, but impressing a potential employer in the horse industry with your degree may not be one of them. In general, horse industry employers are much more concerned with practical experience than with a college degree.
3-Star Parelli Professional & Horse Development Specialist Mattie Cowherd has partnered with “Daisy” in the new Rehoming for Life Challenge.
Daisy is a a beautiful pony mare. Mattie will give her the opportunity to have the brightest future as someone’s perfect partner!
When I was growing up, I had a hard time fitting in at school. Because I grew up without social skills, I dealt with bullying. As a result, my self-esteem was low. From that point on, I wanted to be in control of my life.
Over the years – with support from some wonderful people – I have learned to be more assertive. But the turning point occurred once I became a Parelli Professional; I found my passion, and soon this Right-Brain Introvert became a Right/Left-Brain Extrovert.
There is “something special” about the dedication and passion within the Parelli Community. There are so many ways individuals within the community are supporting the program and mission “helping create a better world for horses and humans;” and I am blessed to have built such deep connections within the community at large.
