Parelli Level 2... Why does it take so long?!

I've been putting off this post about Level 2 for about as long as it took me to finish Level 2.... FOREVER!  Mostly because I didn't know where to start as it was a journey that took several years to finish.

I passed the original Parelli Level 1 with Mocha, my Left Brain Extrovert ex-race horse.  Right around that time I was packing up and moving to Montana to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Horsemanship from the University of Montana-Western in Dillon.

Not long after I got to Montana Mocha injured his hock and I had to retire him.  I needed a horse for my college program and didn't have much time to search around for the perfect partner.  Some "settling" had to happen and I went from a big, sexy Thoroughbred to a chubby sport pony!

He was round as a rainbow, a solid 14.2h (just small enough so I could jump on bareback!), and a beautiful smokey grulla color with pinto markings and a dorsal stripe.  He was fancy, he was athletic, and he could buck!

The Pony and I.

I had Level 2 going pretty well with Mocha but I was a little lost starting over with this introverted pony.  I had a hard time reading him, he wasn't interested in me, he didn't want to play, and he was unpredictable and explosive (sound like a Right Brain Introvert by chance?).  Riding him felt like riding a ninja with dynamite in his feet.

I had this little guy throughout college, which was unfortunately very anti-Parelli, I focused on my academic studies and not so much on the Parelli Levels Program.

Not long before I got The Pony (that was his terribly original name) I had been in a bad accident with a colt and had been suffering confidence issues since.  With The Pony I was getting bucked off all the time.  My Natural Horsemanship program instructors couldn't help me with his bucking issues and there were no other Parelli people around.  It was terribly damaging to my confidence and I was constantly hurt and either at the chiropractor or the hospital.

The Pony and I at La Cense toward the end of college.

Passing Parelli Level 1

This is a follow up to my post Parelli Level 1 - What Do You Learn? because I forgot to tell you how I passed my Level 1!

Mocha and I are the 4th horse/rider pair from the left with Terry Wilson (in yellow) standing next to us.

The opportunity to participate in a clinic with 3-Star Parelli Professional Terry Wilson came up.  He was offering two clinics: basic Level 1 and Advanced Level 1/Beginning Level 2.  

At that time Level 1 had riding in it and the Audition (then called an Assessment) included 21 minutes of trotting!  I hemmed and hawed with where I was at, if I was good enough to take the Adv. L1/L2 clinic or if I should stick to the safe route and go with the basic L1.

With the support of my mentor I chose to go for the more advanced course.  It was perfect for where Mocha and I were at.

We learned so much but I still didn't feel ready to do my Level 1 Assessment.  At that time Parelli Instructors could do live assessments in the field with students so most of the clinic participants signed up to assess with Terry.

I watched person after person go before Terry with their horse and perform a lengthy list of tasks both on the ground and under saddle.

I wasn't ready so I just stayed in the background watching, wishing I was good enough.

At the end of the weekend Terry came up to me and asked why I hadn't assessed with everyone else.  I told him that Mocha and I still had things to work on and it wasn't perfect.  I needed to practice a lot more.

He smiled and then handed me my red string.  "Congratulations," he said, "I saw you playing and riding during the clinic.  You and Mocha should be ready to pass your Level 3 in a few months, you are more than ready for your red string.  Don't doubt yourself so much."

I was thrilled, flattered, and feeling a little undeserving but trusted Terry's judgement of my skills.  It was a big lesson for me in a lot of ways.  

First, assessing for your Level doesn't mean that you and your horse are perfect.  An Audition is all about showing your savvy and ability to problem solve, it's not about having each task PERFECT.  If you were perfect you'd be Pat Parelli.

Second, I learned to believe in myself a little more.  Fear and doubt will hold you back, so trust the process, trust yourself, trust your horse and take chances.  This is true for all areas of life.

With that, I was the proud owner of a bright red Level 1 string and a clear vision of where to go next in my horsemanship.  Level 2! 

Stay tuned for my Level 2 journey!  In the mean time check out my Facebook page for daily tidbits, fun photos, and inspiration! 

Since my Level 1 Audition was live I have a fun Level 1 Audition from my little friend Tristan.  He filmed this just days after his 5th birthday with my Levels horse, Aspen. :)

Finishing the Externship & Putting the Relationship First

Hello!  I've been posting videos to my YouTube account and trying to keep up on Parelli Connect as well but haven't had much time to sit down and properly write anything. A lot of people have been asking me about the Externship - my experience, how it turned out, and what they could expect if they were to attend one.  Definitely leave me a comment if I can answer anything for you

Let's see where to begin? I met so many amazing people and made some lasting friendships here.  Yes my horsemanship improved and yes I learned a lot about Parelli Professional conduct but when you think of putting the relationship first, you can think of being at the Parelli campus.  There is nothing competitive about people all striving for a common goal of good horsemanship and good teammanship.  I had some things crop up in my personal life about half way through the course and without the support of our instructors and the entire Extern group I couldn't have finished out the class.  For that I am so grateful - I have really come to appreciate the good hearts of nearly everyone in the Parelli community... Can you be a part of something bigger than yourself?  Sometimes that's simply being there no matter what for someone else in need.  So if anyone from my Externship experience is reading this, thank you for everything.  You'll never know how much you all have meant to me in this part of my journey.

Now, on to the course!  First exciting bit I should share is that I passed my Level 4 Liberty while there!  I decided to film a trial run for an audition just to see where we were at and it turned out to be really great.  Aspen was connected, playful, and full of try so I sent it in and passed with marks about half in L4 and half in L4+!  Totally awesome!  We also got our first Freestyle (pushing) and Finesse (light seat) flying lead changes.  I was also introduced to Finesse which we spent quite a bit of time on throughout the course.  I have a totally new respect for lateral maneuvers!!  I was lucky enough to be chosen for a Finesse lesson with Pat Parelli which was filmed for a DVD series.  I'm not sure if it will be used or not but it was a really unique experience to see all the behind the scenes filming process and naturally it was really fun to ride with Pat.  That's a whole other blog post in itself!  I can tell you that while Aspen was a total Right-Brain fruitcake up there with all the people and cameras, I learned a lot and am still processing all the information I received!  A theme for me in the course which also came up in my lesson with Pat is that the horse should take you in the direction you have requested - it shouldn't be you pushing, pulling, dragging, or begging the horse to go forward, backward, or sideways.  At one point Pat fairly chased me down on Slider and really got Aspen moving sideways to show me the feeling that I'm looking for.  At first it was chaotic and bracy but all of a sudden I felt like she weighed 10 pounds not 1000 pounds, she got light on her feet and fairly hovered sideways.  It was a really neat and eye opening experience to realize how ineffective I've been for so long and how much I have to look forward to in lightness in the Porcupine Game.  I believe I mentioned it before, either here or on my Parelli Connect, but Porcupine Game is the second game for a reason.  It's so important - you really win the horse's mind this way.  We also got the pleasure of having Linda come and ride with our class and teach a handful of times.  She's really such an amazing horsewoman and teacher - what an eye for picking out the one thing that will make the biggest difference for both the horse and the human!  She introduced us to advancing concepts in Finesse including the very beginning ideas of Game of Contact.  I will also have to write a post on our Linda visits :)  Aspen and I went on our first trail rides, open area riding, and galloping - all exhilarating experiences that pushed me out of my comfort zone and really helped me grow in my horsemanship and leadership!  As a class we were invited to participate in the first few days of the Colt Start course with Rob McAuliffe - it's amazing that it's all about relationship and doing the simple things really well.  There were a couple extra colts and I had the opportunity to play with one for an afternoon with the Colt Starters - really showed me where I'm strong and where I'm weak in my horsemanship.  Rob is truly a horseman and it's always a privilege to be around people like him.... Try to soak up some talent!  The Externs also got to sit in on a few days of Pat's Western Performance class - again such a learning experience.  Simple things done well.  Own the hindquarters.  Win the Porcupine Game.  For some fun weekend activities we put on a Parelli Games weekend and an Open House in which I was asked to do a Liberty Spotlight! We did a cool 4-Savvy closing Spotlight - everyone did awesome and it was such a fun time visiting with the community and other horse lovers! Our last weekend of the course we went and did a demo at the county fair - I did On-Line and Liberty with Aspen.  She was a total rock star and everyone loved her! The Externs also raised just over $1,400 for the Parelli Education Institute!  Super awesome!

To wrap it up testing went well, I got a 100% on all written exams and was recommended for 2* instructorship pending the successful submission of my Level 4 Freestyle audition! I promise to write in more detail on some of the things I mentioned above - if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!  Also - I have too many pictures to post on the blog but friend me on Facebook and check out all the photos from the Externship!

Extern videos!

Level 4 Mock Liberty Audition!

Trailer loading fun in the playground!

Big log jump in the playground!  Go Aspen!

Single down barrel jumps in the playground!

Level 3/4 Freestyle Audition, The Filming Process, and What I Learned!

Sooooo this is definitely cause to celebrate!  I FINALLY got my Freestyle filmed to submit for the Externship requirements.  You may be wondering why I filmed a Level 3 audition when I've already passed L3, let me tell you why!   Parelli now doesn't just assess you as Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3, you can now be a L2+ or a L2++ OR you can be L2++ On-Line, L2 Liberty, and L3+ Freestyle.  Yes, it's true!  You can graduate different parts of multiple levels all at the same time AND you are now given the opportunity to see how close you are to achieving the next level by the (somewhat subjective) "+" scores that can be added.

So in August at the Fast Track I graduated with a 3+ On-Line, a 3+ Freestyle, and a 3++ Liberty.  For the Externship you need a 3++ in the first three savvies to qualify for acceptance.  I decided to go big and film the L4 requirements for On-Line and all the L4 requirements for Freestyle with the exception of the flying lead changes - though I did get changes over a jump which I felt was a step up from simple changes though not quite a real, unassisted FLC.  I submitted the OL for L4 and the FS for L3 - hoping that I'll get a 3++ in both - you know what they say - shoot for the moon and if you fail at least you'll land among the stars.  So that's what I'm going for here :)  I've posted some trial run videos that I took during the audition filming process on my YouTube channel - so check 'em out and let me know what you think!  I love comments and feedback, it's always so fun and inspiring to connect with other Parelli folks on the internet and share our experiences with each other!

The process to get the video was a challenge in and of itself.  Starting with the fact that my camera fell lens down in the arena a few weeks ago and now doesn't work.  I asked all my friends, no one had a camera, their camera was broken, or whatever - it just wasn't happening!  I finally decided to use my best friend's camera that takes TERRIBLE video - you'll see some of them on my channel - half the image is yellow all the time!  But, I decided a yellow video was better than no video because I had to get something turned in to Parelli ASAP.  Next I had to find a day that my friend - and newly appointed videographer - as well as myself had the same day off of work.  Now on that day we also needed some decent filming weather.  I'm not talking 50 and sunshine, I'm just talking no snow, no ice, no tornado force winds, and no freezing temperatures.  Because in Montana April is still WINTER friends.  Then on this day, with the recently found camera and videographer, with decent winter weather, I also needed my right brain extrovert 'impulsa-pony' (as I fondly call her) to be in the right frame of mind for bridle-less riding.  Taking the bridle off a right brain extrovert in a big arena is exhilarating, rewarding, and telling of where we're really at.  But it's also scary - especially with a horse that likes to go and sometimes likes to think about becoming ninja-pony and bucking.  So when all my stars aligned we were ready to film Freestyle! :)

I got some great things right from the start, I had never tried jumping a single laying down barrel before but I did it in the video for the FIRST TIME EVER and BRIDLE-LESS!  I also jumped the water tanks bridle-less for the first time in the video.  I was totally blown away with Aspen's try and focus.  But at the same time when replaying the video could really see how evident it was that I was relying a lot on my carrot stick for steering and that she didn't really KNOW the patterns I was filming (corners, clover leaf).  I shared the video with my instructor who was honest when she said that it probably wouldn't pass with the marks I was looking for.  I was frustrated and disappointed but at the same time I realized this was an opportunity for improvement.  The deadline to audition really focused me and I began getting results!  I will try and organize some video clips that show what I had going in the beginning with the patterns to what I ended up with in about 10 days of FOCUSED riding. What's that responsibility we have as humans?? - USE THE NATURAL POWER OF FOCUS??  Yes, it's about looking and focusing where you want to go when you're riding but it's also about focusing on the goal and using consistency as your friend!  BE CONSISTENT WHEN YOU'RE TEACHING SOMETHING.  Be consistent.  Be consistent.  Be consistent.  Do the patterns over and over until your horse sees it as her responsibility.  And for me, visualizing really helped.  I began dreaming about riding the patterns, I'm not even kidding.  I was dreaming and feeling what it would feel like if we were in harmony.  I began seeing where I had to start turning in my body to get Aspen to be more fluid and consistent on the patterns and it really helped.  My friend who was videoing for me came out to film again, and this might have been the 3rd time she'd been out to help tape or watch me ride over the course of a couple weeks.  On this day it was the day after one of my freestyle dreams and I really was imagining and feeling in my body all day how I wanted my ride to feel when I got on Aspen.  And during that ride my friend remarked that she was really impressed in the sudden dramatic improvement Aspen and I had made in a few short days.  She could see that Aspen and I were really more in sync with each other and that it looked like Aspen was finally thinking ahead to where we were going and I wasn't constantly steering her through the cloverleaf.  A neat compliment and observation and testimony to the power of focus!

In the final video you'll see that I'm not yellow and it's because our memory card malfunctioned and we couldn't use her camera so we were forced to try a cell phone to video.  We tied my iPhone onto the camera tripod with my hair tie and wouldn't you know that it took some really nice video! The whole time in our pockets we had a tool that would have worked great for filming and didn't know it until we were forced to become inventive by necessity.  Isn't life grand? :)  So my video isn't yellow and it turned out pretty nice.  I believe that as nicer weather comes around and I can ride more I now have the focus and more tools to make more steady progress and by the time of the Externship I will be a lot closer to Level 4!!  As stressful as it was to try and audition under my current circumstances of malfunctioning cameras, weather, work, and a right brain extrovert Thoroughbred I am so glad that I did.  I learned so much about myself as a horsewoman and my shortcomings in consistency, focus, and using the patterns to my advantage.  Aspen and I are closer as a team and I know she's happy that I'm finally figuring things out and allowing her to make the progress she's ready to make!

On a final note HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY (yesterday) to my wonderful horse.  She's worth her weight in gold to me and I'm so thankful she's not easy and she challenges me to better myself all the time.  When I'm an instructor my students can thank Aspen for teaching me some very valuable lessons in horsemanship.  <3

Practice run for Level 3++ Freestyle Parelli Audition

Level 4 On-Line Audition Practice Run