The personal (and fun) voice of the Parelli Team!

I recently spent some time in Florida with Linda and had the opportunity to ride the famous Allure! At the end of my stay, Linda asked what I had learned from Allure. In response, here’s a blog!

Each horse has the ability to teach us so much; sometimes it’s a new lesson, sometimes it’s re-learning a lesson, and sometimes it’s a combination of both of these. The last is what I found with Allure. In one word, he taught me about leadership.

During our last week in Florida, I heard Linda say, “Why don’t you ride Allure next?” (gulp!). I have to admit when hearing those words I had mixed feelings. Keep in mind that I was on the ranch in Colorado when Allure first arrived and witnessed first-hand many of his very athletic moves (one of which allowed me to see his belly button at eye level while riding my 17.2 hand mare, Chloe!). One moment before the belly button flash, he had been ‘happily’ trotting along just ready to pass my horse. In the blink of an eye he was airborne and heading somewhere near the Hot Air balloons! I realized Allure has come a LONG way and has had some amazing horsemen and women develop him on his journey. I also knew Linda would be there, and who better to know what was going to happen before what happens happens with Allure than Linda?! So, after swallowing hard, I answered Linda with as much confidence as I could muster and said okay. “After all,” I thought, “it’s an honor, and I would love to see what I can learn from this amazingly complex horse. Either that, or Linda is trying to get rid of me!”

The next three rides were very interesting – all great, but interesting! Every day I showed up in the barn, a slightly different version of Allure was waiting for me. This “change” in Allure was one of the biggest things he had to teach me. When playing with horses, it is easy to get caught up in who and how they were yesterday, last month, last year, even all the way back to when we first bought them. We can get lost in all the history and forget about being present, being in the moment. Our horses have incredible memories and, at the same time, they show up each day ready for what is coming, living in the moment. Each day I walked in the barn, Allure reminded me to take him for what he was that day – or, more specifically, in that moment! Even with the energy in his stall he challenged my assumptions about what he would be like and playfully directed me to “do my feeling during the day and my thinking at night.” If I had to sum it up into a great saying, this first lesson was: “Play with the horse that shows up!”

For my second, Allure taught me about “being as gentle as possible but as firm as necessary,” specifically in my energy. I have heard Pat say to use four ounces in your hand, double that in your leg, double that with your stick and 40 pounds of focus. As I played with Allure, he politely pointed out the times my intention wasn’t clear or my ‘clarity of vision’ was a little cloudy. The less mental focus and clarity I had, the more it seemed I had to use phases and tools. However, the more clear my vision and intention was, the lighter and more willing Allure became. How interesting!

Learning from Linda!

The third lesson I learned goes hand-in-hand with the strength of vision, a four letter word that starts with ‘F’… FoCUS! However, the key to this part of the lesson is not having a rigid focus, but rather maintaining a focus that is flexible and can adjust to what is needed in the moment. Keeping my end goal in mind but allowing Allure to shape how we got there. This often looked like taking his idea and using it to move towards the ‘goal’. For example, let’s say my goal was to have him stand still and he offered to walk forwards. In this moment there are 2 obvious choices: 1) ask him to stand again, moving him back to the original spot; or 2) move him forwards more, maybe even changing directions, and then give him the opportunity to stand again. Any guesses to what is more appropriate for a Left-Brain Extrovert? Option 2 is where I found harmony with Allure. By encouraging his idea and shaping it towards my goal, we both had smiles on our faces and we both “win!” In short, I learned about having a plan but being willing to adjust.

After reviewing what I learned, it seems so obvious – and I have even ‘taught’ these same lessons in clinics and courses! The interesting thing I’ve found on my horsemanship journey is that to make progress I often need to “re-learn” lessons. It’s these “recycled” lessons that make the biggest impact on my progress and that improve my communication and leadership. So, to answer Linda’s question – what did I learn from Allure? Just a few secrets to this lifelong journey of horsemanship!

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