There are only a few days left before the Road to the Horse competition starts. In fact, we will leave Ocala on Tuesday so we can be in Tennessee on time for the dress rehearsals on Wednesday. Several people have been asking what I have been doing to prepare for this colt starting competition. Besides losing 35 lbs. and getting fit, I have been riding more young horses every day and have been riding cutting and cow horses non-stop. The other thing worth a mention is that in the last 3 months I have competed in several cutting and cow horse shows. This has given me the mental and emotional fitness needed in high level sports. I feel ready!!!
This seems to be one of the most talked about events with such high anticipation. It is unbelievable. Everywhere I go people have been wishing me good luck. Even most of the other trainers and people I have never met come up to me in places like restaurants and the grocery store and say they can’t wait to hear the results.
I just want everyone to know that my goal is to share the ART of COLT STARTING not just the job of it! Principles, purpose and timing are the skills that are being tested here. I will make sure the colt that I get to play with is the real winner here by putting the relationship first. This demo should be interesting, beautiful and educational.
Thanks for your support
Pat Parelli
Pat talks candidly about Colt Starting: http://ow.ly/42LHX
Learn more about the upcoming Colt Starting event in May: http://ow.ly/42LG6
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Pat Parelli,
From all the articles and videos I have seen this looked like such an amazing event! Well done Pat! You continue to remain outstanding, Inspirational and purely amazing in everything you do. Looking very fabulous, fit and healthy. Can’t wait for whats to come in the future at the celebration! I have been wondering what plan you have been following to stay so fit and healthy as I am also after some advice in that sense to become more athletic for my horse. Cant wait to see you live, and Congratulations again on your great inspirational successes at RTTH!
Keeping it natural, Belle
Dear Pat! I have attended RTTH three times in the past and then had not gone in three years, but when I heard that you were competing, I bought my ticket immedately!!!! I thought you did a great job showing how to keep it natural, and I’m very excited to follow your progress with Partner. I left RTTH proud to be in the Savvy club and a follower of Pat and Linda Parelli after witnessing the arrogant and downright nasty behavior of ONE clinician there! You’re a class act, and I was proud of you and Chris Cox for showing the huge crowd how to behave like real gentlemen! God Bless You!
Dear Pat,
You were great! I’m so glad that you bought Partner – as soon as I saw you with him I hoped for that. Thanks for showing that Love-Language-Leadership in equal measure is the way to the heart and mind.
I too have just returned from RTTH, disappointed that Pat was not awarded “the prize”, but knowing that he and his horse were the true winners for the entire weekend. I have been a Parelli follower for about 17 years and have never looked back. My seat was on the opposite side of the arena for the second session, so I went to the other side and stood to be able to watch Pat’s every move with his colt. I stood in awe as he was able to ride a canter without bucking….absolutly amazing!!!! I am 62 years old and it takes a lot to get me “truly excited” about things, but I was truly excited after watching a master horseman with my own eyes….THANK YOU PAT PARELLI
Pat,
I was lucky enough to attend this year’s RTTH. The beauty of the way you read the needs of your youngster was so inspirational. I don’t think anyone who puts the relationship first was the least bit disappointed in the results of the competition. We got to see the ultimate in natural colt starting. I particularly appreciated the problem solving you shared after you tipped (Partner?) a bit too far. You explained the mistake and how build his confidence so clearly. Absolutely blew my socks off!
Congratulations and I look forward to seeing updates on Partner’s progress.
Mr. Parelli I’m a retired Military Officer, Military Pilot and a Military Academy Graduate. I’ve seen a few things around this beautiful earth. Some of them amazing and some not so good. I know courage and heart. Watching you and Chris Cox was a significant event for me and that means something. It was beautiful in many ways and testament to what hard work, honorable men and the courage of conviction can bring. I don’t know the particulars of the scoring and the inevitable “politics” behind an event like this and I would be the first to say Chris Cox is a “hell-uva” Horseman and put on an incredible performance. But, the only horse I would have mounted on Sunday if I had to was yours. Thanks for competing, thanks for your hard work, your determination and your example to the young men of this country.
Congrats to you Pat! You certainly showed that you were there for the horse! And I’m extra proud today to call you my horsemanship mentor and a Savvy Club member and a fan of all things Parelli!! I viewed RTTH via webcam for the first time because you were part of it but I have to admit I don’t at all care for the event and probably will not watch it again. A timed event doesn’t seem the way to do something “for” the horse. I would really like to vent here but will control myself and just say that if I was the mother of the rude, arrogant and extremely disrespectful participant in RTTH I would be very ashamed of him today!!!
Pat,
My wife and I attended Road To The Horse for the third time and enjoyed the entire event. I respect and admire what Chris and Clinton are able to achieve. However, I learned and admired more from your approach than I could have imagined. I feel that your approach is the one I would like to apply to my partnership with my horse. I believe that Parelli Natural Horsemanship is hands down the way to achieve success for for all ages of aspiring horse men and women. You were, by far, the highlight for Road To The Horse for me.
Hi Pat,
My husband and I watched the RTTH via webcast from our home in snowy British Columbia. I just wanted to say that the true winner of that competition, hands down, was the horse that you started and rode. It is an honour to call myself a Parelli follower as I watched the kindness, the respect, and the compassion that you exhibited for your “Partner”. We, my husband included, had tears in our eyes when you finished your final round and although we were not there, we were standing and applauding you. I appreciate your desire to learn all you can about relationship building with a horse so that I too can follow that passion with mine. Many thanks to you and Linda both!
Nina
Hi Pat,
just got back to MI from RTTH. We drove though pretty bad weather to get there and get home. I have not attended this event before but have watched it many times. I just have to tell you that I have never been more proud to be a savvy member as I was this weekend!!! I really appreciate all that YOU brought to this competion personally and professionally. Although I would have liked to have seen better sportsmanship between yourself and Clinton, I was blown away by your softness and humbleness. THANK YOU for all that you’ve shared and THANK YOU for making this world a better place for humans and horses!!!
Dear Pat,
GOAL ACCOMPLISHED and beautifully, too. I watched in awe as all your mentors shone from you and you touched the colt with your heart. Beautiful!
THanks for a truly amazing opportunity to learn a lost art. As a city girl I had NO CHANCE to learn this stuff. And because of you it lives on in my heart and all of your students and the horses we touch will forever be changed. Because of you.
You’re number one every day with me and twice on Sunday!
Hugs,
Shelly
Pat,
Good luck and have fun. I won’t be able to make it there since I’m only twelve but I’ll be thinking of you.
God Bless You!!!
Dear Pat and Linda it’s midnight in France and I’m eagerly awaiting the Road to the Horse live broadcast on my laptop.
I’ve wanted to write to you ever since we decided with my family to make the trip over to the UK do in Birmingham next April. You guys are a great inspiration and though this email is a little about me and my aspirations it’s got a lot to do with your goals too!
I’ve become such a fan over the past couple of years that I felt I now needed to step out of my hidden anonymity and state my case. I’m a riding instructor in France now (after having had a whole range of jobs I loved, from environmental officer to european officer). I finally decided to live thoroughly my continuous passion for horses by specializing in outdoor riding techniques, Polocrosse and what we call equine ethology here, gradually going through all the proper exams and diplomas in parallel to my other jobs. I feel french horse industry standards are very poor and the “classical” world tolerates and even encourages very low horse riding and horse relationship standards. That’s why I’ve always been more attracted to trail riding and working horses, activities in which you need your horse to be a partner, where mutual trust and respect can’t be ignored. I’m 38 now and have been with horses since 8 years of age, buying my first horse, a 6 months old colt with my pocket money at 18. This horse is now 20 and still with me learning all sorts of fun stuff along with the rest of the gang whose ages range from: in utero to 24 years…
Reading the enormous amount of support for YOU
from all over the world in Facebook and ParelliConnect,
I can feel the upcoming positive and electrifying atmosphere and
the power of the Parelli-family. Exciting!
We are Parelli XXL !!!
TATONKA
Pat,
Thanks for sharing your great prep! I’d wish you luck but, you dont need it as your intent is pure and the horse will know it too! Thanks so much for all you do!
May the horse be with you!
Deb
We are all rooting for you back on campus, Pat! We may not be able to be there in person, but we are going to watch from here!
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