I have 57 horses.

     My husband and I own and operate the Rocking Z Guest Ranch with our 2 youngest daughters.  Two thirds of the horses have been trained with Parelli methods ony.  In March of '03 we went to the Denver Horse Expo and watched Pat and Linda with David and Karen O'Connor and Craig Johnson.  This convinced Zack that we should pursue this with all our horses and we bought the Level 2 and 3 kits.  I was one of those stuck on Level 1 thinking you needed to get everything just right.  I had the Level 1 kit since it was first available.  I had watched Pat teach a Level 1 clinic in Helena, MT in about '95 and took Maria to a Dave Ellis Clinic when she was 12 in '98.

      We play the Parelli games with all our horses.  We introduce our guests to the horses we choose for them by teaching them the ground games.  Some English riders have a hard time riding with no contact with a Parelli hackamore.  The methods we learn from Linda help us teach beginners how to ride better in less time.  People relax when they figure out that the horse will stay at the speed they ask and that they will stop by letting out a deep breath and lifting on the reins.

     We show many people the fun and confidence they can having using Parelli methods.  It makes English and Western riders both listen to our instructions so their horse will listen to them.

     I do have a horse that is my levels horse.  He  is too much Right Brain Extrovert to make a guest horse.  I get frustrated because we seem to be at the same place.  It helps to realize how far I have come when I work with different horses and can't do the same manuevers.  I have decided it is easier to help the confidence of the RBE than it is to motivate a Left Brain Introvert to have enough impulsion for collection in the arena.  Left Brain Introverts are the best guest horses because they only put in as much energy as they have to and they think and realize when they need to be the leader.  They also enjoy the variety of trail rides.  They just don't do arena time well.

     I play with 2 yearlings, 1 two year old, and my levels horse regularly.  We had snow and ice all winter and it has just melted so I am still working on the basic games with the youngsters.  I am taking time to work on the gaps with my levels horse.  He accepted the ball on his back this week and we got one hind foot resting on the pedestal.