The criticism directed at Pat Parelli and the other big name natural horsemanship clinicians wastes a lot of time and energy better used elsewhere. I have heard it said that "he is just in it for the money." That is true of nearly everyone of us. How many of us would show up for work tomorrow if everything stayed the same, but for the fact we would no longer get a paycheck. I have heard it said that "He doesn't practice what he preaches." Even if that were true what difference would it make? He practices while he preaches. That is what matters. Many people complain that he is a just a showman. I have not yet met a great teacher that was not a showman. Charisma is a major component of communication.
He has developed a regimen that allows novices to learn to handle their own horses and to build a solid relationship with those horses. He does what the established horse world does not do. He brings new people into horse ownership.
Would he and I get along if we had to spend an afternoon together? I doubt it. Our personalities would likely do more than clash. They would probably crash.
Yet, nothing that I might think of him as a person, or even as a business man matters one whit to the horses. I do not read Parelli, Lyons, Ponyboy, Schrake, Anderson, Roberts, or Cameron because I am looking for a fishing buddy. I want to know more about how to handle my horse. If any of them lead saintly lives then I am glad for them, but if a training technique works and makes the horse feel better I do not care if the proponent of that technique be a saint or a sinner.
And neither do my horses.
(This is Croatoan on his first ride after losing his winter coat a few years back. He thinks that I am arrogant and a bit of a hot dog. He loves me anyway----because I immediately release the pressure when he begins to perform the task at hand. He does not really care about my foibles and frailties outside the horse lot.)
2 comments:
Like what you said aboout great teachers being good "showmen" and communicators...
I intend to be more than a Showmen and Communicator.. I want to be a Horseman. I want to be the fishing buddy as well as the teacher.
"..but if a training technique works and makes the horse feel better.." I follow Parelli because that technique did more than work, it made a dream come true (sappy much?). I do not follow Parelli blindly, I search it out and there hasn't been a technique in all their knowledge that hasn't worked for me. My horses seem to think it's good so I feel it's okay to keep studying. If the horse says no, I'd better step back and take a look at the question.
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