We Ride Sport and Trail Magazine July 2018 | Page 45

Nancy Slater is a Parelli Professional who has dedicated her life to making the world a better place for horses and the people who love them. Her self-less passion for educating kids as well as demonstrating how a real partnership with your horse can lead to competitive success is what makes Nancy stand out. We could not be more proud to be represented by Nancy as she helps us to teach horse riders, trainers and owners to use love, language and leadership to reach their goals with horses. Thank you Nancy!

Pat and Linda Parelli

dangerous habits. I'm sure it

was very confusing to her to

be told to change habits she

was so accustomed to. I had

to carefully explain the new

rules to preserve her

curiosity, dignity, and try.

Luna was finally ready to be

tied high from the oak tree

after she was consistently

moving off of my pressure. I

could control her actions

with my training stick. She

knew to move her hip to

bring me her nose and to

come to me when I backed

away. Our lines of

communication were OPEN.

She trusted me. Luna tested

the high line rope as I stood

close by watching. She

moved around,

experimenting with the

tree, testing the firmness,

steadfastness and the

boundaries. She stepped

forward to release her own

pressure, lowered her head,

and began licking and

chewing, signs of

understanding and

acceptance. When she had

finished processing, I gently

unclipped her from the tree

to hand graze her. She

happily munched the green

grass as I scratched her

belly.

Teach, control, reinforce,

refine are the steps for

partnership. With the help

of the Patience tree, Luna

gives softly to a feeling of

pressure from my hands on

the lead rope, she respects

boundaries, and stands

quiet and happy when tied.

She doesn't panic with

pressure on her head or

anywhere on her body,

instead she looks at me and

calmly figures out what part

to give. She is in the

reinforcement stage of

development.

Obstacles, arenas, ropes,

bridles, bits, saddles and

bareback pads are all tools.

There is a purpose for each

tool, for different stages of

development on different

horses in different

situations. When using a

tool the dignity of the horse

must remain intact. That tool

should be used only when

the horse is ready to

understand it and benefit

from its use, and never used

as punishment. The

Patience tree is a helpful

tool when used correctly.

Please find a reputable

professional, one who

encourages you to

participate in the training

process. Different

Horsenalities (horse

personalities) need

different approaches.

Be safe and savvy on!

For more information:

www.parelli.com | www.nancyslater.com

To support the Parelli Foundation’s ongoing work,

please visit: www.parellifoundation.org/giving.