Unexpected Weekend Activities.... Horse and Soul...

The Daffodil All Arabian Spring Horse Show was the last weekend in April and I never imagined that only three weekends later I would have enough strength to get me through what I did this weekend. While I haven't finished posting about my experience at that show or it's aftermath, I thought I might post something about this current weekends activities because if I don't, I'll be putting it off like everything else. My stamina sucks and that has been the bottom line when it comes to doing anything, let alone posting.

Sometime last week a friend invited me to attend the Horse and Soul Parelli USA Tour for 2012 and I wasn't quite sure how I was going to respond. Because I didn't bounce back all that well after Daffodil, I wasn't sure if it was reasonable for me to even try to put myself through a day long clinic. Then I found out it wasn't one day but actually two and that concerned me even more.

 My friend also has some health issues and she had no expectations on me for how long I should stay or anything like that.  The ticket was "free" which helped removed some of those pressures but I wouldn't have gone if I'd had to buy a ticket, not because I don't think it would be worth it.  The $25 price tag is a  big deal for my current circumstances. It's a week's worth of vitamins for my herd and right now those things are my priority.  I would definitely have passed if I'd had to pay BUT I would have been sad to miss out on the opportunity to see Pat Parelli and his wife in person..

I have been asked many times what I think of Parelli  but my exposure to these training methods has been limited to second, third and even more handed experiences through others with the exception of two clinics I attended that were given by a Parelli taught instructor, Chuck Kraft. Without first hand knowledge I haven't felt really qualified to give an opinion and have always qualified my response based on my limited observations.

 I thoroughly enjoyed the Kraft clinics  I attended and even posted about them here.   It wasn't until the second one that he spoke more specifically about Parelli (or maybe that's when I heard more specifically) but not specifically enough I felt I had a thorough grasp of the games. My exposure to them through others hasn't left me feeling like I "get" Parelli, only that it's another form of kinder, gentler horse training so this opportunity to see for myself certainly called to me.

For now I'll say it was an enjoyable, but tiring weekend. I am going to let my thoughts "stew" a little before I walk out on that limb and tell you my thoughts and feelings about what I saw. I am glad I went despite how exhausted I am.