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Horse LaughsSAVE GAS - RIDE A HORSE!Honest Harry’s New & Used Horses

Save money on gas! Alright folks, step right up! You don’t want to pay $4.69 for gas? No problem! I have the perfect vehicle for you. Needs no gas, no oil, or even a battery, just a little grass and water will do these models fine. Now everyone has different needs, so choose from the following:

Trail Horse - Your average run-around-town animal. Has the energy to get where you are going, the brain to find the best way to go, big enough to carry the normal sized American.

The Arabian - perfect for those who travel long distances in a day and try to multi task while driving. Although the Arabian may not go to your home or office with out specific instruction, it WILL go somewhere.

The Draft - Calling all soccer moms. This big guy can carry the whole team, their gear and snacks. Just like the big machines, this guy will require more fuel, and his shoes will be more expensive than the compact model.

Of course all models are available in base colors (sorrel, bay, black). Special order colors are available (dun, gray, palomino) and for an additional fee, custom paint jobs are also available (overo, tobiano, blanket, leopard).

No horse is sold with a warranty, however maintenance plans are available in the event brakes, steering, or accelerator fail.

Additional models will be offered in the next issue.

(Author and location of sales lot unknown. Courtesy of Tack of the Day)

In late November I attended a Natural

Horsemanship clinic in Ocala, Florida at the

Parelli campus. The clinic was taught by Linda

Parelli and was called “The Game of Contact”.

This article is about my experience and fulfills

the criteria for the SEDA scholarship I was

awarded last fall.

As a complement to my dressage training, I

had been dabbling with natural horsemanship.

I researched the Natural Horsemanship trainers

and I ended up choosing the Parelli method.

Watching the method online, on DVD, as well

as working with a local young woman with

some Parelli training, was producing some

awesome results with my horses. When “The

Game of Contact”, clinic came up I decided I

needed to go.

The Parelli method is geared towards riders

with very little dressage background and is

for all breeds and disciplines. There were 25

riders and approximately 60 auditors from

all parts of the world: Canada, Australia, UK,

Cayman Islands, Germany and some that I

have probably forgotten.

The Parelli method as taught in the “Game

of Contact” is broken down into four stages.

Stage 1: Confidence; Stage2: Stretching; Stage

3: Frame; Stage 4: Collection.

Stage 1: Confidence Feeling of bit and seek contact. Establish

reins to “go” (not stop or whoa) Communicate

with your seat and energy .

Stage 2: StretchUsually happens along with Stage 1. Use a

sliding rein when the horse is stretching. You

take more rein until the horse will slide the

reins through your finger into a stretch. Then

ask for a transition. You need your horse to be

confident and show that he really understands.

Nose and neck are stretched forwards and

down, feet traveling rhythmically with a long

stride and steady, relaxed impulsion. (Note this

is not about power!)

Stage 3: FrameDevelop steady trot and walk/trot

transitions. Release contact at walk—never at

trot. Straight lines, big circles. This is where

you and your horse really gain confidence

because this is where you train in the “basics”

of contact. Stage 3 develops the correct muscles

and is not too demanding. The trot is the best

test of whether you have true contact or not.

This also gets the horse over the back, quiet and

confident in the rider’s hands. This is also a very

valuable tool for the rider because it teaches feel

and timing so they can go to the next level.

Stage 4: CollectionThe ultimate goal at Stage 4 is

more roundness, power, elasticity and

maneuverability. Roundness, power, and a

lower hind end. This stage is also when the

reins are shortened as the horse becomes

more collected. Transitions, shoulder in and

haunches in, lateral work, lengthening and

shortening within the gaits. This is exciting and

dynamic, like a dance; they encourage playing

with your horse in the dressage arena!

Each day of the clinic was broken into

four parts: Pilates, theory, discussion and

riding. The first day of riding was pretty wild

and a dressage rider’s nightmare! There were

12 to 13 riders in each group, on every kind

of horse you could imagine and all the riders

representing different levels and different

S E D A A D U L T S C H O L A R S H I P R E P O R T

The Game of ContactBy Nancy Burba

disciplines. Some riders

were working (playing)

with their horses on

line. For the most part

everyone was going

in the same direction.

Some at the walk, some

at the trot, a few were

stopped and a few flying

around 90 miles an

hour. Linda Parelli was

the main instructor. She

had assistant instructors-

in-training spread

throughout the ring

helping riders if needed.

The riders learned

from the morning

discussion that Stage 1

was their goal, although

Stage 2 and 3 could possibly be attained

in the same day. Amazingly, everyone met

the goal for Stage 1 the first day. As the

days progressed, the activity in the arena

was a little less hair raising. Riders were

getting a better grasp of the criteria for

Stage 1; letting the horse chew the reins

out of the hands and then keeping that

contact through the transition into the

trot. The goal was to let the horse stretch

through his neck towards the ground

at walk, and while he is in the stretched

position, he should move into trot when

asked while the rider keeps the contact

throughout the whole process. After trot is

achieved, a walk transition is done to start

the process all over again. After making

a handful of these successful transitions,

riders stopped for the day. Each day, the

riders made fantastic progress.

Another interesting topic covered

during the clinic theory discussions

was horses with different personalities.

Parelli calls this “horsenalities”. Students

study this horse psychology to help them

decide how they will approach the horse

they are on that day. Horseanalities is a

psychological aspect that Parelli uses in

training the horse. The horse is classified

as either a right or left brain introvert or a

right or left brain extrovert. Each category

represents a certain way the horse will

act or react within their training. There

were those that refused to go and those

that took off like they were a bat out of

hell and others that would throw their

heads straight into the air until the riders

figured out what to do. The 12 to 13 riders

all tried different approaches based on

horsenalities.

Additionally, there was a discussion

about ‘bit level’. This is something I have

heard about forever but have never really

had a good definition of. This is the Parelli

definition: The bit level should be at the

horse’s center of mass. The center of mass

is found by drawing a line between the

heart and the wither. The midpoint of

that line is the horse’s center of mass and

the bit should be at that level—if above or

below then there is NOT

proper contact. As part of

this, of course, the rider’s

hands need to be quiet,

relaxed and neutral…not

stiff or hard. The horse’s

nose should be slightly in

front of the vertical with a

soft reaching feel towards

the bit. When the horse is

over-flexed his back will

hollow. They cautioned,

though, that the head

down doesn’t always

mean that the horse’s

topline is proper.

Each day there was a

session in Pilates taught

by Janice Dulock, who has

a DVD and book out for

dressage riders. She advocates that if your

horse has to use his abs for roundness the

rider should be able to appropriately use

theirs. For the horse to be able to go on the

bit, the rider must have enough control of

their body to be able to take the contact

with soft, following hands and heavy

elbows. Everyone was guided through a

series of Pilates movements developed for

riders.

On a couple of occasions after the

Pilates sessions, the group spent time

developing soft hands and heavy elbows

through a series of simulations. A

simulator named Steady Eddy was used.

The simulator was used to help the rider

learn the feel of steady contact. Proper

posting was a big focal point, requiring

evenness in the body though a long thigh

and heels down without force and without

getting stiff. By using the simulator the

student could learn the new feeling

without torturing the horse! THEN they

could move on to the horse.

S O U T H E R N E V E N T I N G & D R E S S A G E A S S O C I A T I O N S J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 2 | 2 3

“For the horse to be able to go on the bit, the rider must have enough control of their body to be able to take the contact with soft, following hands and heavy elbows.”

Continued on page 25

Within the simulations

they really emphasized

feelings in the reins which

are “resting hands” and

strong elbows with “Jello”

fingers as needed to let the

reins stretch through the

fingers. The only way resting

hands can happen is when

the contact is taken more

through the elbow and the

back of the triceps. Parelli

advocates that the horse

owns your arm from the

elbow down and you own

from the elbow up.

I learned a lot from

my five days at the Parelli

campus. I went to the hotel

every day exhausted but full

of information. I was very

glad I attended this clinic.

None of the information

was new, just given from a

different prospective. I feel

like I now have more tools

in my tool box to help me

continue on my learning

journey, and I am very

grateful to SEDA for this

opportunity afforded me by

the scholarship. S

S O U T H E R N E V E N T I N G & D R E S S A G E A S S O C I A T I O N S J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 2 | 2 5

Definitely December: all bundled up at the Horses for Heroes Show.Everything’s bigger in Texas, Tiffany Davis.

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Game of Contact...from page 23

Linda Parelli works with a horse.

Thank you! In appreciation to Hildy McCarthy for all her help and support over the years, and allowing us to use Lagniappe Farm for the cross country course for Fleur de Leap, the SEDA Board presented her with a small gift. We have printed Hildy’s response here.

Dear Lynn:

I want to thank you and all the Board of Directors for the very nice

surprise. Jon and I love Galatoire’s and your present will encourage us to

take the trip into town to enjoy it.

I have loved having SEDA here at Lagniappe and only hope that you get

bigger and stronger over the next years.

Do remind SEDA members that we are pleased to have them school over

the outside course and ride the trails. We ask that children always have a

responsible adult present (does not have to be a rider.) If out on the trails,

two people whatever the age and again a walker or golf-cart rider is f

ine. We charge $20/day/rider. If they bring several horses, stalls are

available at the show barn, just contact Kathleen.

We have just f inished totally redoing the sand ring. Hopefully you will all

f ind that it is much improved. Now both rings have been redone and I hope

you have noticed the difference in the red (dressage) ring!

Please forward this note to your Board to thank them for the unexpected

and delightful acknowledgment of Lagniappe as your “home base.”

Sincerely yours, Hildy