Head/Wall: When your student is OBSESSED with Parelli

[Noctis]

OK guys. I never thought I'd be the one to have to post this...but :sadsmile: here goes. I have a lovely young student (12yrs) who has her own very nice pony. She's an advanced beginner (w/t/c), and overall a VERY dedicated great kid. The issue? She is now completely obsessed with Parelli. (insert head hitting wall) If it was just a bit of "game playing" and join up, I'd be ok...but she is into this 150%. How do I work on balancing her love of Parelli with good basic horsemanship (safe leading, not messing with how her pony lunges by playing endless rounds of the "circle game" etc) without ending up with issues with the parents? Both of her parents do feel the whole Parelli thing is a bit silly to say the least, but do fully support her on it, and the BO is getting into the idea of having the farm be rather "natural horsemanship"ish, which I am not opposed to in theory, but the next person who tries to play "games" with my mare is getting a talking to to say the least... (she's a non horsey BO, just loves them and has the farm that I teach out of). I've discouraged the more unsafe behaviors, such as leading on a very long line with pony following, and have tried to talk to her about how there is no one formula that works for every horse, you bring ALL your tools to the table and see what the horse needs (and her very patient pony is getting SICK of it) So ideas? Commiseration? Shot of Jack Daniels?

[Trakehner]

Sometimes...you just have to wave bye-bye when the student won't listen.

I prefer teaching beginners and advanced...the ones in the middle want to argue...they like Tellington-Jones and her majikal wands, or Parelli's or Lyon's special halters etc. I had one student quote somebody called "Mary 12-Ponies".

Have fun!

[Noctis]

at least no one has quoted "guano boy" to you! (GaWaNi Pony boy..though I liked Guano boy better) Thanks Trak..I need all the luck/fun I can get!

[caevent]

I knew a girl like this. Longed poor pony ceaselessly with five hula hoops banging around her neck. What's the point, again?

Sorry, I have no advice, just commiserating!

[Trakehner]

at least no one has quoted "guano boy" to you! (GaWaNi Pony boy..though I liked Guano boy better) Thanks Trak..I need all the luck/fun I can get!

Hey! I call him "guano boy" too! He used to go by a normal name and then came up with the schtick of "Hmmmm, noble indian giving wondrous native training" (Gag!)

It does sound like you're at the wrong barn...it's fun when the new and improved "modern rider" expects if they use the new majik bridle/saddle/wand/toy/ball/lungeing technique etc. they'll instantly know how to ride vs. working for years to get a polish on their riding. It's a challenge to try and teach students basic D Level pony club/horse 101 basics when they consider sitting on the horse to be the only valid instruction...and adults are the worst. They don't want to learn horse anatomy/hygiene/tack/grooming/saddle fitting/feeding...it's like someone who buys a car and doesn't know how to put gas in the tank or the car has a spare tire.

Good luck...find a real barn.

[MelantheLLC]

No commiseration from me. Relax. This is not a world-shattering problem, and possibly not a problem at all.

She's dedicated, she has a lovely pony (who would probably get just as "sick" of going around and around the ring in traditional work), you describe her as an all-around great kid.

Respect her for what SHE finds interesting. Certainly you should explain the traditional approach and why you believe certain things are unsafe. But so what if she's obsessed? She may find it a lot of fun to interact with HER pony in this way.

It sounds like your talking to her about different approaches is very wise advice. Maybe you could listen to what you are saying.

[Woodland]

:no: Find out who gave her the Kool-Aid and throttle them! That's all I got :eek:

[grandprixjump]

or JOIN the CIRCUS?

I agree you might have to give her a chance to PLAY GAMES with her horse or LEARN to ride and go to shows. If she wants to play games and not ride, she won't do any good at the shows....

[eyesontheground]

Is it possible she is a little intimidated by her pony? Sounds like maybe she still loves the pony but maybe doesn't love riding the pony and I could see this coming from fear.

All of the sudden she realizes she can still 'work' with her pony but not physically be on the pony.

And really...ask her if she wants to join the circus or show? Come now, isn't the point to have fun? Showing isn't her only viable horse option. Maybe she isn't the competitive type. Maybe she will be happy the rest of her days trail riding and playing games with her horses...you know, it does happen. And it isn't the end of the world. *zips up flame suit* (I am in no way endorsing any brand of natural horsemanship. To each his own.)

Honestly, at 12 I had no idea what I wanted to do with a horse other than feed it carrots and gallop around a field. Yeah, I showed but only because that is what everyone at the barn did. Did I enjoy it? Sure! Did I live, breath, and eat horse shows? No...I wasn't that type of kid. I would have rather ridden my mare in a field all day and then nap in a round bale while she had a snack. If Paraelli had been in my vocab I prob would have tried that.

She is only 12...

Just something to consider.

[SEP]

Let her do her Parelli stuff with her pony and only her pony. Explain the differences between marketing and horse care and riding (I hate to use horsemanship in the same sentence as P). Try not to get to irritated when she goes on and on about how wonderful P is, then go home and have that shot of Jack Daniels.

[Rhyadawn]

Is it possible she is a little intimidated by her pony? Sounds like maybe she still loves the pony but maybe doesn't love riding the pony and I could see this coming from fear.

All of the sudden she realizes she can still 'work' with her pony but not physically be on the pony.

And really...ask her if she wants to join the circus or show? Come now, isn't the point to have fun? Showing isn't her only viable horse option. Maybe she isn't the competitive type. Maybe she will be happy the rest of her days trail riding and playing games with her horses...you know, it does happen. And it isn't the end of the world. *zips up flame suit* (I am in no way endorsing any brand of natural horsemanship. To each his own.)

Honestly, at 12 I had no idea what I wanted to do with a horse other than feed it carrots and gallop around a field. Yeah, I showed but only because that is what everyone at the barn did. Did I enjoy it? Sure! Did I live, breath, and eat horse shows? No...I wasn't that type of kid. I would have rather ridden my mare in a field all day and then nap in a round bale while she had a snack. If Paraelli had been in my vocab I prob would have tried that.

She is only 12...

Just something to consider.

Let her do her Parelli stuff with her pony and only her pony. Explain the differences between marketing and horse care and riding (I hate to use horsemanship in the same sentence as P). Try not to get to irritated when she goes on and on about how wonderful P is, then go home and have that shot of Jack Daniels.


At 12 reality is starting to set in. I'm agreeing that she might be scared. Did she fall recently? Or have a good shake up?

Parelli and the like can be fun. Its new, she's learning something, and the best thing is she is still a very impressionable mind. You can use this to your advantage. NH does have a lot of good to offer (so long as you don't drink too much of the Koolaid).

Ask her to learn about other forms of horsetraining. Bring in some material on different styles. Compare them with her and ask her why they work (or don't). Talk about different problems you have encountered in training and how you have handled them, and what you would do differently now with more knowledge under your belt. You don't want to put down PP or other NH to her, just show her that there is more out there that works too.

Don't give up on her yet, she needs somewhere to go too. At 12 its a faze (the PP, not the horses). She needs to be properly informed before she makes a decision.

[goeslikestink]

OK guys. I never thought I'd be the one to have to post this...but :sadsmile: here goes. I have a lovely young student (12yrs) who has her own very nice pony. She's an advanced beginner (w/t/c), and overall a VERY dedicated great kid. The issue? She is now completely obsessed with Parelli. (insert head hitting wall) If it was just a bit of "game playing" and join up, I'd be ok...but she is into this 150%. How do I work on balancing her love of Parelli with good basic horsemanship (safe leading, not messing with how her pony lunges by playing endless rounds of the "circle game" etc) without ending up with issues with the parents? Both of her parents do feel the whole Parelli thing is a bit silly to say the least, but do fully support her on it, and the BO is getting into the idea of having the farm be rather "natural horsemanship"ish, which I am not opposed to in theory, but the next person who tries to play "games" with my mare is getting a talking to to say the least... (she's a non horsey BO, just loves them and has the farm that I teach out of). I've discouraged the more unsafe behaviors, such as leading on a very long line with pony following, and have tried to talk to her about how there is no one formula that works for every horse, you bring ALL your tools to the table and see what the horse needs (and her very patient pony is getting SICK of it) So ideas? Commiseration? Shot of Jack Daniels?

simple -- its a hazzard and unsafe and child shouldnt be unsupervised under the age of 15
and the barnowner liability insurance wont cover silly games when it becomes dangerous she has a duty to makesure that all her clients and horses are safe
as to yourself teaching on you mare and teaching at the yard then neither laibity insurance covers dangerous behaviour
my point is -- who would be to blame when the child gets hurt you the child or the b/o and on whoms insurance does one claim you should each ahve your own insurance policy and liability and the b/o should have rules to safe guard herself
you deem to discourage it so riase concerns with the b/o as to why if your a professional trainer then its your job to educate those that need educating to include the b/o
otherwise why you there as a trianer

[Event4Life]

can you introduce her to other non parelli natural horsemanship methods? Maybe do some of the TT touch type thing?

[mandalea]

Ok, I'm a Parelli-whatever-you call-us, and I have lessons with a normal instructor, who knows I do Parelli. BUT, I only take out what works for me. Everything else, is 'normal'.

I don't totally understand. Has she never had a riding lesson with you?

Does she play with her pony with the saddle, or 'naked'?

If you want, PM me, and I can give you some exercises that I use that involve both PNH and traditional methods of riding.

[jn4jenny]

I'd say the same thing to her that one would say in any OTHER situation when a client was using a training method that requires extensive supervision from a well-trained professional to learn properly. If you had a client who had never been taught how to lunge properly and showed up one day with their horse in a chambon, running it around in a circle like an idiot, you'd intervene. If you had a client who decided to wear spurs with an uneducated leg or put an unnecessarily severe bit in the horse's mouth, you'd intervene. If you knew that your client was just throwing a sidesaddle or Western tack on her horse (who had not been broken to that kind of tack) on weekends and riding around with appalling position due to having no training in that discipline, you'd say something.

Thus if you have a client who's into Parelli, you tell her that unless she cares to royally screw up her horse, she needs to invest significantly more time and money in the Parelli habit to learn to "do it right" or quit screwing around to the detriment of her horse. Never mind that the training method in question is Parelli Madness that most of us think is poppycock. It all comes back to the larger issue that horsemanship can't be taught from a book or video.

Having studied some of the non-market-obsessed NH myself for a brief period, the GOOD natural horsemanship people who are NOT out to exploit their customers (meaning *not* Parelli) feel strongly that supervision from a qualified trainer who already knows the methods and can decide which exercises are most appropriate for which horse/rider pair is crucial to the method's success. Just like in classical horsemanship, natural horsemanship is all about feel, timing, and discretion about which activities will best educate the horse/rider pair without compromising safety--and again, there's no book or video that can teach you those three things.

So tell your student to either knock it off or invest in some "real" Parelli training under the direct supervision of a Parelli trainer. At that point, the enormously ridiculous cost of training under such a trainer will take its toll and she'll either stop the Parelli or switch to a Parelli trainer. In either case, you would get to wash your hands of the situation. Either that or she'll insist on continuing to do the Parelli herself--and in that case, you'll have to make a decision whether you're willing to train her or not.

[2DogsFarm]

Caveat: what I know about PP/NH would fit in a thimble...with room left over.
From all of it I've witnessed of The Games, it is just common sense with some Majik tossed in.

That said - her pony, her parents support her, you get paid to teach.

At 12 she is of the age to romanticize/anthropomorphize her relation to pony so the Koolaid is so much more attractive.

If it were me I'd insist she use my methods of horse handling and training when I was teaching or find another trainer.

You are justified in explaining your methods (w/o attacking PP) and why you use them. But don't attack her Idol.
Hopefully she will outgrow it.

In the meantime deep breaths,good luck & JD will get you through this phase

[Noctis]

Thanks guys. To be clear, I have absolutely NO problem with Parelli in moderation, just with her attempting to play games with the other barn owned and privately owned horses without permission, as well as the fact that her pony is getting a lot of mixed messages in the under saddle part in her alone (supervised by mom) rides.

Had a talk with the BO late last night while at the barn dealing with the windstorm results (thank god everyone and everything is fine) and we both agreed that there needs to be a talk with the student regarding handling others horses (just found out about it when the student emailed me yesterday saying that my filly bit her when she was doing the 7 games with her loose in the field, needless to say that will NOT being happening again) and that the barn horses will continue to be handled the way that they are used to.

She hasn't fallen off her pony, and the pony is a SAINT, but I agree, she may be a bit nervous, she is a nervous type. I love the groundwork aspect of her working with her pony, I do think it would be good to introduce some other natural horsemanship methods, TTouch (which I do like) and maybe even some clicker training. Our undersaddle lessons go very well, though I do have to limit the game playing before mounting, or ask her to be ready at lesson start to RIDE and do her warmup groundwork before the lesson or she'd never get on (though she wants to, just gets caught up in things). Right now our riding "parelli" issue is using large leg thumps to back up and the insane slouch. Maybe finding some really good videos of riders doing basic dressage properly would be a good thing as well. Anyone have any?

Thanks guys for commiserating with me :-) I'm not anti parelli, just anti drinking the Koolaid for ANYONE! And thanking God I'm not 12 again!

[NoDQhere]

People are always surprised when we say "No natural horsemanship" allowed here! Since we are "out west" everyone seems to think we are all a bunch of NH gurus :lol:. We explain that we use horsemanship and training techniques that have been proven to actually work. Over hundreds of years and well before the first "cowboy NHer" was ever born.

I would do my darndest to show this young lady, in a kind and constructive way, how much more "sense", traditional (classic) horsemanship makes if you intend to show.

[BEARCAT]

Why don't you teach her some of the Parelli showy stuff using YOUR method, so she can see PP does not have the exclusivity on all the "fun" stuff you can do with a pony?
I am talking of for example teaching her and her pony some alternate cues/methods for say, sidepassing over a log, or backing between 2 barrels, or teaching her pony to trot up to her (if you feel they would be safe doing it).
To me, the proof is in the pudding, and if you can show her that YOU can teach her all that stuff, she might rethink her obsession...

I remember seeing PP demos a few years back, when all his students and himself do all those cool tricks and seem to have a great relationship with their horses and I have to admit that I was like"Mmmmm, I would like to do that/teach that to my horse." He is a good showman and that's how he gets all the suckers, and I am guessing your young student might have seen some demos and thought that was pretty darn cool stuff to do with her pony... So show her another way to get there.

[Rev]

She's twelve, so she's at an age of (sporadic) reason.

T'were it me, I'd likely take the tack of "That's great--now I want you to explain back to me...in your own words *why* it works...and why it sometimes doesn't."

You may wish to present her with a Dorrance or Hunt book. "I thought you'd like to learn about Pat's heros and teachers." Reason? So she can start making the connection that techniques and methods of horsemanship do not spring from the foreheads of the gods. If she can get her head unwrapped from around the axle of one-man/one-way, she'll be in better shape at the barn (and overall).

Ditto that others horses are *off limits*...At twelve, best analogy may be, "would you be happy if 'Some girl named Suzy X' decided to 'train' your pony the way she wants? Yeah--so don't be a Suzy X. You've got plenty of work to do with Dobbin."

Hope this is at all helpful.

Happy Hiney Hiding!
Rev

[magnolia73]

simple -- its a hazzard and unsafe and child shouldnt be unsupervised under the age of 15
and the barnowner liability insurance wont cover silly games when it becomes dangerous she has a duty to makesure that all her clients and horses are safe

Honestly- if it is a pony safe enough for her to get in a pasture, ride, groom, tack up... it is probably safe enough to play "games" with. If she is doing something that looks unsafe, stop her and tell her why that "game" is unsafe.

Now, she should not handle other horses- IN ANY MANNER unless specifically asked to. That has nothing to do with Parelli and everything to do with respecting the property of others. I would not dream of grabbing my horse's pasture mate and even grooming her.

Maybe you need to let her know that to be a success at riding, she needs to follow your methods, and that you are happy to work with her on ground training. I think if you let her know that she is confusing her pony, you'll get a good response. IMO, consistency is so key to keeping a horse happy, whatever method you take. I guess meet her half way- Parelli is OK on the ground if done correctly and only on her pony.

[BuddyRoo]

Agree with J4J.

Also...wanted to add that maybe giving her something she can do "training" wise on the ground that you DO think is appropriate would help.

When I was her age, I fancied myself a "trainer". Oh the delusions of grandeur one can concoct at such an age! Endless energy! No fear!

I had books on reining, cutting, penning, roping, jumping, etc etc etc. "How to Start Colts" was my BIBLE.

If someone showed me a new skill, I might practice it endlessly (and incorrectly) because that's what they gave me to work on and by goodness! I was going to DO THAT! Because THAT was all I knew.

Now, I'm exaggerating a bit. But my guess is that this is something she's gotten into because the Parelli material says, "Yes, you too can be a trainer" to those who read it and aren't seeing the bigger picture.

Maybe give her some pony club materials? Give her some dressage tests? Work through 101 Arena Exercises that have the explanations of WHY you're doing X, Y or Z?

Sounds like the kid wants to learn stuff....just wants to be more hands on.

[arabhorse2]

She wants to play at Parelli with her own pony? Go for it, as long as she doesn't undo any of his actual training. ;)

She wants to "train" everyone else's horse in the barn? She needs to learn about keeping her paws off other people's animals.

I boarded at a place where the weekend mucker decided she was going to "help" my crazed, irrational gelding and teach him the Parelli crap. This kid didn't even own a horse, and yet decided because she read some books and watched DVDs, that suddenly she knew how to handle my pyscho horse.

The BO caught her trying to handle my boy, and told her in no uncertain terms not to mess with anyone's horse, and especially not mine. The kicker is that the kid thought she knew more than me and the BO, and told her that she could "fix" my horse because obviously I had no clue how to bond with my own animal. :mad:

It would have been funny as hell, if the obnoxious little snot wasn't within an inch of having her head kicked off by my horse! He hated her, and she had no clue how to read body language.

I have little patience with tweens, teenagers, or even kool-aided adults who think that Parelli fixes everything from corns to psychotic episodes, and are going to "enlighten" me. :rolleyes:

BTW, my spooky gelding is now a sweet tempered, wonderful riding horse. I sent him to a real trainer. :lol:

[eyesontheground]

Yeah, working with other peopls horses is OFF LIMITS! That is just a general barn rule and I think you are within line to enforce it to its fullest.

And I am thinking more and more that maybe she is feeling unsecure with her pony. And it doesn't take a fall to make a 12 yr old feel that way. Just some close calls or even seeing other people fall in a decent way. Ask me how I know?

Maybe a lesson on a saint of a schoolie who knows some 'tricks' (in a good way, not those naughtie schoolie tricks :lol:) of his own.

Or maybe it is time for a barn trip to see a dressage freestyle (make sure you go see one with some fun music!) and then talk to the rider about their training methods. Even if you dont teach dressage it is classical horsemanship that isn't as scary to a nervous rider (as say the high jumpers).

Thanks guys. To be clear, I have absolutely NO problem with Parelli in moderation, just with her attempting to play games with the other barn owned and privately owned horses without permission, as well as the fact that her pony is getting a lot of mixed messages in the under saddle part in her alone (supervised by mom) rides.

Had a talk with the BO late last night while at the barn dealing with the windstorm results (thank god everyone and everything is fine) and we both agreed that there needs to be a talk with the student regarding handling others horses (just found out about it when the student emailed me yesterday saying that my filly bit her when she was doing the 7 games with her loose in the field, needless to say that will NOT being happening again) and that the barn horses will continue to be handled the way that they are used to.

She hasn't fallen off her pony, and the pony is a SAINT, but I agree, she may be a bit nervous, she is a nervous type. I love the groundwork aspect of her working with her pony, I do think it would be good to introduce some other natural horsemanship methods, TTouch (which I do like) and maybe even some clicker training. Our undersaddle lessons go very well, though I do have to limit the game playing before mounting, or ask her to be ready at lesson start to RIDE and do her warmup groundwork before the lesson or she'd never get on (though she wants to, just gets caught up in things). Right now our riding "parelli" issue is using large leg thumps to back up and the insane slouch. Maybe finding some really good videos of riders doing basic dressage properly would be a good thing as well. Anyone have any?

Thanks guys for commiserating with me :-) I'm not anti parelli, just anti drinking the Koolaid for ANYONE! And thanking God I'm not 12 again!

[sneederstb]

she is pretty young, I remember going through phases like that when I was young. If she looks up to you, maybe just sort of not show interest in it when she talks about it, I'm not saying be mean to her, just maybe kind be passive about it...she might get bored with it then. At least thats how my trainer did it with me when I was younger :lol:

[Equilibrium]

Yeah, I remember going through a goofy romantic stage with horses at that age as well. It was because the movie "The Black Stallion" was recently out. I didn't own my own horse, but my stepmom had horses. So my friend and I decided how cool would it be to gallop across the fields bareback with only halters on. You know, mimic the beach scene with arms outstretched flying free! It didn't go very well, we both came off rather quickly. It still makes me laugh though!

I got nothing in any way shape or form which will help you! But the playing with other people's horses thing needs nipped in the bud. I'd love for someone to venture out into the field to play games with Abba! She has her own version of games she likes to play! Probably a bit like your mare.

Terri

[fordtraktor]

It sounds like you are doing everything right -- putting a stop to "games" with other people's horses, but letting her have her way with her own safe pony.

One of the people in my old training barn liked to do Clinton Anderson stuff with her horse. I don't see any harm (or good) in it.

She had a "majik" halter too. I thought it was so funny because she has no concept that it is quite severe. It is made of thin rope with knots at "acupressure" points -- or in other words, sensitive places. Twirling the end of her rope at a horse has no effect, but a couple tugs on the majik halter can inspire some pretty useful attitude adjustment.

[Giddy-up]

Tell her no handling other people's horses like that. She can play all the games she wants with her own pony.

As for the riding--when the kid (or her parents) start to complain no progress is being made or (even worse) the pony or rider starts to regress in their lessons, you can point out that perhaps all the Parelli stuff she practices may be confliciting with her training from you. Then they can decide how to move forward from there.

[LuvMyTB]

Goodness. Get rid of her as a client? Make her choose between playing and showing?

She is only 12. Who at that age didn't looooove their pony, and want it to be their best friend....(or wish they had a pony to love)?

She absolutely needs to stop handling/playing with other horses--that one I agree with 100%.

But if she wants to play with her pony, who cares? Let her. Parelli promotes a horse-human relationship and getting your horse to like/love you....THAT'S probably what she's obsessed with.

Maybe set aside a few lessons for just groundwork. Go through the games with her and find out if she understands HOW and WHY they work....and if she understands that if she wants the under-saddle stuff to work, then it has to work on the ground first.

You said the leg-bumping back up is causing problems/not working. Most likely because she hasn't mastered the Driving Game on the ground. Does she know the driving game is just teaching the horse to move away from rythmic pressure? Can the pony do it on the ground?

Is she an h/j or eq student? Can you explain to her that it's perfectly okay to teach the pony tricks to play with, but in the show ring the tricks aren't okay....so she just has to keep the two separate?

I am so hesitant to discourage this....not only because I do play with Parelli stuff, but also because I was taught ZERO ground skills as a kid...created a huge hole in my own personal horsemanship that I had to fix on my own as an adult.

[pines4equines]

Maybe she's bored and wants some fun ideas to do with her pony? Maybe introducing some of your own games; jumping grids, bareback games, such as Sit a Buck, Red Light, Green Light, or the thing with the Egg in Spoon...etc. or whatever will keep her interested? Just a thought, maybe she's getting bored at going around and around and some of the nuances of riding? Again, just a thought.

[Rachel L]

I am so hesitant to discourage this....not only because I do play with Parelli stuff, but also because I was taught ZERO ground skills as a kid...created a huge hole in my own personal horsemanship that I had to fix on my own as an adult.

Me too. The only "ground skills" I learned in a whole childhood spent in hunter jumper barns was how to use every form of physical restraint invented by man: lip chains, twitches, drugs, etc. Honestly, now that I have parelli, I don't need those things.

Agree with the people who say if you don't want her doing parelli, show her how to get the same results and do the same fun things with your own methods.

[JanWeber]

Can you get her involved with Pony Club? Kids her own age to ride with, kid-friendly activities, plus peer pressure will short-circuit the Parelli-ness...

[Noctis]

We actually do a lot of common sense ground work, and I've been showing her the "proper" (ie the ways her pony KNOWS) how to do sidepassing on the ground (not waving a carrot stick at her), as well as doing showmanship drills, which she does enjoy a lot, as well as letting her feel and start learning turn on the forehand and feeling a leg yield under saddle. So I think we're on our way to melding things together. Honestly she doesn't want to show, and I don't care, we all (her parents and myself) want a safe, properly trained young rider who can have fun! I am trying to get her away from the rope halter as her pony is VERY sensitive (usually had a fleece over the noseband of her halter, she is just very sensitive skin wise and pressure wise and didn't NEED anything) and is pretty upset about the rope halter (throwing head a lot) because they ARE pretty sharp. We've discussed where the pressure points on the head are and how a rope halter is very similar to using a nose chain (as in potential severity with an accidental yank or if the pony managed to step on the lead; related to the walking with LOTS of rope hanging), and have talked to her parents about the same thing, I don't want to see the pony hurt her poor nose, so hopefully she'll be back in her comfy halter soon!

Thanks again all, I am feeling MUCH better today and looking forward to our lesson on sunday!

[Mav226]

Maybe she's trying out her hand at training. 12 is an age where she may be idolizing you just a bit, and trying to find ways to be like you.

Could you have her be more hands on with the training of her horse or some of yours? (teaching to clip, load, etc.)

I know a trainer who had a girl around this age start training one of the barn dogs to do agility. Signed her up for a 6 week class and everything. The kid was just itching to be like her trainer and this gave her an outlet that didn't involve majic carrot sticks.

[clm08]

I feel sorry for you as the trainer and for her as the misguided rider! I have personally seen a well trained horse become a pushy horse and sometimes unpleasant ride after his 13 yr old owner spent a year learning and playing PP games from a well known PP trainer at our barn. Almost all the PP-trained horses at our barn have no ground manners (poor vet and farrier know it well), and are pretty useless under saddle. Their owners are more interested in running them around a tight circle, making them run around an arena full of junk and more than once a horse has gotten hurt while being chased around the "junk yard". And for those of you who think they are following books or DVDs, no, they are taking regular lessons from said PP trainer! :eek:

Good luck in getting her away from doing harm to her pony...

[mustangtrailrider]

It seems to me that this behaviour is very irresponsible. Why are these trainers held accountable for their actions.....They seem to be missing the point...who is handing out their Koolaid? Why aren't they being governed and held responsible for these tooped actions?