Have you ever seen a Parelli horse acheive success at shows?

Question

Just out of curiosity, have you ever seen a Parelli trained horse ever in a leverage bit?

Or

Shown in high level shows and successfully won?

Not debating, just wondering.

Answer 1

MR a friend of mine that was one of the orginal teachers of horses i had is now a level 3 certified Parellie instructor. She shows and trains walkers here in tN and the year she became a level instructor her gelding won the Walking Horse Celebration Geldings class! she has also shown him locally at numerous shows in many events and placed quite well usually the top 5. Carol has busted her tail working with her boys and I must say watching the actual Pat Parellie do some of his teachings leaves me baffled but when carol does it it seems so simple and eays to do.

Answer 2

I have met a handful of "Parelli" horses and found them to be well-trained and responsive. Most of the horses I've ridden, however, were trained via traditional methods, and I haven't found much difference between the Parelli and the traditionally-trained horses. Some "traditional" horses were impeccably trained; others were unruly brats. I'm sure there are many terrific Parelli horses out there, and some that have serious issues. I think the problem is not that the Parelli method is inherently unsound but that individuals using it are already in over their heads, lack experience, or try to take short cuts. The same can therefore be said about other popular training programs, such as Clinton Anderson, Julie Goodnight, Dennis Reis -- not to mention "traditional" training programs. Bottom line: a skilled, compassionate horsetrainer could use ANY method to produce desirable, well-behaved horses, and probably tailors her methods to suit the individual horse, perhaps pulling a little from each program. A greenhorn attempting training on her own with no supervision and no real knowledge of what's involved will have disasterous results.

Answer 3

When I show my mare next year, I'll let you know how she does - then we can have 1 Parelli horse with a show record. (But we only completed Level1 , and that's all I'm going to do - the riding parts of Parelli is bogus)....

And, what I am going to show a horse that can't be ridden in is still a mystery to me. If I can teach her to stand square, we'll do showmanship & english horse in hand, and if I cough up the money to buy a nice cart, we'll show in driving.

But no, I've never heard of or seen a Parelli horse that does anything at shows - maybe it's because Parelli attracts more backyard trail owners that can't barely ride rather than show people who buy nice horses and ride well enough to go to shows and do well and move on to more successes.

I am glad I started Parelli this year with my mare - I mean, her ground manners truly were lacking, and her respect & attention level towards me were practically non existant. And without being able to ride her, I was getting no where, so it gave me something to do, and it changed her ground manners, respect, and attention 180 degrees. Now she's the perfect horse....great ground manners....stands quietly on crossties (FINALLY).....loads easily....is more responsive and attentive....stopped pacing her paddock 24 hours a day....learned tricks.... aaaaaaaand still can't be ridden. Anyone need a nice nice nice broodmare?
:) heheee.. I love her, though. She's a gwoood guuuurrrrlll..

Answer 4

The only one i have ever heard of in a show was me and I trained him to level 1 parelli and we placed second but i was a local show so i guess that doesnt really count.Anyways I have never seen a horse in a high level show win and i do not like how he doesnt want you to use "verbal" cues.

Answer 5

My trainer has a homebred Irish Sport Horse gelding who she events with. He was a breeding stallion until the age of 6 when she gelded him. She has done Parelli with him for the past 4 years and has done incredibly well. In the past two years he has won 6 events and placed 2nd at six events, along with numerous 3rd and 4th place finishes. In 2006 she took him to the American Eventing Championships and they won their Training division. He is also schooled through 4th level dressage.

Answer 6

I have never seen one that did well in a show personally. I have seen a Parelli trained horse in a leverage bit. He is a paint saddlebred owned by my friend who was riding the horse in a bittless bridle ( piece of junk) when he pulled her out of the saddle and she went over his head when he decided it was time for him to eat some grass. I put the bit in his mouth and even tied a piece of hay string from his curb strap to her saddle horn so he could bump himself in the mouth every time he lunged down to try and eat.
He is supposed to be a level 2 almost 3 horse and I don't see where the training has done a bit of good for him. The only time he seems to do good is when they go to their play days .... personally I don't care if he can push a ball around with his nose if he won't even walk to the end of her driveway to go trail riding without trying to go back to the barn repeatedly.

Answer 7

The only successful Parelli horses I've seen shown are ones that stop after the ground work and go on under normal saddle using his basic ideas to help with training.

I'd like t vent about just what I HAVE seen this past year since my barn has been taken over by Parelli addicts (they ride this way an do EVETYTHING this way). We went from 0 Parelli people to 18 of them when our new barn opened. now we have the ring taken over by horses running looses and being chased by whips, clinicians from all over the world, and no time or place for the rest of us to school our horses without whips and plastic bags swooshing around our heads.

Many other horse owners think this is abusive. If I had not read all of parellis books and tried to understand, I could see this. Desensitization until dead in the eyes. however every methid has their good things too...

What I do see now is a large group of people who almost NEVER rider their horses, most of which are too afraid to ride their horses. Bad and timid riders, and even prior talented high level riders that were afraid to rider outside the ring, now don't ride at all Only ground work. The horses know this, it's the clueless people who need it. This group is becoming demeaning to the rest of us when we go out for a lovely ride on our lovely horses and enjoy them. I once took a few lessons from a Parelli level 4 trainer here. I could do almost NONE of the ground work because I can't walk. (duh, right?) So I asked for other ideas to use this method and got a blank wall. I then asked if they could do some training to help my horse stand still, just for my safety, using their methods. They said they must start from level 1 or not at all. Now I feel like a zoo animal on display when all these famous clinicians come and stare at me and have no comment to my questions of how I could try this with my horse. Horse Nazis....

OK, sorry about that. THe few really good show riders that have taken up this system no longer show. They no longer school or improve their horse;'s conditions..... the horse will no longer be ridable by non-parelli people or respond to the bit and bridle in a normal manner needed for show. one ex-dressage rider with a level 4 horse was sitting in the hall tapping her horse on the belly with a whip. I asked why... She is teaching the horse to bend and the neck and poll by using this tap. WTF? Another rider, ex-reiner has come in with no saddle and just a halter with rope, expecting her horse to do slides and roll-backs with no help from her, except for a whip. Sher originally had soft hands and showed in a leverage bit. Showing is now OVER with. Now PO'd because her horse is confused, she takes it out of the hall and beats the hell out of the horse. Same deal with a lovely C/T mare, now Parelli. I see the mare come tearing into the barn with no rider. She crashes into my cross ties (they break) and continues past my horse any me. Rider comes in and rips the tack off, takes her carrot stick and beats every inch of that horse, then tacks the horse up, leads it by my while beating it (and crying) (my horse got hit too) and I leave the barn before things get worse. Still more... another level 3 rider is caught at a Parelli demo beating her horse behind the trailer. Is banned for a year. Now teachers here. The lovely Reining mare mentioned above will now attack any human r horse near her. Is not allowed out with others and few people will touch her. She completely destroyed another horse's leg and owner never even said "I'm sorry". Horse will not make it through the winter.

To answer the question.... IO have not seen a single Parelli styled horse compete with a leverage bit or any other bit at any show whatsoever unless they only do "some" parelli. Even those seldom win a thing. Competing and Parelli don't mix. So, there's my opinion.... just my observations.... take em or leave them!

It's a cult.... all or none. Too bad, cause some ideas were good, originally.

Answer 8

Thats why i quit Parelli. They dont really have any use in shows....not to be mean...it did teach me and my horse alot, it just wasnt the way we wanted to go.

Answer 9

Not even at low level shows have I seen a Parelli trained horse do well.

I have yet to see a Parelli trained horse do well at anything.

Answer 10

Actually no, I have not. I've shown coast to coast and have not seen one yet...at least not that I am aware of.