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Greetings!
Greetings - and welcome to the first
newsletter from "Nita Jo's Place." You'll be hearing from me monthly
with news, tips, information, and encouragement to support you in
your Parelli journey. There also is a place below for you to submit
your questions. With all the electronic information and education available to
us (Savvy Club, DVDs, RFD-TV, Parelli blogs, social media), it's sometimes
difficult for students to know where to get started, what to study, learn
or practice next. One of my goals for the newsletter is to help you access
and use the abundant Parelli educational materials available to us.
There is no better horsemanship and horse training program in the
world! Even so, when your lives are busy with family, work, friends,
chores, taking care of children or parents, it's sometimes a real challenge to
stay focused and committed. Whether you're studying Level 1 or Level 4, whether
you see your horse every day or once a week, I'll be for you a part of that 7th
Key to Success: Support.
Staying connected with my
students (whether or not we've ever met face-to-face) is one of the joys of my
career as a Parelli Professional. I've met people all over the country,
participated on the Savvy Team at tour stops since 1999 from Minnesota to
Maryland to Colorado, taught hundreds of students, handled nearly as many
horses, opened my own facility, studied for hours, weeks, months
with Pat and Linda, moved up the professional ladder--and still, with all
that, the friendship bonds with other horse-lovers matter the most.
Hmmm, I could write the same thing
about connections with horses, mine and those I've met over the years. More
about that another time!
If you're like me, it's often a
challenge to preserve the time to be with, play with, and ride my horses. There
are so many competing interests and demands. I've always got a "to
do" list. Transforming this newsletter from idea to reality is one of
those things which has been on my list for a long time. I've needed support and
encouragement from others - and a deadline! - to turn this "to do" into
a "can do." My thanks for past and current support
to Angie, Tina, and Sally! And, not least, my husband has been the best,
most enduring source of support and inspiration.
Even though summer is fading, some
of the best riding weather is upon us. I hope you make time for your
horsemanship and your horse - learn and enjoy!
If you have a question for me about
this or anything Parelli, please send me an email and I'll select one to
answer in each month's newsletter. Remember, too - the Savvy Club vault is
full of answers to a variety of questions from students over the years.
 Stay Savvy,
Nita Jo Rush
4-Star Senior Parelli Professional
www.pnhsavvy.com
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Can You? Sometimes, I even ha ve a "to
do" list about my horsemanship! With that as well, turning those "to
do" things into "can do" accomplishments is an effective way to
stay progressive.
You may have been noticing the "Can You?" challenges
I and other instructors have been offering at our clinics. I participated in
these this past winter when I was studying at Pat's barn (as part of the
Mastery Program). The experience was always fun, motivational, and full of rich
feedback from my horses! My students have been enjoying them, too. And I've had
fun creating them.
Here's one (which I didn't
create - this sort of task has been a part of Parelli for as long as I can
remember) you might enjoy:
Can you. . .turn your halter inside out (so you need
to halter from your horse's right side, rather than left) and halter your horse
while sitting on a bucket? Sounds simple - but may not be easy. :)
However this
goes, your horse's behavior is just feedback for you. Practice with polite and
passive persistence - make a program of it for 4 to 7 sessions in a row and you
may be pleasantly surprised with the results. (Just stay safe - don't do this if
you don't yet have your horse respecting your personal space.)
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How To As you practice this, you may be confronted with a question many students ask me: for how long should I practice this (or
that)? - when do I know it's time to move on to something else with my horse?
These are excellent questions because they reflect that fact that you are
sensitive to the idea of keeping the 7 Games fun and not turning them into the 7
drills. It's often not so much fun for us when we're trying hard to learn
something new, plus we humans like to master things, look good, and "get
it right." So, answers like:
"your horse will tell you when it's time to move on" or "you
can work a horse for 20 minutes but you can play with one all day" capture
the concept and tone of what we're after, but they aren't specific enough for
many students.
Here's one way to think about how to
practice enough, be progressive, but not over-do it. It's called the Rule of
Three. When you first play with your horse on any given day, assess the quality
of his response to your communication and leadership the first time you ask for
something. Make that your
"baseline" for that session; it doesn't matter much if things went
far better yesterday or last week. What's going on right now is what counts the
most. Then, ask for the same thing two more times and if on the third try, you
and your horse have improved - move on! Do something else, then if you wish
return to this (in 5 minutes, in an hour, tomorrow, next week) and apply the
Rule of Three again.
If the quality of your horse's
response to your communication and leadership on the third try is less than on
the first or second - or just doesn't represent tangible improvement, then go
for another three attempts. If you are constantly assessing what you are doing
and your horse's feedback, more than likely you'll find that he's given you a
better response after the second set of three. However, don't be dismayed if
this isn't always so. Remember, "polite and passive persistence in the
proper position prevents p-poor performance."
Keep in mind that
improvement, not perfection, is your goal, and reward that earliest new try.
Horses respond well to proper practice and rewarded repetition. Make the Rule
of Three one of your patterns and I
think you will be very happy with the results!
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Save Time & Register for Your Next Clinic with PayPal in our Newsletter and at
www.pnhsavvy.com!
You can now register for clinic (and get the best pricing for auditor passes) online at www.pnhsavvy.com and in our Newsletters! It's easy to pay online with PayPal - and, you don't have to have a PayPal account of your own to use this payment option.
Click on the logo below for more information on PayPal.
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Upcoming Events
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September 17-19, 2010
Nita Jo's Place, Bowlus, Minnesota
Three Day Harmony Level 2 Clinic
Contact: Tina Yorek at 320-232-0797 or [email protected] for more information or to register.
September 23-25, 2010
Clinton Corners, New York
Three Day Level 3/4 Clinic
September 26, 2010 - Level 1/2 Lesson Day
Contact: Barbara Appolonia at 845-594-9915 or [email protected] for more information, or to Register for this Clinic, click here.
October 15-17, 2010
Foxgate Farms, Columbus, Michigan
Level 2/3 Clinic: Building Confidence - Horse & Human and Lessons
Contact: Tammy Ghesquiere at 810-650-2732 or [email protected] for more information, or to Register for this Clinic, click here.
October 23-24, 2010
The Horse First Farm, Brooklyn, Wisconsin
Two Day Level 2/3 Clinic
Contact: Linda Arndt at 608-455-1805 or [email protected] for more information or to register.
November 5, 2010
River Farm, Leesburg, Virginia
Advancing Partnership Level 1A/Beginning L2 Clinic for those who are ready to improve their 7 Games online and move into playing on the 22' rope and with L2 Patterns.
Contact: Paul Haefner at 703-727-3205 or [email protected] for more information, or to Register for this Clinic, click here.
November 6-8, 2010
River Farm, Leesburg, Virginia
Refinement (L3)/Level 4 Clinic for those who are ready to dig into Online, Liberty and Freestyle riding in L3 to prepare for the challenges of L4! Also for L3 graduates (self-assessed or official) who want to hone their skills, develop elegance and delve into Finesse.
Contact: Paul Haefner at 703-727-3205 or [email protected] for more information, or to Register for this Clinic, click here.
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~ Auditors Welcome ~
Click on PayPal button below to buy your auditor passes ~ $35/day
(select the number of days you want to audit in the Quantity box)
Note: You do not need to have a PayPal account to pay with PayPal -
just choose the Pay with credit/debit card option.
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