>>> It would be great if some people who are into natural training and >>> natural gaits could be involved with the youth.
Wouldn't it though? The list probably remembers me saying that I first got REALLY excited about the Parelli Seven Games when I tried them with Sina. She was such a sponge - I'd never seen anything like it. I swear, she wanted to learn to speak human as I wanted to learn to speak horse. It was just fun, more fun than I could imagine! I was watching the "Horsenality" segments on the online Parelli TV shows yesterday, the ones that Judy posted the link to. By Pat Parelli's definition, I guess Sina would be "sensitive." That surprised me, but I guess it doesn't really matter too much what word you use, as long as your meaning is clear. I would NEVER have considered Sina as sensitive. But, what he means by the word is a horse that will respond and engage with the lightest suggestion. That was what I found so fun about Sina's games - for the first time ever, I was able to really, really inspired to use the lightest pressure possible to ask her to do something. She was ready and willing, so there was no need to nag her. Anyway, I'd love to see the kids with Icelandic's encouraged to use the least tack, the mildest bits (or no bits), and the lightest touches possible. So many kids love bareback riding, and many just love to hop on bareback, with maybe just a halter. Too bad that's not fostered in this breed. Karen Thomas, NC
