I posted this on a thread on the savvy forum in response to a L3/4 student being in a rut.
"I would say....think back to your first day with parelli. what was the reason that drew you to it? was it a dangerous horse, fear issues in the saddle or on trail, just wanting a better relationship???
what ever it is....first ask yourself if you have accomplished it. now nothing is ever 100% so dont get too picky on this one. if you have...ie horse not dangerous anymore, your fear is gone, you are a good enough leader to go on trail, your relationship is great.....etc....
then put all that you have learned into purpose. i think that is what alot of us miss....the purpose....you are not alone, i hit a huge wall over a year ago.....but we are clawing our way to the top of it thru other avenues.
so if you like trail riding, maybe your next step would be to join actha and do some trail riding competitions. if it was the dangerous horse....and he no longer is....then get out there and DO something with him now that he is safe. take him to a play day, go on trail, join a new club and meet new friends, start going to local shows.....if it was your confidence and that is back.....then go do what ever it was you were afraid to do, that brought you here.....
you do NOT have to graduate level four to enjoy life and do things.
go rope that cow, hang out with a friend, or enjoy the vast open meadow.....
i think we get so caught up in the levels we forget why we are doing them in the first place.....and then dont recognise when we are ready to actually do them.
if you dont know why, or cant remember why, or never had any goals.....then start going to different types of competition.....cow horse, dressage, driving, trail, jumping.....long list....and see which ones intrest you....and then MAKE a goal and get out there and try things.
GO....BE.........ENJOY. "
Then it got me thinking more and more about the importance of what I said, in relation to my self and my own journey. Hello!?! Is anyone listening to themselves.....certainly I don't. Geesh. I think it was sparked by Ray Hunts surmon on the mount. We do tend to hold ourselves back with labels and thus handicaping ourselves from doing the things that would enjoy.
For me, this is going to be my come back year. Things are going to change around here, and we are all going to have to persevere and push thru pain, fear, and hard descisions to get thru to the other side. I myself am thinking of joining actha, cutting back on the herd and finding more time to enjoy my horses with no agenda. Just enjoying each others company and the company of my friends.
Savvy On
Michelle
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Hi Michelle, It is your friend in Louisiana, Sam! I know this is an old post, but it is a good one. It has me thinking about my own journey and my goals. My big goal would be to achieve a black string. My journey, is so much fun that it doesn't matter if I ever get there. Does that make sense? Every day when I am picking up my ropes and stuff I feel so liberated. That whole day I think about what we did and what I'm going to do tomorrow, and it makes me happy. Do you think I have a problem? Both of my horses are in different stages of level two, but one of them is ready for liberty. I don't have a round pen, so I feel a little frustrated with that. Sometimes I play with liberty in the pasture and he does well, but its little things. I see so much improvement in him but it is slow because of my experience and knowledge. I guess I'm okay with that. I went to my first clinic the other weekend and she, Kelly Sigler, taught me some things that I haven't seen in the DVDS. For example, one of my horses occasionally pulls his nose a little to the outside of the circle. I never realized that was even a problem. It isn't bad and the pull is slight. Now how would I have ever realized this? I would have kept on trucking and maybe never gotten very far because of little instances like this. I really studied and study those DVDs well. So there you go. I think I am complaining. Sorry! Anyhow, it has made me more aware of things and how light my phase one needs to be. If I am struggling with something, it probably means I have a hole somewhere and I need to back up. Lately I have been learning from other peoples blogs. Some people put some really educational notes down. It sure is a process though. I enjoy reading your blogs. You have a way with words and you are very entertaining. I am lovin' my journey even if I never get to level 4 (but I will someday). I'll just keep enjoying those small little improvements because that is what keeps me going. For enjoyment I like to trail ride and I have two friends that recently joined Parelli who I ride with. My hopes are that we can travel around to the nearby places and just enjoy each other company and ride in the wind, hah! Thanks for the blogs, yourpalsam, Sam
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