Saturday, August 28, 2010

Day 5 and 6

Hello all!

Yesterday, our final day of the instructor course was filled with logistical information and congratulations for those of us who passed the course (which, it turns out, is everyone who was in the course). So we are excited to say, that there are a lot of new 1 and 2 star instructors out there all over the world! There were a couple in a countries in Europe who are the first ones there, so it's pretty cool to see the program growing like it is! After the course was over we had a dinner with Pat and Linda and had a campfire. Campfires in the mountains are one of the most beautiful things one can see, or feel. The ranch has the most amazing view I've ever seen, and if you've seen it on videos, it's about 1000 times better in person.

Today was a great day, we spent the day with Linda doing a saddle fit and shimming demonstration. She had 4 students in the arena and did a saddle fit transformation on the horses. It was really great to see the change in the horses and to watch them relax, start using their bodies and moving more freely. Very educational also. I also got to sit in the New Cruiser saddle that is the English and Western hybrid. It's very comfortable to sit in and one of the girls who rode in it today loved it. It made her feel safe, but at the same time was not as big and heavy as the western.

Well, I'm off to relax tonight. Tomorrow looks like a low key day.

Until next time...

Friday, August 27, 2010

Day 4

Good morning!

I'm trying to feel better and hopefully I do soon! I think I'm on the up-swing of my sickness.

Well, back to Wednesday...We gave presentations this morning to one of the managers/administrative staff. They were short and sweet, and it was easy. I have gotten a lot more comfortable in front of people now that I've been an Instructor for almost a year. Then we had a session with Jim Patterson who is not the author of the book "Play to Win" but teaches the concepts from the book.  If anyone wants a good book to read on self-development, read it! We spent the day learning some team-building tools, how our brains work and how much information we actually make up, how to problem solve in a relationship (with anyone you care about), tools and strategies to not mis-judge and make assumptions about others, and a few other wonderful concepts. If anyone wants to talk more about this I am more than happy to! It was a wonderful day and exactly what I needed. It's amazing to me how we are presented with exactly what we need just when we need it (even if we think it's the last thing we need).

Then on to Thursday....I was really sick all day and if I hadn't been here, I would have been in bed all day. We spent the morning with pat watching him give a lesson to some students and he spoke to us about the future of the program and expectation and such. We then spent the rest of the day with Linda learning some phenomenal teaching tools. She is such an amazing teacher and has a true talent for how to share information in such a way that you can really walk away understanding the idea.

That's about it for now, off to another day..not sure what it has to hold but I'm looking forward to it!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Day 3

Hmmm...think brain think! What did I do on Tuesday? Ah yes!

We were lucky enough to watch a lesson with John Barr (who is the Faculty Leader here on the ranch) and the externs studying here at the moment. It was great to watch John teach and see how he runs a lesson. One thing I was very impressed with was how he manages and teaches up to 15 people at one time.  He ended the lesson by adding a little purpose to it, and they used a cow simulator to play friendly game and create curiosity in the students horses. This is a great lesson (I have done it before) but safety is the most important thing the be aware of. And John did a wonderful job keeping students safe. A few of the horses would get scared with the simulator and John handled all of the situations with the best way to keep the students confident but help them learn to stay safe.

Then we did a lesson with Linda about mirroring and energy. I won't get into that now, but if anyone wants to talk about it when I get home, I'm game! Lastly for the morning, we worked with carol Coppinger, 5* Star Master Instructor, on riding simulations. I find these very beneficial and don't be surprised if they show up in your lessons when I get home. :)

We then spent the afternoon looking at the future of Parelli and the instructor pathway, along with learning about Photonic Light Therapy, or Red light therapy.  If you haven't heard of it, and might be interested, I'll share some later.

Ok...I'm off to watch Pat teach a lesson to the Mastery Students.

Until next time...


Monday, August 23, 2010

Days 1 and 2

Hello everyone!

Well, my flight to Colorado was uneventful, which I'm thankful for! I flew into Durango, and saw the amazing mountains out here. I have seen them once before when I was out here in 2006 for a 6 week course on the ranch, but they never cease to amaze me.  One of my students who is out here for the 1* course picked me up at the airport and informed me that there was a cutting event that Pat and some of his Mastery Students were at close by. So instead of heading to the ranch, we went to watch some cutting. I have some videos I will have to upload, but it was very educational and fun to watch.

Then, on to the ranch we went. It was pouring rain, as it does often in the afternoons out here this time of year. We arrived at the ranch and it was just as I remembered it.  I got settled into the cabin that I will be staying in for the duration of my trip. I am rooming with a couple of girls who were in my externship last fall, so it's nice to see them and catch up. It's such a breath-taking place, I walk out of my cabin and can see the whole ranch, and that day, it was busy full of students riding and playing, and I just stood there and watched. It was great to see the ranch from so far above, a wonderful view.

On to today! It was the first day of the 2* course, and we all headed to the corporate office in Pagosa Springs where we would be spending the day.  We got a lot of logistical information and did a lot of paperwork, and then Pat came in to give us all an introduction for the course. As usual, he was very inspiring and had some awesome philosophical concepts to talk about. In the afternoon, we took a theory test and then did a Q and A session about all of our previous teaching. Overall, it was a great day and I am looking forward to the rest of the week.

I'm sorry this is short, I am very tired and fighting being sick. I'll be going to bed early tonight and I'll feel better in the morning.

Until next time!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Welcome!

Hello! This will be a blog for you to follow my life as a horsewoman, Parelli Professional and a student of the world attempting to be positive, progressive and natural! Comments welcome, and enjoy!