Ruby's notes after the Saturday trail riding workshop with Dan Thompson!!

I thought Ruby's notes were wonderful and something I would like to reread so she gave me permission to include them here:

My philosophy on Parelli is Pat provides a system to help you reach your goals with your horse. Whether you want to become an Olympian gold medalist or a quite ride on the trail. I also believe Pat wants us to develop love, leadership and trust with our horses. Pat is always looking ways to improve the Parelli path and motivate us. I don't think he means it to be a checklist of tasks just to be checked off. I believe he wants us to incorporate life in our training. It's like home schooling a child at home and not exposing him beyond his books. He won't be a well rounded individual. Working in the arena is like being a classroom. You get theory and training, but on the trail, its the real world.


Love comes with hanging out with your horse without making demands. Grooming, grazing, keeping your hands on him, talking to him. Just being a companion. With Tonka I'll play with his nose, take a damp cloth to clean his eyes, nostrils and face. I try to make these times enjoyable and intimate. Just Tonka and me. No demands.

I think leadership and trust go hand in hand. If your horse doesn't trust you, you can't lead him. I think this is where life comes into play. With Tonka I started with small things. Remember I was afraid of him. Thankfully, I started to ride regularly with Judy. But I couldn't keep control of Tonka because he would go through the bit. Betsi helped me to change to another bit so I could stop him and make him pay attention. When a horse goes RB, you need something to pull him out of his scary fog. Now I can get him to turn me when in doubt. I recognize what scared him and reassure him and go on as if nothing special. Tonka had to trust me to get him through the difficulty.

Dan said trust comes with letting Tonka having responsibilities. To ride without reins. He has to decide how to proceed. Or riding with you eyes closed. This giving him complete control.

Working in the arena is like being a classroom. You get theory and training, but you put it to use in the real world. That's why I try to expose Tonka to all kinds of environments. We have ridden on the beach, different trails and clinics. Because we are working together in different situations, we become partners.

Parelli is a essential part of my work with Tonka. It lays the foundation for our partnership, but I heed to incorporate other experiences to expand Tonka's horizon. Just as Pat has taken his horses through different venues: cutting, reining, dressage .