Parelli Savvy Club - How Do You Use It?

At Parelli Central, we’ve been sharing a lot of content straight out of our Savvy Club through social media lately, and we have been delighted with your responses to our education-themed topics!

This inspired me to write a blog about all the fantastic things YOU can find in the Learning Library section of the Savvy Club!

First, you just need to be a member. The Savvy Club is the world’s leading horsemanship education club. Members have access to thousands of horse training videos and educational articles, direct access to Pat and Linda Parelli, and support from over 22,000 fellow horse lovers and nearly 400 Parelli Professionals!

You can choose your level of membership by clicking HERE and choosing Membership > Membership Options from the left menu bar.

Not sure yet if a membership is for you? Don’t worry! You can try the Savvy Club and ALL of its features for a 90-Day Free Preview! Click HERE, then choose Get Started and select Preview; use Referral Code P9610, with no credit card required and no obligation!

Now that you are a member and you’ve logged in, choose Learning Library from the top menu bar. You have arrived at a page that should look very similar to this, pending your level of membership:

This next step is the most important, and it’s a question only you can answer: What do you want to learn about today?

You can type anything into the search box – “trailer loading” (28 videos, 1 audio, 43 Q&As, 2 documents), “rearing” (3 videos, 37 Q&As), “bucking” (4 videos, 1 audio, 57 Q&As, 1 document), “FreeStyle” (70 videos, 18 Q&As, 12 documents), “Liberty” (81 videos, 3 audios, 5 Q&As, 11 documents), “colts” (17 videos, 3 audios, 30 Q&As, 2 documents), or any other topic you want to learn about.

Your search results will show up to 100 of the most relevant results, and will be sorted by available Video, Audio, Question & Answers, and Documents (articles, pictures, self-assessment checklists, etc.).

You can also view content by selecting a topic in any of the six categories at the top of the Learning Library: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, Advanced (includes Foal Handling, Colt Starting, Lead Changes, and Jumping), or Pick Your Topic (includes additional libraries based on your level of membership, current and back issues of Savvy Times magazines and Savvy Club DVDs, Parelli TV, Horsenality, Problem Horses, Junior Savvy, and LOTS more!).

 

Below that, we’ve collected some of our newest and most popular videos, followed by in-depth Parelli Connect tutorials.

In addition to all of the educational content, you will also find in Parelli Connect that you can connect with other Savvy Club members, Parelli Professionals, and Pat and Linda Parelli, along with walls where focused discussions are held around a particular subject, such as a certain Level or Savvy.

The depth of the Savvy Club is in its immeasurable amount of information, support, community, and goal-tracking tools to help keep you inspired, educated, and empowered! Become the best horseman you can be by committing yourself to never-ending self-improvement through the Savvy Club!

Keys to Success found in the Savvy Club:

1. Attitude 
2. Knowledge
3. Tools 
4. Technique
5. Time
6. Imagination 
7. Support 

Have questions about how to get the most out of your membership?  Head on over to my FACEBOOK PAGE and shoot me a message or write me at smthorning@gmail.com! 

Parelli Zones of a Horse

Do you know what the Zones of a horse are?  They're different sections of a horse that will influence his movement either forward, backward, left, right, up, or down.

Zone 1

is the horse's nose, and everything in front of it for a mile.  Pat always says "nose, neck, maybe the feet".  The nose is usually the first part of the horse to touch an object or go under, over, or between something.  The first part of the Touch It pattern is helping the horse become confident putting his nose on something.  We direct the horse on our Circle Game by sending his nose (Zone 1).  We encourage horse horses to follow Zone 1 when we're riding.  Zone 1 is the first part of the horse that we use for direction and building confidence.

Zone 2

is from right behind his ears all the way down to the break of the withers, where your neck string would sit, is Zone 2.  Any pressure here will cause the horse to turn or back up.  Often times more dominant, confident (Left Brain) horses have trouble yielding Zone 2.

Zone 3

 starts at the break of the withers and encompasses the horse's front legs, shoulders, back and ribs, ending at the point of the hip.  Everything from your neck string all the way back to his flanks and hips is Zone 3.  Pressure in Zone 3 will cause the horse to go forward or sideways.  Building confidence in Zone 3 is important because this is the Zone you will be in when you're riding.  That is why we encourage playing a lot of driving games On Line in Zone 3 - it helps prepare the horse for a leader (you!) in that space of his body.

Zone 4

starts at the point of the hip and encompasses the hind legs, hips, and rump ending at the tail.  Pressure in Zone 4 usually sends the horse forward or yields the hindquarters.  Horses that lack confidence or are fearful of the human have a more difficult time yielding their hindquarters (Zone 4) because it causes them to cross their hind legs (a very compromised position for a prey animal that relies on flight for survival) and face the human with both eyes.  Having good control of Zone 4 is paramount for safety both on the ground and in the saddle.

Zone 5

is everything from the tail and behind it, for up to a mile in distance.  Pressure in Zone 5 sends the horse forward.  A presence in Zone 5 can generate curiosity and cause the horse to turn and investigate if they do not feel threatened.  Building confidence in Zone 5 is also important for safety both on the ground and while riding, and often helps horses that have bucking issues.  

Remember when you're in Zone 5 to be aware of the Kick Zone and always stay safe!  Your Carrot Stick is 4 feet long and is a good indicator of a safe distance to stand when in Zone 5. 

Delicate Zone

is everything between the nose band of the halter, the eye area, up over the ears, ending where the halter sits right behind the ears.  This is a sensitive and delicate area and should be treated with care, you should not use your Carrot Stick in this area.

Helping your horse develop confidence in each Zone not only improves overall safety and control, it will help bring your communication to new heights and cause your horse to have more comfort and enjoyment during his outings with you.

Did you know you can play the Seven Games in ALL 5 Zones?  It's a great way to build your creativity and your horse's puzzle solving skills in each Zone!

Need ideas or support for how you can play with your horse in different Zones?  Click HERE to sign up for the Savvy Club and get access to thousands of horse training videos and articles, access to Pat and Linda, support, ideas, interactive task lists, and all the back issues of the Parelli Savvy Times and Savvy Club DVDs!