My story as promised ... We must have looked a funny pair if anyone was looking, I have a hearing problem (deaf in my right ear) and Mum has a walking problem (broke her leg in August 2004) We had been in the stables grooming Capella and Rocki, they look gorgeous. There was no point apart form the main point of spending quality time with the horses doing what they love having done to them.
We set off, over the cow field, we were leading because with mums broken leg it was too windy for her to ride so we decided to take them out for a walk, using Parelli to see where we would get! We managed the gates beautifully, using the skills Dawn E had taught us on a buddy day previously.
Across the first field, Capella was jog trotting, looking stunning, tail raised in an Arab way, Rocki thought we were out for a graze, so he walked through the field with his mouth grabbing at the grass, not that he isn't fat enough!!!.
Capella hates leading the ride out when ridden so I was using the driving game with her from different zones to build her confidence, we were looking good. We stayed back circling so that we could be away from the ride so that we could trot her up to Rocki, she had to think for herself and trust me, it was great she couldn't just copy Rocki.
We went into the second field and turned off the track so that we could play in the mud and puddles you know all the average things you find in a field in winter, and that was when the real fun started.
Along the hedge there was a stream, Rocki loves water so we played with the stream, interestingly that was where we realised that Rocki does indeed love water ... but only when Rocki wants to play in water! What a challenge!
We walked around the field, mum shouting at my back as Capella and I left her and Rocki and her behind - ok yes we had forgotten that Mum's leg might be tired! We left the field and came back on the track, lots of puddles. We found the largest puddle and parked for a puzzle to give Mum a rest ... not too difficult ... just to get four feet into the puddle ... calmly. Rocky and Mum went first, he was not at all impressed, we didn't manage to get all 4 feet in at the same time, but eventually he was calm, and he did it when we asked.
Capella was very bolshy, barging, not listening to me at all, I realised that Capella was walking all over me this was at the point when Capella decided I should be the one in the puddle! She put her nose in my back and pushed me slowly in to the puddle, there was nothing I could do about it, the mud underground gave me no grip. We were in fits of laughter and Mum laughed "it takes the time it takes". Right Capella needed to know that I needed my personal space, all of a sudden she lowered her head and sniffed the puddle, she went very soft, she then splashed the water with her foot and then there she was in a puddle playing and everything, once she had been in that first puddle we couldn't keep her out of them.

We just love Parelli!

Catherine xxx
(aged 13)