Parelli Zone at the British Open

What a tiring day! Worth it though - I got a free parelli t-shirt :P

The parelli zone was fantastic - I got to speak to a few of the instructors which was cool, and was used as a human/horse for Carmen Zuleuf (can't spell her second name!) which was a good experience for me! (Me in front of lots of people = ()!*£)"(&**(!&£! )

It was mostly basic stuff, but a good reminder for me about the importance of games 1,2&3. And the difference between the parelli zone and the main arena was incredible. I wanted to watch the barell racing and this guy called jean pignois or something, but everything was running late so we caught the end of the Hunter Championships, and every rider was having a power struggle with their horse, and they did not look as if they were enjoying themselves. The results were horses tied down and mouths tied shut and giving little effort. It wasn't pleasant to watch. Then in the parelli arena, Alison Jones was doing her spotlight and her horse didn't jump over the barrel first try. She giggled, as did the crowd, tried again, and the horse willingly popped over. And there was less then 100m between these two arenas!!

There were a LOT of people walking around with the beginner pack (you could tell because of the huge carrot stick poking out of their bags !) which is really promising - its becoming more and more popular in the UK.

Anyway, I'm back now with loads more inspiration, and a 45ft line, theraflex pad and finesse reins (yay!), so I've got lots to be getting on with!
Jo x