In all honesty, I’ve had difficulty coming to terms with what I perceived to be the harshness of Phase 4. There’s nothing like watching a professional in person, to help you see things more clearly!
At the Parelli™ Conference in Columbus, Ohio last weekend, I watched as Linda Parelli delivered a Phase 4 back-up command. What was more dramatic than the clunk of the snap against the gelding’s jaw, was his obedient, skilled response. In less than 2 minutes he had an energetic, straight back-up; in stark contrast to the slow, meandering crawl that Xena and I have done for far too long.
I’ve been a wimp and a nag, hiding behind the guise of being kind to my sensitive horse. I feel like I’ve let Xena down, because she still can’t do a Level 2 Yoyo Game℠ back-up with excellence. We’ve been doing Parelli™ together for almost 18 months. Granted, we’ve worked on a lot of trust issues along the way. But I think it’s time I respected her for the confident mare she’s become, trusted in our relationship, and gave her the opportunity to succeed.
Horses don’t nag when they play dominance games with each other; they get the message across, and move on. I’ve finally realized that the intention of Phase 4 is to let the horse know what will happen after Phase 3. Xena understands this. My goal is to eventually do everything at Phase 1, but first I need to follow through when necessary.
Xena's YouTube Channel
You know, sometimes I think this is the worst lesson in the PNH toolkit. I will say this, both my girls will back, quickly and straight, without a rope wiggle now or a rope for that matter. They are also not afraid of the rope wiggle and think, I hope, of it as communication.
The key is to do it without emotion and release as soon as you can.
It still doesn’t feel great but….
PeterC
I know what you mean! The Yoyo Game℠ at Phase 4 has been particularly difficult for me. Linda Parelli equated it with a bite from another horse, where speed and timing are essential.