Our New Catching Game

At the Parelli™ Conference in Columbus, Ohio, Linda Parelli demonstrated an impromtu catching game that lasted well over 30 minutes in 95F heat — the arena wasn’t air conditioned! While 99% of the audience never moved, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one thinking, “give up already!” but Linda never did; she stuck with it until the horse came to her.

Until that day in Columbus, I thought I’d been very patient. But in actuality I’ve only attempted to catch Xena a handful of times, and never stuck with it longer than 10 minutes. I’d believed in her reputation for being uncatchable, and instead had always planned my time around Xena’s turn-in schedule. Because it’s fairly easy to catch your horse in her stall.

Starting today, I’ll be using the Parelli™ method of catching right brained horses (like Xena) by following her from a safe distance, in zone 5. I’ll match her speed, and go where she goes, but I’ll not chase her. When she stops and looks at me, I’ll retreat. When she looks away, we’ll begin again with me trailing behind.

My main objective is to not give up! I’ve decided that each time, I’ll commit myself to playing the catching game for an hour. While it’s likely I’ll catch her in less than an hour, I’ve discovered that long timelines actually help me to remain patient and focused.

Related Posts
15 Feet from Catchable — Before the Catching Game
Caught, in Only 7 Minutes
Caught for a Second Time
Caught, Again

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