Parelli Levels now require an audition with mandatory tasks. The audition is to be filmed, no clips glued together by iMovie. Damn.
I just joined a Parelli Level 4 audition Zoom group led by a very nice and knowledgable Parelli instructor, Todd Owens. We had our first Zoom call a couple days ago. Now understand that I’ve passed all the original Levels test years ago. They were tasks then. You film each task and submit it.
I was thrilled when the Parelli people made the Level 4. It’s much the same because they have made attaining the Levels much easier. Therefore, the original Level 3 which I passed long ago is very similar to the new Level 4, except for the “audition process”. I get to suffer through the whole process again with Fancy. I couldn’t be happier with this suffering. I enjoyed it immensely the first three times and was lost when I passed the highest level. What to do next with my horse life, write books! ha!
I’m doing the Finesse audition. It’s the easiest, because I get to hold the reins in two hands. The Freestyle audition is bridleless, except your horse can wear a bridle. How often do your hands get to touch the reins? Hmmmm Online is the nasty 45′ rope. I’m going to dig mine out of the garage and sleep with it again. We hate the 45′ rope. The 45′ rope has a mind of its own and it hates the user.
The difficult part of the requirement is flying changes. Flying lead changes are mandatory in all the four auditions, Finesse, Freestyle, Online and Liberty. It’s difficult for a gaited horse to do flying changes. Their gaited back legs are supposed to slide underneath them instead of pop up and change the leading leg in the canter. The front legs of a gaited horse are supposed to stay close to the ground and reach forward, not pop up and change the leading leg. To add insult to injury, the front and back legs are to change their lead position and the same time. It’s difficult for any horse and rider team, much less a gaited horse that was bred to be smooth gaited.
Fancy can do flying lead changes right now for Online and Liberty. She can do them for Freestyle if I’m brave enough to ask her to do them. Lord Help Me!
After the Zoom meeting, I felt that I was ready to film and motivated. Fancy and I can successfully do flying changes now, just not every time I ask her.
The audition is limited to ten minutes or less. Planning is required.
Day 1 and 2: I made a list to detail each task Fancy and I would be performing during the audition. I wrote where in the arena I would be, how to get to the next mandatory location in the arena and described each task.
I decided to start with the flying change mandatory task, a flying lead change in each direction.
In real life, I do a lot of other things to prepare Fancy for flying changes. Hmmm, I better change the order.
Goodness, reality is different. Now I’m going to start doing a task and remember what all the tasks are and just do them when I want. Ha!
Filming. This has to be filmed. I need to figure out where to place my phone so it can capture Fancy and I everywhere we ride in the arena.
Today, I filmed my entire ride. The phone recorded the seat of the chair where it was placed and 3/4 of the arena. My phone failed to record one fourth of what I was doing today. Damn.
I have to watch Fancy and I doing stuff for thirty one minutes. That’s how long I rode today, trying to do the fast stuff and then let her rest doing the slow stuff…like canter to backup. Like trot to doing a side pass. Like doing fancy maneuvers at a walk between fast stuff.
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I’m suffering watching Fancy and do three fourths of our ride. Wonder of that side pass would pass the audition. I’m supposed to side pass with one hand on the rein and her head is to be turned the direction of travel. That is not how I side pass. I’m lucky to get a straight body side pass. Is that a leg yield. How about that shoulder-in. I didn’t see the back and front legs cross. Haunches-in is easier if they don’t require the head to be turned in a “C” shape.
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I need to do an audition and time myself. Scream!