Apolaustic Nook

The Zones of the Horse in Parelli

Before learning the next game in Parelli, we need to understand Pat Parelli’s “zones of the horse” so we can better move the horse in our games. These descriptions come directly from Nancy Allen’s website.
"Zone 1: from the nose band of the halter streching out for a mile and a half in fron of the horse. It physically involves his muzzle and his personal space in front of him.
The Delicate Zone: around the eye area, the zone from the nose band up over the ears to the head piece of the halter. It's a delicate area and needs to be treated with care.
Zone 2: from right behind the ears to the break of the withers, the little dip right in front of them. Essentially it's the neck and chest and the end of the zone makes a diagonal line to the point of the shoulder.
Zone 3: from the break of the withers to the point of the hip.
Zone 4: from the point of the hip to the top of the tail.
Zone 5: from the tail head stretching out a mile and a half behind him."
Never forget, the more we know about a horse, the more connected we can be with them.


The Porcupine Game

This is the second game of Parelli. The point of this game is to ask with less but receiving more from your horse. Starting with moving your horse backwards, you will move your horse in different directions using pressure. There are six different directions.
To first move your horse backwards, place your hand gently on his nose and add pressure until he moves backwards. Don’t forget, any movement in the direction you ask for is right, so let the pressure off. I read a great comparison, keep your hand like a wall, when your horse backs away, your hand stays still. If they push against you, your pressure increases and you don’t back up.
Use this same method to ask your horse to move forward, right, left and movement of the head, up and down. Nancy Allen suggests rubbing the spot where you plan on applying pressure before and after each movement to let the horse know first that you are asking for something and second, that you are done.