Getting Great: Let's Get Our Better. . .Best!
Level 4/Level 4 Advancing:
Level 4 is all about excellence and elegance.
During these five days you’ll be learning the fundamentals of performance in Online, Liberty, Freestyle, and Finesse. “Performance” doesn’t mean you have to go to a show or start specializing in a particular sport. It does mean you’d be ready to specialize if you wanted to and that you would “blow the socks off” of anyone watching you and your horse!
You’ll be improving and refining the rapport, respect, impulsion, and mental/emotional flexion you and your horse have already developed in the first three levels. You’ll attain improved rhythm, relaxation, and contact during this course, through zone 5 driving, excellence at liberty, riding with no reins, and riding with contact. You’ll get better at noticing and using your horse's talent for collecting himself, for self-carriage as you play Online, at Liberty, and ride Freestyle.
One of the hallmarks of L4 is an understanding of and ability to teach your horse lead changes. In this course, flying lead changes will be de-mystified! You’ll learn how to prepare your horse for lead changes and how to ask for them correctly whether you’re Online, at Liberty, or riding.
Review of L3 Finesse concepts such as longitudinal flexion, bending zone 3, soft feel, and concentrated rein positions will precede delving into L4 Finesse challenges. You’ll have the opportunity to develop your savvy in areas such as: maintaining rhythm, relaxation, and contact; “the game of contact”; leg yield, travers (haunches-in), shoulders-in, and other lateral moves; active transitions, lovely circles, and much more.
The clinic format comprises presentations, simulations, demonstrations, practice, and coaching. This 5-day course involves Online, Liberty, Freestyle, and Finesse riding, and is limited to 10 participants. The clinic begins at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday with introductions over a picnic lunch (provided at no charge to all participants) and will go that first day until approximately 6:30 p.m. Class will begin Thursday-Sunday at 9:00 a.m., ending around 5:00 p.m. with a lunch break of an hour or so each day.
Prerequisites: Official pass of Level 3 (or instructor approval). Familiarity with L4 DVDs and L4 Patterns is highly recommended.
Parelli equipment required for this level: Horseman’s halter, 12’ line, professional 22’ line, 45’ line, two carrot sticks (one with savvy string), snaffle bridle or cradle bridle with rope reins, bareback pad (optional). Bring your saddle & pad/blanket (Parelli brand not required).
What horse to bring: Bring your “levels” horse, the horse with whom you passed your L3 audition. If that horse is disabled for some reason and you wish to bring a different horse, please contact the instructor. Students who have already passed Level 4 may bring a horse which is not their most developed.
No stallions allowed at any clinics! A stallion is an intact male two years older and up, whether used for breeding or not.