Well, I guess they are safer if you never actually get on them!
Sep 18 2009
This summer, a lady named Patti had an unfortunate incident where her green horse spooked during a dismount and she suffered a head injury. While she was in bed recovering, she watched some of, as we call it here on the Fugly blog, Really Fucking Dumb Television, and saw plenty of bareheaded riding courtesy of Pat Parelli. Linda was jumping with no helmet, her long blonde hair flying free in the breeze. Then they had an episode where a physically disabled young woman was riding with no helmet despite the fact that it was clear her balance was impaired. Patti saw fit to write a letter to the Parellis pointing out that they should seriously consider adding helmets to their collection of carrot sticks, silly string and whatever else they’re selling for $200 these days. Here is the reply – and as I always say, folks, I don’t make this stuff up.Â
Hi Patti,
Thank you for taking the time to write us. We understand your views and
concerns. As quoted by the faculty at our ranch:
“You are quite right – helmets are fabulous things and they save many lives. Tragically
though, people who ARE wearing helmets also die or suffer serious
head injuries in accidents with horses.?
FHOTD in:  OK, so here’s an analogy using that logic: Women get murdered in their own homes also, so it’s a fine idea to walk down an alley in the worst part of town at 2 AM by yourself. Go for it.  Â
Our program is intended to address the safety problem at its root – which is
behavioral – rather than address the symptoms of it. Our message is about
developing the relationship with the horse, and the savvy level of the rider,
so that unsafe behavior is addressed long before the rider gets on the horse -
rather than allowing the unsafe situations to continue to occur and hope that
the helmet, body protector, etc, will protect us from the consequences.
FHOTD in: Seriously, you’re not this stupid, right? You can’t be.Â
First of all, you seem to be arguing that ALL horse accidents are caused by bad behavior on the part of the horse. That really MIGHT be the dumbest thing I have ever heard in the horse world. The worst horse accident that happened to a friend of mine this year was due to a loose girth – her exceptionally well trained and well behaved horse did not misbehave at all, yet she wound up with her pelvis broken in several places.  Falls happen all the time because of a lack of rider skill/balance, equipment failure, etc.Â
Another friend of mine just fell off at the standstill…she was attempting a brilliant maneuver where she was going to dismount back onto the mounting block. It failed, she biffed harmlessly into the dirt and I am gonna make fun of her now. 
Â
OK back to topic…Secondly, you seem to be arguing that there is some way to 100% cure bad behavior in a horse so that the horse will never misbehave again and therefore no accident will ever occur. WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING? It’s a living creature! It is going to have bad days! There is something out there that will scare it and you can NOT do ANY kind of training/desensitization that will 100% prevent that from happening. I’ve seen a police horse freak out and jump into traffic, and those are as trained as can be not to do that. Or what if the horse has pain you haven’t discovered yet? Back soreness turns many a safe older packer into a bronc, sometimes with very little warning. My readers could tell you stories all day about “bomb proof” horses losing it.Â
Seriously, whoever wrote this, have you ever worked with an actual horse? I simply cannot believe the idiocy of this paragraph.
The reason you do not see our people wearing helmets is because we try to teach people
that rather than be brave because they are wearing a a helmet to protect
them, they would be better off not riding until their horse is behaving safely.
FHOTD in: OK, you heard it from the Parelli people. If you are not supposed to ride until your horse is “safe,” you are going to have a long wait because there is no way in the world to accomplish that! HORSES ARE NOT SAFE. They’re a thousand pound animal with a mind of their own. But hey, I guess you can buy zillions of dollars worth of crap in the meantime, while trying to reach this nirvana of training THAT DOES NOT EXIST.Â
By the way, you know what makes them safeR? ACTUALLY RIDING THEM AND WORKING THROUGH THEIR PROBLEMS AND FEARS.
The arrogance here is amazing. WE can train your horse to be so safe you won’t need a helmet. Never mind that every Olympic rider, every professional trainer who is at the top of his/her game since time began has failed to find a way to do this – WE can do it. Just buy all of our crap. Jeeeezus. WHO FALLS FOR THIS?
People have called us brave for not wearing helmets, but we say they are a lot
braver than we are. We would not get on their horse until we had addressed the
issues that cause it to behave in unsafe ways.
FHOTD in: Hey, I admit I do not wear a helmet except to jump – I’m one of those people who hates having a sweaty forehead and chin - but I certainly don’t think I’m brave. I think it’s dumb and potentially self-destructive, in the same league with putting too much salt on my food, another bad habit I’m often guilty of. Â
I do believe in freedom of choice for adult riders who are aware of the risks, and I know it will be a cold day in Hell when the western folks turn in their hats for helmets, but regardless of your personal choices, trying to argue that a rider ISN’T safer with a helmet or that somehow good horse training can eliminate the need for any helmet – completely IGNORING the part that rider skill/balance and just plain luck play in how accidents happen – has GOT to be the DUMBEST thing to ever come out of the Parelli camp. This tops the advice to feed carrots to a horse who is trying to bite you and I thought that was bad enough.Â
We hope this helps,
From the Faculty, Parelli Centers
FHOTD in:Â Well, it helped me write another blog about you guys!
Poor Patti, if her head didn’t hurt already, I bet it did after reading that reply!
216 comments to “Well, I guess they are safer if you never actually get on them!”
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In some cases, you *can* train a horse to reduce tripping. By ‘some cases’ here I mean if you have a horse that is just plain clumsy.
I know one…nice horse. But if you don’t ride him correctly, he trips. If he is on his forehand, he trips. If his hindquarters are engaged properly and his back rounded…he doesn’t trip.
However, any horse can and will trip if there is an actual ‘obstacle’ causing the tripping, rather than just equine klutziness.
On a semi-related topic….
Would it be unethical of me to resell our Level-1 dvds to someone who’s dumb enough to buy the snake-oil? It’s only the haltering basics, nothing about playing some games then jumping on and riding around bareback in an open field next to some train tracks. I just feel kind of guilty that I’ll be passing along something that I recognized as bullshit to someone that may not for money.
First time poster=) Not sure where to send this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzPYMDOuJ9k&feature=rec-HM-fresh+div
No helmet = no horse. I don’t want my husband changing my diapers, gross! We didn’t have kids for a reason.
First i’d like to say that this is the first time i’ve commented on here, and i still am shocked by some of the people out there. I’m not a 100% parelli person, but i board at a barn that does parelli/natural horsemanship. I started working with my 18 year old saddlebred three years ago, and he is a different horse. I’m really disappointed in the response they gave. I think natural horsemanship can be a good thing, but i also think it can be bad. I’ve fallen off tons of times, and it’s mostly been my fault, yet i still don’t wear a helmet, yes i’m stupid.
I read somewhere if you’ll put a light days pad inside your helmet it’ll help with the sweat running in your eyes..
As to training–you use whatever works for you and your horse. Mabe Parelli has some good parts to his program~mabe the old good cowboys were right about something.. (like don’t start a horse until he’s 4 )
I have seen what head injuries do to a person. I was a rehabilitation counselor for 7 years, worked in social services at a nursing home, and was a director of 3 adult day care centers. I wear a helmet. My daughter wears a helmet. I ride well broke sane horses. BUT my daughter was tossed on her head, why? A combination of inexperience (she was taking lessons) and our horse tripped at a canter sending her over the horses head. She was fine, she was wearing a helmet. I was thrown dismounting a green horse, I broke my wrist in 5 places, and had a mild concussion, but that was it, why- I was wearing a helmet, I shudder to think what might have happened if I hadnt.
I know of a person who was riding a really nice, well broke- dare I say “bomb proof” horse. They were cantering , horse tripped really badly, rider went over the horses head and slammed into a tree. No helmet and severely brain injured. Troxel has some really nice helmets, they dont weigh much, look pretty good too. And I hate hats of any kind. But I wear one. They are great too when you are ducking branches on the trail, instead of getting tangled in your hair or leaving a bruise on your head they just brush right over. Parelli is setting himself and his organization up for a lawsuit. Shame on all of the big named trainers who do not set good examples for the younger generation and all of the other people who are impressionable. Wear your head gear, your family will thank you.
I’m unfortunate enough to be boarding at a Parelli infested barn. If I hear word ‘natural’ one more time I’m going to scream. I’m sick of tacking up, going to the arena and not being able to ride. Why? Because the entire Parelli cult is sitting in the middle of the arena while their horses mill around. When I asked WTF are you people doing, the response was, ‘We are becoming at one with our horses’. This, combined with the let the horse do whatever it wants mentality is enough to make me start looking for a new barn. Bubba kicks, it’s ok, he’s just not having a good day. Sparky decides to stop and graze? That’s ok too, it shows he ‘trusts’ his rider. Get bit? Feed a carrot. Horse doesn’t tack himself? It’s just because he’s not attained level 124,299,487 yet. Horse spins and shows you his butt? Gee, he must want you to give him scritches.
Every one of the Parelli trained horses are a pain in the a$$ to deal with. They’re gate crashers, refuse to respect personal space and would rather run over a human than eat.
Parelli’s are frauds. They’ve created more problem horses and problem humans than everyone else combined.
I think the arrogance of the Parelli’s is just staggering. “Use our training program. We can take all the unpredictability out of your horse so you don’t need a helmet. By the time we are done with him, he will be so bored that he won’t WANT to move.” You can never take all the “issues” out of a horse before you get into the saddle. I have ridden horses that did all groundwork perfectly with the saddle on and gave no indication of misbehavior but the instant that I was in the saddle, they morphed into a bucking, bawling, rearing, fighting monster. I personally don’t wear a helmet but I am an adult and that is my choice, I know the risks. They are dealing with uneducated or ignorant owners, many of whom have never even been on a horse and then they buy one with issues because “Hey, I’ve got the Parelli system. I can fix his issues.” For some of these people, Parelli is the only exposure they have to horsemanship and for the Parelli’s to say that helmets don’t make a difference or that the issues with the horse will be gone before you get on is just dangerous.
You know, I was just reminded of a story.
At my stables several years ago, there was a 20 year old Appy gelding named Ro. Sleepy, lazy, quiet, dead-broke and dog-gentle lesson horse. He was the only horse the BO’s sister, Gert would ever ride. (He passed away suddenly and tragically when he was struck by a car going to fast as they were moving him to another pasture, poor old guy. RIP.)
Well, Gert once broke her ribs riding him because he reared up and threw her. Want to know why? He got stung in the rear by a bee.
I’d LOVE to see the Parellis train a horse to not react to a bee (or wasp or horsefly) sting. I guess poor old Ro, as easy going and quiet as he was, hadn’t quite reached that next level yet, according to them. *rolls eyes*
Yeah. I’m pretty sure a fly bite caused a horse to take off with me a few weeks ago. I stayed in the saddle and did regain control, but it was a nasty moment. He spooked…at apparently nothing. Given the horse concerned was A. Not normally spooky and B. Horribly sensitive to flies…we’re pretty sure he got either stung or a fly somewhere sensitive like up his nose. Some people quite probably would have come off, and if I had, I’d probably have landed on the arena fence. (Fortunately, it’s plastic and would probably have come out of things worse than me
)
Haven’t had time to read all the replies, and I know this is a day late and a buck short, but maybe someone should send these replies to the Parelli people?
I was taught to ride by a lady who uses Parelli training methods… she also makes her students wear helmets, and she rides and shows in her helmet- yes, even western- as a good example to her students. She also harped on correct and classical riding- this is what I get for taking western lessons from a dressage rider.
I think there are good things about Parelli, which she has been able to utilize, just as I think there are good things about most trainers… but this is just dumb.
My contribution to the freak accident category? Just yesterday, I was cantering my mare in a field, and she bucked me off HARD, like she meant it. I faceplanted into some tumbleweed (nice, huh?) but was essentially unhurt aside from some bruises. It was a hard enough fall that my glasses were embedded IN the dirt about 2 feet from my head. I suspect that the brim of my helmet saved me from a broken nose, or at the very least, a mouthful of dirt. Nonetheless, I was pulling the stupid brambles out of my face…
Anyway, the reason for her freakout wasn’t evident at first, so I got back on, but something just felt off- she felt coiled and anxious, even though she was doing what I asked. Got back off- found what looks like an overreach injury to one of her front heel bulbs, not bad, just a scrape with a small flap of skin really, but obviously it hurt bad enough. My mare has attitude, but for her to actually throw someone like that is very uncharacteristic. I can only imagine- to her, it probably felt like some predator was grabbing her foot.
Here’s a freak situation that I’ve encountered – I had just gotten off (thank god) a super green 3 year old. This was our first ride in the arena outside the round pen. I see something way off in the distance in the sky reflecting light. It very far away and disapears from my vision behind the tree line that borders the arena so I think nothing of it. Then the wind kicks up… all of a sudden, an adult sized giant hot pink flamingo *foil* balloon flys over the trees, floats down, and lands dead center of the arena making that lovely crackling noise in the wind. You can imagine how that could have turned out if that had happed just a few minutes earlier. I never would have guessed a giant flamingo balloon would have landed in the middle of our first arena riding session!
Nothing I hear about Parelli surprises me any more – although I’m amazed that even THEY are dumb enough to write THAT rubbish about hats!! The only horse that’s 100% safe is one without a heartbeat! Mind you, if a Parelli falls on its head, it would just damage the cash register they have for a brain! Does that sound a bit harsh?? Probably not once you’ve had a few horses in for re-schooling after they’ve been subjected to silly games and the ‘patience post’!!
I have a HUGE issue with adults that claim they can decide for themselves whether or not to wear a helmet. Chosing not to wear one is one of the most selfish decisions you can make.
Granted I am a single parent in the truest sense of the world. While raising my son alone I quickly grasped that insisting he wear a helmet while skateboarding, horseback riding and snowboarding was one thing, it was blatantly obvious a) I had to provide a good example and b) if I didn’t, I risked a serious injury that might leave my son and my family to make decisions for me should I end up in a vegetative state.
Yes I am an adult. I grew up riding western without a helmet. I also rode in cars without a seatbelt and rode bikes without a helmet. I may have survived where others didn’t.
If I INSIST on my right as an adult to ride without a helmet (while insisting my son does) it begs the question, if I am thrown or otherwise injuried around horses, am I not leaving my teenaged son and family to make decisions that they are probably ill equipped and not at all ready to make?
How selfish do you have to be to claim to be adult enough to deny what little protection and inconvience it takes to put on a helmet and protect your family from the grief of having to cope with a grievious accident?
Maybe it hasn’t occurred to others as it occurs to me? But I know full well that one simple horrible accident would scar my son for life. I chose to wear a helmet because I care about what not wearing one might leave my family to deal with.
Just a few days ago, my lovely, well trained, gorgeous little mare took off at a clear bolt. Before hand we were trotting nicely, on the bit, and then… Zoom. Off she went. I pulled her up just before she went through the fence, and because doing something like that is so unlike her, I dismounted and did a ‘tack check’ I found a bee sting in her dock, and it was already starting to go red. Obviously she got a fright when it stung her. I remounted and she was fine for the rest of our session. You know, I could have decided not to wear a helmet that day. I could have come off, and done my self a massive head injury. All because of a bee and stupidity. Someday I hope parrellis horse gets a fright like that, and he might learn about safety, that is.. if he still has a brain after head injury.