TEXAS
PNH AREA STUDENTS & GROUPS
This page is not endorsed by PNH, all information is
for students to
keep in contact, inspired and working towards their goals with their horses.
Upcoming and Student Classifieds PNH Information
Questions? Comments? |
Linda K. Toups -Thank You!
Linda Toups is a Level 1 PNH graduate and is responsible for the beginnings of this web site. It has been and will continue to be a site for those individuals who are interested in PNH in the central Texas area. For the last year, she has developed and maintained this site. Linda and her husband are moving to Hawaii this October. This is a thank you to her for starting this project. Linda, we wish you well and let us hear from you about your Hawaiian PNH experiences!!!! |
PNH Students - South of Austin, TX Do you live south of Austin, TX? Looking for other students to get together with? Here's a contact for you: Jennifer Upcoming Lesson with
David Lichman: More Parelli Class Opportunities: Sharon Lindy, who is a Level 3 PNH Instructor and who has been an apprentice all summer in Pagosa, is planning to offer a Level 2 clinic the end of November in Fort Worth. She plans to do the same in Austin soon. Stay tuned for more details. Her email is: [email protected]. Amy Fisher will host a clinic with Mark Rashid February 16 through February 19 at the Lee County arena in Giddings. For more information email her at: [email protected]. |
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Interested in TETRA? TETRA is the Texas Equestrian Trail Riders Association. This association brings together other trail riders and horse people of all kinds. It provides an opportunity to socialize, and learn what to do about possible equestrian elimination from several parks and public lands in the central Texas area. For more information call Amy Marvin (512) 243-1340. The TETRA website is: http://home.flash.net/~tetra/
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| Wendy Watkins, is interested in organizing a study group/class and facility in the Elgin area. If you are in that area and want to be informed of classes and fellow
students to practice with, please contact Wendy at [email protected].
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| For those who might enjoy it.....My 16 year old wrote this
for an English class assignment on descriptive writing. Tells of her joy of riding
free with her horse.....Note, she never talks about tie downs or bits, cause she rides
"naturally"! Linda in Texas
The jolting alarm sounds. I look at my clock and see that it is five thirty in the morning. I jump out of bed with the energy of a six-year-old child and get dressed. I hurry to finish my breakfast as my parents pack a cooler with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples, carrots, and water. My family loads up the car and leaves for the barn. Once there, we halter and feed the horses. Each animal seems to know why we are there early in the morning and they have a bit more energy because of it. My horse comes to great me with hopeful eyes. I pet him and assure him that his thoughts are correct. I load the trailer with three saddles, three saddle blankets, an extra leadrope, a set of reigns, three helmets, and a grooming bucket. The smell of leather mixed with sweat from previous rides becomes a beautiful smell. My dad fills a bucket of water for the horses in the back of the truck. The horses are done eating. The sun now beams on our bodies and the chill of the morning passes. The animals stomp into the trailer with thuds, testing the floor: two in the front, one in the back. We shut the trailer door and it’s time to leave. A horse stomps in the trailer with anticipation. We pull down the driveway. Sometimes we hear the horses whinnying to each other, other times more stomping. After a while of anticipation, we have arrived at the trails. The horses leap out of the trailer and start to eat the grass. These beautiful animals will soon carry us through the winding paths and through water. I brush the back of my horse. The dust swirls in clouds mixed with shedding hairs. It gathers on my clothes and in my mouth. The taste is of grit and hair, but it is all part of the ride. I throw the saddle onto my mount after the blanket. The saddle strains my arms, but there is a sense of glory once I tighten the girth. I fasten the breastplate and check the girth once more. The sun has grown hot and the refuge of the trees will soon be mine. I fasten the leadrope to both sides of the halter and secure my helmet. My parents are ready as well. We all mount up and start into the woods. In the shade lurks a cool breeze that revives us. The horses prance with joy. They are anxious to leave the world behind as we are and push forward. The leaves and grass crunch beneath their feet as the horses travel. The lake in the distance glistens, reflecting the sun. A group of birds scatter ahead and a rabbit clears the path. I suddenly come to realize the beauty of nature. My horse walks gracefully across the trails as I feel it breath beneath me. Its eyes scan the surroundings – as do mine – and it seams the horse is enjoying the scenery. His ears turn toward me in hope of going faster, running through the trails and leaving the dirt behind, but it is not yet time. The tail twitches as he swats a fly. The head smoothly bobs with the beat of his feet and I am one with my horse. I sight a clearing ahead. It is time to have some fun! I squeeze my legs, lean forward, and click with my mouth. My horse knows this command all too well. He joyfully picks up his legs in a flight manner and starts speeding down the trail. The mane flows in my hands and his neck stretches out to find more speed. The land starts whizzing by me and I feel free. The wind hits my face and pushes against me, while I go ever faster. For that moment, time stops. Nothing in the world matters. It is just my horse and I running together in a smooth motion. I hear the pound of the hooves under me and the thunder of the hooves following behind. A turn in the path, time to slow down. I smile and reflect upon the run. I start looking for another place to pick up speed, but none is in sight. I will have to wait for another clearing. Farther down the path I hear the sound of running water. The smell of lush vegetation flows into my nose. My horse smelled it before I did. His ears prick forward looking for the source. Then, in the middle of the path, I spot the stream. We walk to the bank and he looks at it intently. I squeeze my legs to assure him that he can cross. Sometimes we leap across, other times he splashes in the water as if to playfully get me wet. Then the trail climbs upward from the bank and we climb together. I lean forward and grab his mane to balance as he claws his way up the escarpment. At the top, a sense of relief and happiness crosses my face. The climb always is fun and exciting. The trail continues on for hours. Sometimes the horse spooks at an abandoned culvert and I grab the saddle horn to stay on. Sometimes we blaze our own trail, other times we follow the main. We will reach outlooks and forests, rivers and lakes, and forests and pastures. We ride like this for hours before returning on the same trail to re-pack and leave back for home. But until we turn around, time has no place and worries of the real world are gone. SAD NEWS Tiffany recently lost the horse she wrote about in the article above. Clearly, he brought her many joyful experiences. We hope she is 'wealthy' from having him in her life for awhile!
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Parelli
Natural Horse-Man-Ship Home Office: |
The Trails By Tiffany Forrest