I also explained to Wendy how I now felt that our ability to do this with our horses was critical to our success in the Parelli program, but also with anything we wanted to accomplish with our horses, in or out of the arena. The concepts I learned from Pat and Carol during the trip have now been forever incorporated into every task or goal I have for my horsemanship. The residual benefits, among others, are a higher level of consistent effort from my horses, more efficient learning for both me and my horses, a great feeling of accomplishment and LOTS OF FUN!
The Colorado trip also made me realize that I have not been ambitious enough about my horsemanship, something Pat challenged me with while I was there. For a long time, it had been a form of recreation and stress relief with no real goals in mind. That isn't going to be what it's all about anymore. I'm not sure where this journey will lead me, but I know one thing for sure: I want to be a master at Levels 1-4 of the Parelli program. That is going to take higher levels of grit, determination and dedication.. The feeling reminds me a great deal of when, after about 5 years of practicing dentistry, if I really wanted to be masterful at it, I was going to have to put massive effort into continuing education and then putting that into practice. I am in a similar place now with my horsemanship. So what that I am 55? Actually, it's a good thing it's now, much later and it might not be possible...
Wendy was so intrigued by it all that not only did she want to know and learn more, but she really wanted a similar experience to the one I had had in Colorado. For Wendy however, a two week trip to Colorado is completely impractical. As a very busy wife, mother and full time radiologist, the only way to achieve such a wish would be to have Colorado come to her.
I then started talking about how I realized in Colorado the one who really had to make a change was me. I had to break habits that had become automatic. I had to become truly determined to do so. I talked about how studies had shown that humans need at least 21 days to break bad habits and establish new ones to take their place. And I thought out loud that my horses had been waiting for me to do so.
To which Wendy replied that perhaps we could do it together, a 21 day game plan where I would help teach her the concepts I had learned in Colorado in order to complete her L3 freestyle. In the process, I would come to find that helping Wendy would also convince and inspire me even more that I can completely trust that the Parelli program works. Every time. Without fail. As long as the human has the desire and determination, natural horsemanship is achievable.
Wendy refined the idea even more: practice makes progress possible, so if she were to break her bad habits and establish good ones quickly and efficiently, her 21 days would be under my direct supervision; no practicing without me there. After all, the highest achievers don't go perform anywhere without their coaches right there with them, right?
And I thought to myself, what better way to ingrain these habits into ME, by teaching them to Wendy? As a concept, it seemed a win (Wendy), win (our horses), win (me)! Of course, Wendy won't be able to do them the days consecutively, so it won't go as fast as my Colorado trip, but I see lots of benefits to that, especially the chance to be able to process and internalize each new day in the process.
So after some back and forth as to the name, 21 DAYS TO SHEDDING PREDATORY HABITS was born. Wendy and I were about to embark on a unique horsemanship journey...thanks, Wendy, for taking this journey with me!
