Page 46 - ST November 2013

communityI

BY JAN GROGAN

Dudley &

the Helicopter

D

udley, my Arab, had been with me Shortly after that incident, I saw Parelli on RFD-TV.
for about 4 years when we made a I watched in amazement at what Pat and Linda

big move from the congested and were able to do with their horses. I made sure that I

overpopulated area of southern watched Parelli every time it was shown. I was really
California to the rural atmosphere drawn into the concept of natural horsemanship. It

of the California high desert.
appeared to be the means by which I would want to

Dudley became an almost unmanageable and dan- train my horse. A couple of months later, Parelli was
gerous horse after the move. When I tried to ride in Los Angeles on tour, and I went to the tour both “

him, he would jump up and down and swing his days. Neil Pye, a prominent member of the Parelli

head from side to side. I was standing next to him team, was at a booth on the retail loor. He was giving
one day in his corral and suddenly he threw his head some insight into the courses that were being ofered

in the air, and spun around and ran to the other end at the Colorado campus and invited me to try one. I

of the corral. He stood there snorting and blowing. didn’t think I was ready for a course at the ranch, but
I looked around and I couldn’t see or hear anything I did buy the Level 1 kit. I was excited to think that I

that would have startled him. As he was turning to had started my Parelli Journey.

run, he had stepped on my foot and broken two of I went on to study Level 2 and Level 3, and I also
my toes. I started thinking about selling him back to attended some courses at the campus. I was so

his original owner because I was afraid that I would addicted to Parelli by that point that I wanted all

get hurt, or even killed. I felt so defeated. I didn’t of the programs they had available. I bought, and
know why he was acting so “crazy.” I thought he was studied, the Liberty & Horse Behavior program. The

just being a typical Arabian. I didn’t know how I was program taught me about the diferent Horsenalities.

going to handle the situation. I knew I needed help, It was only then that I began to realize why Dudley
but I did not know where to go to get that help.
was so “crazy”: he was afraid. Actually, he was scared

of dying.
Now that I understood his fears,
Dudley was born and raised in a community where

houses are about 100 feet apart, on half-acres of
I could start the process of getting
land. The area where his corral was located was next
Dudley acclimated to our new to a busy road that had cars and trucks running on it

most of the day and night. He lived in that environ-
location.
ment with lots of noise and activity for 4 years. No

44 | Savvy Times November 2013