December News - Wrapping up 2014, achieving your goals, gift ideas and looking ahead to 2015!

Holiday Greetings, Gift Ideas, Upcoming Events, Winter Lesson Special and more!  

Click here to read the newsletter

Click here to see a slideshow of my year in review

See you in 2015!

The 7 Keys to Success - Key no. 3: Tools

Right at the beginning of his Natural Horsemanship book, Pat Parelli introduces his Level 1 theory by outlining the six keys to success.  They are:  Attitude, Knowledge, Tools, Techniques, Time and Imagination. Since the original publication of the book years ago, a seventh key has been added:  Support.

In my earlier posts, we focused on the first two keys:  Attitude and Knowledge.  In this post, I will introduce the third key to success, Tools.

The Parelli natural hackamore with reins and lead rope attached.  Soft, kind, comfortable and effective. My favourite tool for trail riding!

I am not manually inclined… my gifts came in a different form.  However, as a horsewoman, I had to develop a good level of manual dexterity in order to be effective in my trade, and that came through motivation, hard work and lots of practice. 

I discovered earlier on that having the right tool for the job made a massive difference in my ability.  I am not very good at driving nails into a piece of wood, but I can get it done if I have a good hammer.  I might be able to do it using something else, like a screwdriver; however, it will probably take a very long time, I will most likely injure myself in the process, I will waste quite a few nails and when I do manage to put one in the piece of wood, the likelihood of having a crooked and wobbly nail is pretty high.  Believe me when I say I speak from experience!

I have been trimming my own horses for over 10 years.  When I first learned how to trim, after spending good money on my training and knowledge, I initially resisted investing the money into a quality set of tools.  I got the cheapest rasps and knives I could find.  Well, that got old quick.  Those cheap tools were cumbersome to use, I ended up injuring myself with a blunt knife and the results on my horses’ feet were less than stellar – as I cursed and sweated throughout the process, working way too hard to get a good cut or rasp those hard feet.  Having already committed to the first two keys to success, a good attitude (willingness and desire to learn) and the knowledge (clinics, training, reading, studying barefoot trimming and hoof anatomy), I finally bit the bullet and decided to get proper tools to do it right.  I did some research and bought the best rasps, knives and nippers on the market, and I never looked back.

When it comes to natural horsemanship, the same thing applies.  When I first decided to learn Parelli, I was not quite ready to give up my traditional tools to purchase the recommended equipment – after all, I had several trunks filled with all sorts of halters, leads, lunge lines, saddlery, bits and other gadgets.  I went with the minimum and bought lower quality copies and makeshift items -- only to find out in the long run that I was impeding my own learning and confusing my horses with unclear and muddled communication.  Once I finally got the right tools for the job, I removed one of the key obstacles to my progress and actually ended up giving up and selling many of my old traditional tools.  As a matter of fact, I still own my very first Parelli halter, 12 foot rope and carrot stick, purchased in 1999, and I still use them every day! 

This is the guideline we use when it comes to tools:  keep it simple, kind and effective.  If you want to learn natural horsemanship, you only really need a few good tools, but you have to be very particular about their quality and function.  This is why Pat Parelli ended up making his own tools.  They were designed because no one else was making the type of equipment that helped establish a good communication between horse and rider. When you have enough savvy, you only require few tools to be effective with horses, but you become increasingly demanding about the tools you use. I use professional grade tools that are built to last a very long time. They work for people and for horses and vastly improve the quality, effectiveness and sensitivity of the communication.

You will find a list of tools needed at each level of the Parelli Program here http://vifargent.com/tools/

By the way, don’t forget that your saddle is also an essential part of your horse toolkit.  A bad saddle can greatly affect your horse’s movement, stride and attitude, and in the long run, health, because horses that are ridden in tension, pain and improper posture will develop all kinds of musculoskeletal issues.  The wrong saddle will also compromise your own balance, confidence and comfort.  There are simple and effective ways to test your saddle fit providing you have enough knowledge and skill, and it does not require very sophisticated equipment.

This video really shows you how much the horse’s back moves under the saddle and why you need to find a saddle that will not restrict all that motion in different directions.  Click here to see it http://youtu.be/nA-n_BR98Nw.  You will also find many other educational videos on saddle fit on this YouTube channel. 

To find out more details about the effects of saddles on horses and humans, check out my page here: http://www.lechevalaunaturel.blogspot.ca/p/selles-saddles.html

So, what are you using to nail that board?  Are your tools facilitating or hindering your horsemanship?

Menina sporting a well fitted saddle and pad with correct placement on the back to free up the shoulder blades.

You enjoyed this article?  Let us know by submitting your comments and feel free to share with your friends!

For more info on Parelli training, visit www.vifargent.com

Nouvelles de juillet et mise à jour sur les évènements à venir! July News and Updated Schedule!

Ce mois-ci...

• Dernière chance de vous inscrire à la formation Débutants de septembre!
• Articles à vendre
• Leçons de biomécanique du cavalier
• Déménagement prévu pour l'automne

This month...

• Learn how to set up your horse for success - SW Ontario workshop August 10th
• Equipment for sale
• Rider Biomechanics lessons
• Moving this fall

Click here to read the newsletter... Cliquez ici pour lire l'info-lettre

You enjoyed this article?  Let us know by submitting your comments and feel free to share with your friends!

For more info on Parelli training, visit www.vifargent.com

Holiday Wishes and Gift Ideas - Souhaits des Fêtes et suggestions de cadeaux

In this issue:

• 2013 Recap
• Video Coaching Programs
• Gift Ideas and Year-End Sales
• Upcoming Events
• The Parelli Intensive Foundation Camp - 7 Games, 4 Levels, 4 Savvys
• One Last Thought to Begin 2014

Click here to read the whole newsletter

You enjoyed this article?  Let us know by submitting your comments and feel free to share with your friends!

For more info on Parelli training, visit www.vifargent.com

Dans ce numéro:

• 2013 en bref
• Programmes d'enseignement par vidéo
• Suggestions de cadeaux et soldes de fin d'année
• Évènements à venir
• Le Camp Intensif Parelli - 7 Jeux, 4 Niveaux, 4 Savvys
• Une dernière pensée pour entamer 2014

Cliquez pour lire l'info-lettre

Vous avez aimé cet article?  Faites-nous le savoir en transmettant vos commentaires et partagez avec vos amis!

Pour plus de renseignements sur la méthode Parelli, consultez www.vifargent.com

November News! Nouvelles de novembre!

The November newsletter is out: Horseless Workshops and Video Coaching November Special!

This month:

• Horseless Workshop Series and Upcoming Events
• Parelli Four Savvys video preview - Lateral Flexion with Linda and On Line Lesson with Pat
• Inspiration video - Teaching Flying Lead Changes
• Tip of the month - the Squeeze Game
• Shims for sale

Click here to read the newsletter!

L'info-lettre de novembre est disponible: Ateliers sans chevaux et offre spéciale sur l'enseignement par vidéo! 

Ce mois-ci:

• Série d'ateliers sans chevaux et évènements à venir
• Aperçu vidéo des quatre Savvys Parelli - la flexion latérale avec Linda et leçon On Line avec Pat
• Inspiration - Pratiquer les changements de pieds en l'air
• Le truc du mois - le Jeu du passage étroit
• Releveurs de selle à vendre

Cliquez ici pour lire l'info-lettre!

You enjoyed this article?  Let us know by submitting your comments and feel free to share with your friends!

For more info on Geneviève Benoit, Licensed Parelli 3 Star Instructor, visit www.vifargent.com

VifArgent.com 3.0 is now LIVE!

After many months of thought, planning and effort, with some interruptions due to my travels and my teaching engagements, I am proud to present VifArgent.com 3.0!  This is the third iteration of my web site.  It has been redesigned on a brand new platform, which is much more flexible and efficient than the previous one!

Relaunching a site is a bit like renovating a house.  You think you can plan how long it it going to take and how much work it is going to be... but once you are in it, you realize that it will take a lot more work and you find all the things behind the walls that need to be fixed or redone!  Especially when it is a high content web site like VifArgent.com!

Here is a summary of the enhancements you will find:

A new look, modern, airy, elegant, crisp and a lot easier to read!  I am sure no one will miss the bright yellow fonts and moving marquee banners!  We were long overdue for a makeover!

Much improved navigation.  It will be much easier to find exactly what you are looking for.  We have put in place a new hierarchy of menus et completely redone the structure.  There is a lot of great content on this site and it was sometimes hard to get to it.  So we tore down the walls and redid everything!

A brand new toggle button between French and English pages, on EVERY page!

Easy to locate social media and email buttons so you can share any content with your friends in one click!

Easy to find buttons to find us and connect on social media!

Photos have been modified and improved, and you will find new pictures taken at recent events.

Mobile!  The site can now be viewed on smart phones, pads, and other mobile devices.  This was also long overdue.

The Resources section has been updated and new links have been added.

A new technology foundation which will allow us to grow the site much more readily and to add new functions such as video, a membership only section, etc.  This just could not be done in the old version.  This site will be much more flexible and dynamic!

VifArgent.com has long been a go-to place for French speaking Parelli student in Quebec, Canada and other parts of the world, and we will continue to fulfill this mandate as best we can.  Anglophones also find it a great place to access information otherwise hard to locate elsewhere.

You are invited to visit my new home and to send us your comments.  If you find something not working, please let us know; despite all our efforts to make sure everything was ready to go live, there is always the possibility that we might have missed something!

Naturally yours,

Geneviève Benoit  Click and find me!

Feel free to share this post with friends who might be find it useful!

Voeux des Fêtes et promotions d'hiver - Holiday Greetings and winter specials

 
Mes voeux et mes nouvelles pour le Temps des Fêtes:

• Revue de l'année 2012
• Promotion sur les cours d'hiver
• Les programmes d'enseignement par vidéo
• Contribuer au Parelli Horsemanship Fund
• Idées de cadeaux, Catalogue des Fêtes
• Évènements à venir
• Pensée de fin d'année
  
  

Cliquez ici pour lire le bulletin! Click here to read the newsletter!

My wishes and news for the Holiday season:

• Looking back at 2012
• Winter workshops special
• Video coaching programs
• Giving through the Parelli Horsemanship Fund
• Gift ideas 2012 Holiday Catalog
• Upcoming events
• Last thought before 2013

Bulletin de novembre 2012 - Trois façons de poursuivre votre apprentissage cet hiver! November 2012 newsletter - Three ways to keep learning during the winter!

Bulletin de novembre 2012 - Trois façons de poursuivre votre apprentissage cet hiver! Bonne lecture et n'hésitez pas à partager vos commentaires.

Cliquez ici pour lire le bulletin - Click here to read the newsletter

November 2012 newsletter - Three ways to keep learning during the winter!  Enjoy and please share your comments.

Great new prices on Parelli equipment

Parelli has recently significantly lowered their prices on rope equipment and carrot sticks - and I mean, significantly lowered! Same quality, same materials, but now made in house so they have cut out the middle man. Check out the new Savvy Club pricing. AND right now, they are running a super deal on the basic kit: halter, carrot stick, 12 foot rope and savvy string for $59! No more excuses for not having the real deal, designed by Pat!

Order here

Parelli a récemment baissé les prix de ses équipements fabriqués avec de la corde et de ses bâtons carotte - et il s'agit d'une grosse réduction! Même qualité, mêmes matériaux, ils ont ramené la fabrication à l'interne et ont éliminés les intermédiaires. Allez voir les nouveaux prix Savvy Club. ET pour un temps limité, l'ensemble des outils de base (licou, bâton, cordelette et corde de 12 pieds) est offert pour 59$! Plus d'excuses pour ne pas se procurer les outils authentiques conçus par Pat Parelli!

Commandez ici

Let's go summer 2010!

Dear friends,

Here I am back in Pont-Rouge. Phew! My travels to the Parelli ranch are always very exciting and full of adventure, but it is always nice to come home to this very pretty countryside, especially during the summer. This year, mother Nature is being generous with lovely summer temperatures and the promise of dry and warm weather. I hope it lasts!

Like most of you, I am constantly challenged to manage business, work, horse time and personal time. The balance is difficult to keep and fragile! I must consciously make the time to develop my own horses, and it often means falling behind in my paperwork or accounting, or some other task less interesting but just as important and needed. I discipline myself to do it, because it would be so easy to let the day take over and never get to my horses. I don't need to be motivated to ride, I love to spend time at the barn, but it does mean I have to commute there, plan a constructive training program, think about what to do, spend physical energy and deal with whatever horses show up. When my days are very busy, I often have to psyche myself to go and do it.

This year, I am planning to stay in Quebec and try to grow the program locally. I will also be keeping eyes and ears open for business opportunities for the future. I am now dreaming of settling into a place that would not only allow me to keep my horses on site, but also to host my students and workshops. This place, which is now only in my imagination, would ideally have an indoor arena which would allow me to stretch the teaching season and operate despite of weather. It would have pastures and facilities to keep horses outside year round, stalls or pens for visiting horses, and a place to live. I would also be looking for access to trails and it would ideally be centrally located with easy access from the South, East and West.

In the mean time, I remind you of the upcoming clinics and workshop in Ottawa. There are still spots available, but please hurry to register so the hosts can plan their activities accordingly.

June 25 - Saddle Savvy Clinic - choosing a saddle for the benefit of the rider AND the horse. Learn how a well adjusted saddle system can greatly enhance your horse's comfort, attitude, health and your fluidity and confidence as a rider.

June 26-27 - Level 1 OnLine Horse Behavior and Patterns - limited to 10 riders. Auditors welcome.

June 28 - Private and group lessons for Parelli students in the area.

For info and registration, please contact Kara-Lee Golota at klgolota@gmail.com or (613) 255-2804 as soon as possible.

New this year - I now have 4 Parelli saddles available for trials and demos. You will be able to see them and try them at the Saddle Savvy Workshops, and I can also bring them at clinics and lessons for those who are interested. I have in stock:

Two Natural Performer saddles (Western), one Standard and one SuperWide
The new Parelli Dressage saddle
A Fluidity Standard saddle

I look forward to seeing you again, or to meeting you for the first time. Naturally,

Geneviève
Pont-Rouge (in the smoke!)

En route pour l'été 2010!

Chers amis,

Me voilà donc réinstallée à Pont-Rouge. Ouf! Les voyages au ranch Parelli sont toujours très passionnants et remplis d'aventures, mais il fait bon se retrouver chez soi dans ce coin de pays si joli durant la saison estivale. Cette année, la nature nous gâte avec de belles températures d'été et un été précoce qui s'annonce chaud et sec. En espérant que ça dure!

Comme la plupart d'entre vous, je suis constamment mise au défi de concilier affaires, travail, entraînement des chevaux et vie personnelle. C'est un équilibre fragile et difficile à garder! Je dois consciemment prendre le temps de développer mes propres chevaux, quitte à retarder le courrier, l'administration ou une autre tâche moins attrayante, mais plus urgente. C'est une discipline que je m'impose, car il serait facile de me laisser envahir par toutes mes obligations et de laisser filer la journée sans avoir monté à cheval. Je n'ai pas besoin de motivation pour le faire, car j'adore passer du temps avec mes partenaires à quatre pattes, mais cela implique un déplacement, du travail physique et un engagement à faire quelque chose de constructif pour avancer notre entraînement. Il faut donc planifier, réfléchir et y aller. Et lorsque les journées sont bien chargées, il faut parfois travaille pour arriver à le faire.

Cet été, j'espère développer les choses ici au Québec, et je serai à l'affût d'occasions d'affaires. Je rêve maintenant de pouvoir m'installer à un endroit qui me permettrait non seulement de garder mes chevaux sur place, mais aussi de recevoir mes élèves et d'organiser des activités localement. Cet endroit qui n'existe encore que dans mon imagination disposerait idéalement d'un manège intérieur pour pouvoir profiter des trois saisons plus chaudes sans avoir à être tributaire du temps qu'il fait, ainsi que de pâturages permettant de garder les chevaux à l'extérieur en tout temps, d'enclos ou de boxes pour les visiteurs et d'un endroit habitable pour moi! Je vise aussi accès à des pistes de randonnée et une localisation centrale pour les cavaliers venant de l'est, de l'ouest et du sud.

En attendant cette trouvaille, je vous rappelle les activités prévus à Ottawa en juin. Il reste encore des places, veuillez vous inscrire le plus tôt possible pour permettre aux organisateurs de planifier les activités.

25 juin Atelier sur le choix et l'ajustement des selles - apprenez à choisir une selle en fonction des besoins du cavalier ET du cheval. Voyez comment un bon ajustement peut améliorer considérablement le confort, l'attitude et la santé du cheval, ainsi que votre assiette et votre assurance en tant que cavalier.

26-27 juin Niveau 1 On Line Comportement du Cheval et Patterns - limité à 10 cavaliers. Les observateurs sont les bienvenus.

28 juin - Journée de cours privés et de groupe.

Renseignements et inscriptions: Kara-Lee Golota klgolota@gmail.com ou (613) 255-2804.

Nouveau cette année - je dispose maintenant de 4 modèles de selles Parelli qui sont disponibles pour essai et démonstration. Elles seront en montre aux ateliers de choix et d'ajustement des selles, mais je pourrai aussi les amener avec moi dans les stages et cours pour ceux que cela intéresse.

J'ai en stock deux Natural Performer (modèle Western) de largeur standard et Super Wide, une selle de Dressage et une selle Fluidity standard.

Au plaisir de vous revoir ou de vous rencontrer cet été!

Geneviève
Pont-Rouge (enfumée!)

Coffrets Parelli en version multi-langues

Bonne nouvelle - le nouveau coffret Niveau 3/4 sera disponible en version multi-langues (dont le français) dès le 14 mai. Le Niveau 1/2 suivra cet automne!

Get started equipment SPECIAL - VENTE outils Parelli ensemble de départ

Get Started Horse Training Equipment Kit SPECIAL
WHAT: All four, authentic Parelli tools: Halter (all sizes/colors), 12’ Lead Rope, Stick and String
WHERE: Worldwide - cliquez www.vifargent.com
FOR WHOM: Savvy Club members only
PRICING: USA $59.00 (currently $190.47)
**Purchase limited to 2 orders per customer**
SALE PERIOD: 2 weeks OR while supplies last (starting January 29th)

VENTE Outils de départ Parelli - ensemble de départ
QUOI: Les quatre outils Parelli authentiques - licou (toutes couleurs/grandeurs), corde de 12 pieds, bâton carotte et cordelette
OU: à travers le monde - cliquez www.vifargent.com
QUI: réservé aux membres du Savvy Club
PRIX: 59.00$ USD (habituellement 190.47$)
PÉRIODE: 2 semaines ou jusqu'à épuisement des stocks (à compter du 29 janvier)