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Humbling Experiences
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Hey everyone . . .
Into week two here in Ocala at the Parelli ranch and I am, as always,
humbled by the experience. Although I'm here to focus on my horse and my
horsemanship, it's hard, sometimes, when so many things strike so close to my
EAP/EAL home.
For example:
- at the beginning of the two week class, we were instructed that change occurs outside your comfort zone, and that they would be asking us to play at the edges of our comfort zone. Hmmmm....sound like anything you've heard before?
- a popular phrase here is "It's not about the..."(fill in the blank with whatever obstacle your horse may be facing, such as "It's not about the trailer" or "It's not about the jump"). It is, however, about the relationship, first and foremost. This reminds me of it not being about the task in EAP/EAL, but about the relationship between the horse and the client.
- we were told that although faculty are there to assist us, they aren't here to do it for us. Sometimes, they said, they may see that dark storm cloud over our head and may deliberately pass us by, without stopping to help. It's about letting us find our own answers, or at least putting ourselves out there to try some new things before rushing for answers outside ourselves. It's also about setting us up for when we go home, and there isn't a faculty member in our back pocket to help. It's about empowerment!
I've met some wonderful people who are quite interested in EAP/EAL, and
hope to give a presentation about the basics of our field to staff and fellow
students before I return to North Carolina. There are so many similarities, in
my opinion, between Parelli Natural Horsemanship and EAGALA-model EAP. And when
those sorts of similarities pop up again and again is when I know I'm in the
right place!
Happy Trails!
Shannon
