Customer Reviews

Raise Your Hand if You Love Horses: Pat Parelli's Journey from Zero to Hero (Western Horseman Books)

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It seems that Parelli evokes strong responses. It is possible that professional trainers are particularly, shall we say, enthusiastic, in their negative reviews, since Parelli regularly refers to them as 'predators'. The book is inspiring. The Parelli approach is logical, methodical and well organized. And, the sentiments that Parelli and his wife express are genuinely moving. Yes, the Parellis are unquestionably master merchandisers and that probably turns some off. But, you don't have to spend enormous dollars to benefit from their training methods. The book is well worth the price simply as a 'read' on horsemanship. The techniques are definitely worth trying. And, as far as I can tell (and in contrast to other reviewers' assertions), it certainly doesn't seem that Parelli is recommending that novice riders hop bareback on a horse with no reins and take off at a gallop. Rather, he offers a very standardized, step-wise progression. The book is well worth a serious read, as are Parelli's seminars. Buy the book, spend a weekend at one of their seminars and decide for yourself.

This book was a wonderful insight into Pat Parelli's life. I found it hard to put down! Anyone who shares a passion for horses would enyoy it, whether they follow Parelli's methods or not. Especially nice are the comments from his friends, mentors, trainers, and others dispersed thoughout. "Raise Your Hand if You Love Horses" is not a training manual - it is a biography of one of the world's most respected horseman and how he got there, both personally and professionally. I cried, laughed and thoroughly enjoyed the read from cover to cover. I also believe that Annette Winters review is totally bogus and written without much (if any) thought or knowledge of Pat Parelli's program. The program is based on rider safety... one of the fist things you learn as a student in this program is how to "stop your horse" safely and effectively! One thing you will never see respectable clinicians/horsemen do is cut down their peers - to do so shows insecurity and jealousy, just to name a few.

This book chronicles Pat's life. He shares the most memorable moments of the past, briefly explains his program and where he sees horsemanship going in the future. After finishing the book, I felt as if I had been sitting across from Pat, having dinner, and listening to him tell stories and sharing his insight. For those of us that will never have that chance, this book is a good second choice. C.J., San Juan Capistrano, CA.

Being a fan of Pat Parelli already, I absolutely loved this book! It is very well written for the most part. It is a little bit educational, but mostly it is entertaining. It almost reads like a novel. I think that any "horsey" person would enjoy this book, but I highly recommend it to all Parelli fans. Pat, former gang member, huh?! There's lots of fascinating and entertaining tidbits just like that in the book.

The review by Annette E. Winter is bogus, IMHO. Anyone who really knows anything about Pat Parelli knows that her criticisms are false. True, he is a shrewd merchandiser, and personally I appreciate that he has made commercially available products through which he can share his knowledge and experience. You know, it's not easy to make a living out of your love for horses. Pat Parelli has found a wonderful way to do that, and I applaud him. Ms. Winter claims on her web site that she will try to fix your horse problems for free. Yeah, right. Ms. Winter's criticisms are uninformed and catty (my apologies to cats). She even stoops to criticize his spelling. Go to to Ms. Winter's web site and see where she spells "movie" as "move", and "watches" as "wathces", and "however many" as "howevermany". I'm glad that Ms. Winter is a horse lover, and apparently has a lot to share with other horse lovers. She should stick to that and refrain from criticizing others that she deems to be less than her.

This book is full of fascinating information, for those willing to go digging for it. Motivated readers will learn:
* Parelli's unique use of the word savvy came from a mildly violent lesson taught by his father.
* The Parelli study kits were inspired by first wife Karen's home-schooling their kids during endless travelling.
* The levels in the Parelli system occurred to Pat while he was studying martial arts with Tony Ernst (alias Kung Fu Tony).
* Tack sales took off after a student showed up at a May 1986 Yucca Valley clinic with a unique lead rope. Parelli researched the rope manufacturer and started making his halters and lead ropes out of the high quality yachting braid.
* Liberty training, Parelli's unique emphasis on ground work without physical restraint, originated from a chance meeting with Swiss circus trainer Fredy Knie

I found the book fun and interesting, but also frustrating. The chapters are laid out like magazine articles. Although the book begins with Parelli as a child and ends at the time writing was completed, the chapters are organized more by theme than chronology. Readers trying to construct a mental timeline will spend a lot of time skipping back and forth. The number of names and lack of an index exacerbates the problem.

Zero to Hero is written as a first person autobiography, but it seems more like an authorized biography, written by an admiring Kathy Swan with the cooperation of Pat and Linda Parelli. A writer for Western Horseman, Swan co-wrote Natural Horsemanship, Parelli's first book, 15 years earlier. She makes no secret that she is a fan. The book also includes more than a dozen first person inserts of Parelli admirers, from legendary trainer Ray Hunt to champions of rodeo and the Olympics.

Reading Parelli's story, it's easy to see why he is respected. Parelli's life represents the intersection of enormous talent and ambition with enormous opportunity. Parelli was a horse-crazy kid growing up in the midst of a thriving horse industry. By the time he was in junior high he was already getting paid to exercise horses, start colts, and help at shows. His rodeo career started when friends at his agricultural high school introduced him to the challenge of riding a "bucking barrel." He wouldn't rest until he had bested all his friends. He went on to acquire a mentor, train diligently, and enter as many rodeos as he could. In 1972 was named West Coast bareback rookie of the year.

For the next eight years Parelli pursued horse training and bareback riding at the same time. He did a seven year stretch of rodeos without a single fall, rode 98% of his horses to the buzzer, and rode horses that had never been ridden. At the same time he worked long hours as a trainer, first for a high-volume horse dealer who demanded rapid results, then for Troy Henry, who mentored him in more advanced training for competitive cutting and reigning. Henry pushed Parelli to grow from a mechanic to a horseman.

In 1979 Parelli won fame doing a bridleless reigning demonstration at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity. A year later he was dragged and trampled in a Las Vegas rodeo when his bareback rigging slipped. He had an epiphany and decided to concentrate on horse training.

By that time Parelli had already trained more horses than most horse folk would touch in a lifetime. In spite of that he struggled to find a way to make a living on his own. He found some success by arranging to start colts for 30 local trainers. By that time he had impressed Dr. Robert Miller enough to get his techniques featured in Western Horseman magazine. His association with Miller opened more doors, and Miller helped him organize and promote his first successful clinics. In 1985 he recorded his first video.

One of the biggest criticisms I hear about Parelli is about money -- the training tools, the tack, the DVDs, the seminar prices, etc. It gave me a new perspective to realize that he pushed himself to the limit (and perhaps past it, in the case of his first marriage) for 20 years before his efforts began to pay off in more than subsistence income.

In 1987 Parelli made his first trip to Australia with Miller and Bob Berg and netted $100 for the entire group. He went back anyway, drawing audiences with the challenge that he would pay $500 to anyone who could bring him a horse he couldn't ride. During his 1989 visit he met Linda, who promoted his Australian visits for the next three years. Somewhere between that 1989 meeting and their 1998 wedding, Parelli ended his first marriage to Karen Rivers. Zero to Hero provides no details. I suspect some future biographer will overcompensate for that shortcoming.

For his part, Parelli has nothing negative to say about Karen, and insists that she has now found happiness as he has. Karen is to be admired for keeping such a low profile - she endured the rodeo and clinic travel years, living out of a gooseneck trailer or staying home with the kids, never knowing if there would be money to pay the bills. Then just as the kids were grown she stepped aside to watch the new trophy wife enjoy the fame and fortune she suffered so much to make possible.

Parelli has somehow developed a rabid camp of detractors, particularly among the British dressage community. Do a web search on Parelli and dressage and you'll find forum threads that go on page after page, lavishly vilifying Pat and Linda for everything from the tack they sell to the way they talk. It's a curious phenomenon that isn't mentioned in the book. Neither is there any hint of the current emphasis on "horsenality," bits, and patterns - developments all too recent for the date of publication.

Raise Your Hand if You Love Horses is a factual, if uncritical, account of how Pat Parelli rose to international fame. Parelli followers and anyone interested in the modern horse clinician trend will find it a very interesting read.

This book is exactly what I had expected. Not a "how to" but rather a more in depth look at Pat Parelli himself. I highly recommend this book.

I'm a Parelli student, and have been for many years now. I really enjoyed reading this book and learning the in-depth story behind Pat and his journey to *now*. You get a sense of his life when he chats during his demos and seminars, but this book, with pictures, really helped me understand the chronology of his life and experiences. It's a quick read, and for anyone involved in natural horsemanship, and Parelli specifically, I think this is an interesting and fun book.

Very interesting reading, especially if you've ever attended a Pat Parelli
savvy clinic, or are familiar with his work. He basically trains people in
horsemanship as opposed to training horses. The book describes in interesting fashion how he got to where he is today. More informative
than educational. Would recommend if you're already a Parelli fan.

i am a big fan of pat parelli.i enjoy most everything i've read from him and his wife linda.