Comments on: Raise Your Expectations

By: Sharon France

Sharon France — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:42:20 +0000

I must have been ‘drawn’ to read this post Jerry – thanks so much for sharing it with us. All these little seeds are being planted and slowly impinging upon my psyche.

By: Colleen S.

Colleen S. — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 14:47:54 +0000

This advice provided by Pat Parelli to you, Jerry, resonates with me because this past year my gelding has not had a pleasant look on his face when he’s with me. He looks dull and blah blah. He comes up to me in pasture and follows me and acts like he REALLY appreciates me—but if pasture mates take off or snort he’s gone. He also snorts alot when I ride him. I’ve been doing Parelli with him for 4 years, we’re level 3 untested. But, this is why your message resonates. This horse has had a lot of Parelli attention. He is awesome at liberty. He does patterns, and beautiful 7 games on 22 ft line. He does 45 ft line games if he’s been worked with regularly. But this past year I have noticed he finds our play sessions and riding boring. Yesterday, he looked straight at me, when I asked for the circling game and reared up and went the other way. Man was I shocked. This horse does liberty in yard with no halter. So, I read this as . . . you’re boring, boring, boring. He is a LB introvert (but beautiful active mover sometimes). He is also needy and subservient to herd mates. What I don’t know is what to do. I guess I need to raise expectations, but don’t know where to go. Thought I was doing so well, but think when I got ET to a certain levell, and I was so awed by his liberty, that I just stopped doing anything else. I think I need help.

By: Heidi

Heidi — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:46:50 +0000

Just received your e-mail and wanted to thank you for the lovely way you write and inspire. I came to your web site to write a comment and ended up rereading all your blogs and shed a few tears on the wonderful dressage video.
Anyways gave me a lot to think about Know that I have given up a bit, but also know my expectations are pretty low right now too. Thanks for sharing, really enjoyed your thoughts and feelings, Heidi

By: Maxine Easey

Maxine Easey — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:50:39 +0000

Jerry that’s a brilliant story and resonates clearly with me. We had a clinic with Ali Jones some years ago and the theme for day 2 was “Expect more”. Perhaps she had spent the previous month with Pat too !

She enabled me to see the difference between “stretching” my horse and myself to expand our comfort zone and enhance our abilities and develop our relationship and “pushing” us so that we felt too far outside of it.

Since then I’ve overcome huge difficulties and felt empowered to do – and stretch for – more and more.

Thanks for sharing this further wisdom with us !

Cheers
Max

By: Elisabeth

Elisabeth — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:55:04 +0000

I really appreciate your blog. It`s always something interesting in it and I´m looking forward for the next contribution.Thank you very much for sharing!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:42:22 +0000

I have been enjoying your themes and presentation. Thank you for the gentle push to keep moving forward.

By: Janet Evans

Janet Evans — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:30:59 +0000

How true this is, managing my expectations will become yet another savvy arrow to success. Thank you Jerry.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:54:08 +0000

I am slightly curious as you define an expectation as “how something should or will be” yet propose that sometimes our expectations are lowered when we try to “create a good relationship with our horse and not be too “direct line” ”

Isn’t this about HOW we frame our expectations ? We have a choice of both “doing” and “being”. By working on the “being” (which surely links more closely to your definition) we may, for a short while, change what we are doing. We may need to simplify, to revisit, to DO less in order to BE more ?

Then how is that a lowering of expectation when we are changing what and how something will BE ?

My personal feeling is that I have had much higher expectations, looking for a quality I may not have felt I could ask for before.

By: Kris Hughes

Kris Hughes — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:49:28 +0000

A timely reminder, and also a very encouraging read. Not only for my horsmanship, but other endeavours,too! Thanks again, Jerry!

By: Penny

Penny — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:01:51 +0000

Your message hit home again. It is what you told me this summer—”you may have to burst his bubble a little” which to me translates into “ask for a little more and expect a little more”. And WineLover has responded. Last weekend was the best–we had a lot of fun just playing around on the ground and under saddle. I think since I have asked more of him, he is looking to me more. Our draw is getting better too.
Thanks for your help.