Dear Friends,
Seeing Cavalia again, for the third time, was every bit as riveting as the first. What an incredible show and organization; it is inspiring on every level.
We were there for Pat’s birthday with his parents, Walter Zettl and his wife Heide, Patrick Handley (my co- creator of the Horsenality-Personality work), Julia Ryman (Parelli Instructor), Amy Book (now Bowers) and her husband Nate. Of course when we there, we met up with other Parelli students – some Savvy Club members and some Externs and Mastery Students. We also met up with Jeremy (one of the dolphin trainers from SeaWorld).
With Pat’s parents, Jack and Doris Parelli
From Left to Right: Cavalia Creator Normand Latourelle, me, Pat, Heide Zettl, Walter Zettl, Benjamins's wife, Benjamin and their baby.
It got even more fun when Benjamin Aillaud, Equestrian Director of Cavalia, and Normand Latourelle, Cavalia’s owner and creator, showed us around the stables and explained all the complexities of the staging. It was just awe inspiring! I hope you get to see Cavalia, and if you’ve already been, you know what I’m talking about!
The highlight again for us was the liberty with nine horses (mostly Arabians) performed by Silvia Zerbini. She’s an eighth generation circus trainer and very, very good. If you want any inspiration for your liberty, you have to see this! During the stable tour she showed us a new black Arabian that she’s developing. Talk about Left-Brain Extrovert! He has a huge play drive and how she talks about teaching him was interesting – she said he is such a fast learner and very exuberant. Hmmmm, how interesting!
Yours Naturally,
Linda
Vinny helped us drive there!
The personal blog of Linda Parelli 
Hi Linda.
eileen and I would love you to one day see our show. Al Saheel.
Keep up the good work.
all the best from Dubai.
Anwer
Arabians are great horses to do Parelli with. They are very smart, gentle and sociable. My arabian is a LBE as well and he really enjoys being with humans. He’s also a quick learner, I really like to play with him.
And Happy Birthday to Pat :)
Happy (belated) Birthday Pat. Got to see Cavalia last week, and it was so beautiful. I thought of you Linda as well as Pat especially when the Grande Liberty portion of the show with the 8 Arabians and Silvia Zerbini performed. . . . the liberty thing is something dear to my heart. Can’t find enough expressive words to describe the performance . . . felt like I was in a dream and did not want to wake up.
Pat’s Birthday is befitting, he’s a Saint in HorseVille . I thought Cavalia was a wonderful romance of Horse~man~ship and thought Cavalia could easily advance in the respect/relationship aspect with some Parelli. I really hope you can become beneficial friends !!
Went to Cavalia yesterday with 5 other “horsey” women, it was wonderful!
Oh, how I saw you and Pat doing natural horsemanship in that group. Comment from one later ” how calm she was”. I tried to interject later Parelli, but, you know how it is when people have had horses along time. I don’t own a horse right now, nor was I a person who got into horses at a young age, but, I’ve been a member since the beginning. I feel I learn all the time, and even though I don’t own a horse right now, I know more than they think I do. I will continue my learning, and I will have another horse one day.
I have a good friend, (in her early 70″, who rode w/ Roy Rogers at the Madison Sq. Garden when she was 18yo), has 6 acres, and a horse that I can play with. She’s 14.1, (I’m short and turned 60). She recently, was diagnosed w/ some conjunctivitis and probably uveitis.
When she is w/o symptoms, is it ok to play w/ her on the ground? I’m in Belleview, Fl
God Bless you both
Glad you enjoyed your birthday, it sounds wonderful.
can’t wait to see you guys this year in the UK!! You are a true inspiration.
xxx
Happy Belated Birthday Pat! I two saw Cavalia for my Birthday in February. The show was then in Miami. It was fantastic and every bit as wonderful as you and Linda said it was. Our highlight was also the liberty!!!!! Can’t wait to see it again!!!!!
Heaven will be were all of us horsie folk can ride like the Cavalia performers!!! I have the DVD and it is pure magic to watch the dance of horse and human.
Happy Birthday Pat! Glad you enjoyed Cavalia. The music, lights and of course horses are always an inspiration, I had worked with them back in 2004 so it is great seeing the picture with Normand – love his smile, just wish I had spoke French so I could have understood more of his jokes. It is great to see the show is back in the USA even though some of the performers and horses have changed I am sure it is still top class as are all the Parelli Tour Stops I have been able to attend. Both you and Cavalia show horses the way they should be, intelligent, willing, powerful, free to choose, and beautiful in every way.
Again Happy Birthday! and thank you for sharing so much of your lives with us all.
Happy Birthday Pat! What a wonderful thing to be born on St Paddy’s. Hi to you, too, Linda! We saw Cavalia in Atlanta. It was so inspiring and so “Parelli”. On a personal note, my RBE stood ground tied for a full grooming today for the first time. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s huge for him. Thanks to you both for all you do.
Have an AMAZING birthday Pat! Sounds like fun with all those Arabs and trick training!
Wow looks amazing. I did my first liberty work with my horse Archie this week, by accident! I was standing beside him showing my friend how i would ask him to bend his head like a one rein stop from the ground, if i had a rope on him! What do you know, his beautiful head came around and rested his nose on his shoulder!
Happy Birthday Pat and how proud you should be looking back at your life and what you have achieved for the horses of this world. I know mine would thank you if he could!
OMG… Cavalia is awesome. I thought of Pat and Linda often while watching the performance. It is obvious that the horses are responding to love, language and leadership in equal doses.
The perfect example is the Liberty portion.
Glad you had a wonderful birthday. Couldn’t think of a better way to spend it.
Happiest birthday wishes for Pat. Thanks for the info about Cavalia I would love to see that. The teasers I have seen are impressive like PNH. I do the Savvy club route and have the old level one & newer level 2 stuff and my horses & I love it and would dream of & love to be pros like Cavalia trainers & PNH instructors someday.
Happy Birthday Pat, what a great way to spend it. I’ve seen Cavalia twice and would go again in a minute. So inspiring it brings tears to my eyes.
By the way you share the same birthday as my leopard appaloosa – Irish Jackpot. You met him once in 1992 at Bob Tallman’s ranch in Baker Oregon. What a privilege to have attended your clinic then. You may remember us, he was the horse who ran away with me in the arena. And you told me to look at my stirrup while trying to one rein stop him, it worked like a charm. Then the next day he got spooked and ran out of a trailer pulling me behind him and I injured my knee. Yep, I’ve still got him! And I wouldn’t trade him for anything, he turned 26 and has since saved me from some difficult situations thanks to the bond we now share.
Thanks for all you and Linda do.
Happy Belated Birthday Pat! It was wonderful to read your comments about Cavalia. I went last weekend and was amazed. I couldn’t wait to get home and play with my horse. Thanks for sharing your adventure.