7 Parelli Games?

Which DVDs did you have? There are MANY and some are better/easier to follow than others.
I personally really like their system of teaching better than many others, though I have learnt alot from several NH trainers as well.

I sold some of the DVDs, I have been using Clinton Anderson for about 6yrs. Now, I like his because he does explain very well how to do things with different type of horses.

I really like the Parelli games, so far. I am a new horse owner and have never worked with a horse on the ground before. They are easy to follow, easy to use, and I think they work well. The games are helping me establish a good relationship with my horse and understand a lot of the why behind what he is doing.

Here's a Horse Channel overview of the seven games:

Sometimes I think the best thing about the seven games is that you can find out how to do them without paying the Parellis a couple of hundred bucks for the knowledge.

They definitely have their uses.

I'm new on the forum, not new to horses, have owned and ridden for over 30 years. My opinion of the 7 games is that they are basic excercises that allow one to gain respect and work on a relationship with their horse. They are carefully and cleverly marketed, in particular, to appeal to those having issues with their horses training. They are often overdone.

A friend of mine went to a Parelli clinic and heard Pat himself ranting about how people get "stuck" doing the 7 games and never move on. Why some people get stuck, I'm not sure. My suspicion is that they have probs with their horse that the 7 games failed to completely "fix" so they just keep doing them for lack of any other ideas.

If you look at the 7 games, they are nothing new in horse training, just have some marketable names and good advertizing. Genius from a business perspective

I like to use the 7 Games with any new horse I buy and to teach foals the basics of ground work. They're easy to do, easy to understand and it's all laid out in a logical progression.

With a new horse, you can find holes in training real quickly by running through the games once or twice, and with foals you lay good foundation for later work. With foals I tend to stick to Friendly, Porcupine, Driving, YoYo and I introduce the Squeeze game with wash rack or stocks, until they're yearlings. If I have a prodigy, I might go on but I've found most foals can't really grasp the Circling and Sideways games right at first. They seem to need a little maturity before we get there.

My Street who is now 3 learnt the lungeing around me when he was a few weeks old, I would only send him once or twice around only......he knew how to yeild his hindquarters then too, back.....but being with him all day when he was young really helped because I could go out a few times through the day and play with him and it didn't take long for him to pick it up. As for the squeeze game that Parelli has......I didn't have to do that with him LOL he would squeeze into every tight spot he could find in the yard......I would have to go out and move him along, he wasn't stuck but I didn't want him in behind my BBQ between the house LOL

I think there's a definite disconnect between Parelli lessons and some followers. I've read the stuff and while the presentation at times is a little patronizing to me, I do like it. Some of the videos are ok too. I've given a few of the games a to with my horse but he does better with a more CA style of approach and that's the methods I primarily use on him. I say there's a disconnect because some of the most poorly behaved horses I've ever met we're strictly Parelli trained, so while the method seems decent it doesn't look like it works for everyone.
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It should be mentioned that while the 7 games are originally taught as ground work they can be "played" while riding. The games teach principles that apply to all aspects of your horse handling. I'll try putting the 7 games into more traditional terms, maybe the value of the games will become apparent, and many of you will see that you already do these things, without the silly names.

Friendly game = Desensitizing and bonding; get your horse's trust
Porcupine game = Teach your horse to yield from steady pressure(reins, legs, lead, ect.)
Driving game = Teach your horse to yield from rhythmic pressure(riding crop, asking them to move out of your space)

The first three are the basic "core" games your horse must be comfortable with to do just about anything else.

Yo-yo game = Teaching impulsion; Having your horse to move forward and backward equally well, including speeding up and slowing down within a gait. This "game" is vital to good riding.
Circling game = Similar to lounging; Also very useful in teaching impulsion and helping your horse learn to rate himself without having to be micro managed.
Sideways game = Lateral movement; Leg yields, shoulders in, haunches in, side passing, and asking your horse to step over in a wash rack or up to a mounting block all fall in this category of " Sideways game"
Squeeze game = Desensitizing while your horse is moving between or over obstacles; Into trailers, over jumps, streams, past a plastic bag beside the road, through that inexplicably scary place in the trail are all "Squeeze Games"

The only reason they are called "Games" is to remind us that spending time with our horses should be FUN rather than work and that you should always keep your sense of humor with your horse so you don't get harsh or frustrated. After all, it's just a game!

I have always been interested in the Parelli games but refused to pay the price. And I am glad that I didn't waste my money. The activities in the 7 games are the same things I have been doing for years. Its common horsemanship IMO.