Parelli

Oh I laughed!! Really? I don't like Parelli at all and he may have some good ideas but he's all about selling DVDs and "Carrot Sticks"...I throughly enjoyed seeing him throw off in the Road to the Horse competition. I guess he didn't see how that horse's mind worked and didn't imagine he would fall on his butt in the dirt.

Well the fact is that it's true. And it's not referring to PP's line of stuff alone but NH in general. No matter who's doing it (Parelli, Clinton or any others) NH involves a fair amount of imagination and i've met people that just don't have it when it comes to horses.
One lady for example, who can ride well and has ridden and owned horses for over thirty years (several times a week) insists on driving 2 hours to get lessons from the guy who broke her horse years ago because she can't seem to figure out how to do things herself. She believes he has all the answers even when it comes to which saddle she should ride in and how her horse's feet are shod (and this lady only does road riding & some arena work).
People like this cannot excell in NH because they have to be directed step-by-step and even if they've been given lots of knowledge still cannot go out on their own and fix a horse's problems. No scope for imagination.
I can guarentee there are alot of individuals out there like this, whom are told to do something a certain way and cannot break themselves of a habit to try something new. This is what I meant when saying NH is not for everyone and this is why alot of people try, fail and then bash the entire practice.

The irony!

One of the biggest gripes most people have with systems like PP's is that they do not want you to think outside their box.

I'm under the impression that Parelli IS step-by-step directions. Play game one, then game two, then game three and so forth until you have achieved the results you desire.

And isn't Parelli busy telling you what tack/equipment you need to succeed? I don't remember the carrot stick being "optional".

You got it, Del. That is the program in a nut shell.

Del, Exactly...PP's system is a step-by-step process and won't work unless your horse passes all of the test and so on and so forth... I also think that I would like to have a hands on trainer help my horse and I. PP doesn't know me, my horse, or our "problems". A dvd can't help you with everything and some of his things just will NOT work with certian horses. I've went to one of his clinics with a friend and the whole time was "you should have my carrot stick for this, and you should have my special lead because of this, don't forget to get your special halter before you leave"...I am not a huge fan of NH to begin with. Yes, I agree, there are some good ideas and people can benefit from those ideas. But, I'm not going to try to train my horse myself using a dvd and hoping it works. I would rather have a hands on trainer who knows my horse and I and can help us with what WE need...

It truly depends on what you mean by "imagination". Like my (non-NH and very succesfull and highly respected) trainer always says: you gotta try different approaches to find what works the best for your horse. Being "flexible", "open-minded" and "able to learn" are what makes a good horse person. If that's what you call "imagination" then I agree with you. And also agree that not everyone is willing (or able) to be "open-minded" to all different approaches.

Parelli himself says it's not for everyone because not everyone can comprehend how a horse's mind works, nor do some have a big enough scope of imagination which plays a key role in NH.
Actually he is right. Many people who try to train animals are motivated by ego which is basically "my way or the highway" This doesn't build a relationship with the horse. The ego trained horse will appear trained but when something goes amiss this is the horse that will let you dowm, guaranteed. By building a relationship of trust and training, sometimes by inches, the horse will rarely let you down because he has put his trust in you.

Another ironic thing said considering the stupid things PP has done.

Where was that theory when PP was working with Catwalk? I missed the relationship and trust part of the training.

That's actually not true. It's in step-by-step format to break it down so that it's easier to understand but you do not have "pass all the tests" for it to work or for you to move on. The idea is to take the pointers and apply them as needed.
This is why NH doesn't work for everyone because there are individuals who cannot think outside the box. They believe they have to follow everything in the exact order it's shown and when it doesn't work they get frustrated.
These are the people who need a trainer's advice all the time. And ALL trainers make money this way. I've met regular horse trainers in the area who insist that you learn their way of doing things because they know you and your horse better than anyone else. It's nice to have advice but it's better to be able to take that advice and do things yourself in the long run.
And as for selling carrot sticks - every single NH trainers out there has their own line of products they promote. They all insist that you use a stick (and they're all the same, just with different names). But they don't say "if you don't us MY products then it won't work."
Of course Parelli isn't going to tell you to follow his program but go and buy Clinton Anderson's handy stick or Stacy Westfall's halters.
It's up to YOU what you want to use and it's your own fault if you fall for the marketing sceme that ALL business's use.