Before you ever get on a horse's back, you should get to know him. Make
sure you have a language and a way to communicate before you ride. The
myth that has lead so many of us to just saddle up and get on is why so
many people get into trouble. Don't just get on him! First establish a
relationship. You need connection, understanding and acceptance from
your horse. You need a language you can rely on. It is your
responsibility to become your horse's leader and teach him to become
calmer, smarter, braver, more athletic, to trust your judgment, try
whatever you ask him without resistance, yield to and from pressure,
negotiate obstacles, go sideways and back up with ease.

The Parelli Seven Games will help you do this, and it will also serve as
a diagnostic system to help you find holes in your horse's development,
to know why they are there and how to fix them. These games are one of
the most exciting developments in horse-human education and
communication. It is a systematic approach to developing a language and
communication system with a horse, based on the same games that horses
use to establish friendship and leadership with each other. The horse
that 'wins' all Seven Games becomes the alpha of the herd. Our task is
to become that alpha for our horse.

Game #1 The Friendly

This game proves to your horse you will not act like a predator,
that you are friendly and can be trusted. You need to gain his
confidence and be able to touch him with a friendly "feel" everywhere on
his body. Any area where he is defensive tells you of his skepticism
about you. By using approach and retreat, get to where you gain
permission to touch every place on his body without forcing him to
accept it. You can then advance to tossing ropes, plastic bags, coats,
anything you can think of to get him braver, more confident and less
skeptical. Be sure the horse is on a slack rope, not being held tight or
tied up. Keys to Friendly Game: smile, relaxation, rhythm, approach and
retreat, desensitization.

Game #2 The Porcupine Game

This game is called "porcupine" as a reminder
that the horse should not lean against a point of pressure but learn to
move away from it. Learning this prepares him to understand how to
respond to the rein, the bit or the leg. It is applied with a steady
feel, not intermittent poking. The steady pressure starts soft and
slowly increases until the horse responds. When the horse moves away,
the steady pressure is instantly released. This pressure is applied in
four phases - press the hair, then the skin, then the muscle, then the
bone! Each phase gets stronger, and there is no release until the horse
responds with at least a try. In this way, it's the release that teaches
the horse he made the right move. If he responds at phase 1, then go no
further. If it takes up to phase 4, be prepared to persist until the
horse tries to find comfort by moving away from the feel. Reward the
slightest try with instant release, rubbing and a smile (back to
Friendly Game). The Porcupine Game needs to be taught in all different
places on the horse - the nose, chest, neck, forequarters, hindquarters
and any place you can touch. Keys to Porcupine Game: concentrated look,
steady pressure, use four phases.

Game # 3 The Driving Game

This Game teaches the horse to respond to
implied pressure, where you suggest to the horse to move and he moves
without you touching him. In the beginning you may need to be at close
range. Through the Levels you will be able to affect him from greater
and greater distances. As this game is developed it looks like invisible
communication between the horse and human. Again, four phases are
important - phase 1 is tapping the air, phase 2 is light tapping with
finger tips on the horse, phase 3 is medium and insistent tapping with
the fingers, phase 4 is slapping with flat hands. All the while the
rhythm does not falter, does not change. As soon as the horse responds
with even at try, relax your arms, smile and rub him. It does not take
long for the horse to learn how to move away at phase 1. Learn to drive
your horse in different directions - backwards, move the front end, move
the hindquarter (hold the neck bent towards you for this). Keys to
Driving Game: Concentrated look, rhythm, four phases. The next four
games are "purpose" games. Once you have created an alphabet with the
first 3 games, you can form sentences and a language to ask for more
complex maneuvers.

Game #4 The Yo-Yo Game

 Send the horse backwards, away from you, and
bring him forwards to you in a straight line using your lead rope. The
object is to get backwards and forwards equal and light. Use four phases
and the "hinges" in your finger, wrist, elbow & shoulder. Start phase 1
by just wiggling your index finger at the horse. Phase 2, wiggle your
wrist so it affects the rope only slightly. Phase 3, bend at the elbow
and shake the rope using your lower arm. Phase 4, straighten your elbow
and shake your whole arm and watch how much more the rope moves. Only
escalate the phases until you get a response. The instant your horse
moves backwards, stop! This will let him know he's done the right thing.
It is also important to keep both your horse's eyes on you. As soon as
the horse turns one eye away from you by turning his head, you will lose
the back up and the straightness! Pay attention to the details and make
corrections before it gets off course. You can play the Yo-Yo slowly at
first, on flat ground. As it gets better, get more provocative and play
it on uneven ground, at a faster pace, over a pole or log, or on a
longer rope. This is how you teach a horse to respect your space when
leading, to develop suspension and self carriage, improve his stop,
develop a slide stop and to teach him come to you. Keys to Yo-Yo Game:
straightness, responsiveness, imagination, four phases.

Game #5 The Circling Game

 Do not confuse this with mindless lunging! The
Circling Game develops a horse mentally, emotionally and physically. It
teaches him to stay connected to you and get the tension out of the line
between you while maintaining his gait and direction. There are three
parts to the Circling Game - the send, the allow and the bring back. All
of it needs to be done without moving your feet. To send the horse,
"lead" his nose in the direction you want. If the horse does not follow
the rope, lift the tail of your rope and swing it toward his neck. Once
he is traveling around you, smile and pass the rope behind your back,
giving the horse the opportunity to take responsibility for maintaining
gait and direction on the circle. This is "the allow" part. Do a minimum
of two laps and a maximum of four. If you have to continuously ask your
horse to keep going, he is winning the game. Trust the horse to do the
right thing. If he stops, turn and face him with a concentrated look,
redirect his nose onto the circle and start again. When he goes, smile!
To bring your horse back to you, turn and face him for Phase 1. Phase 2,
start reeling the rope in until you have enough tail in the rope to lift
it. Phase 3, swing the rope towards his hindquarters. Phase 4, touch the
hindquarters until he has swung them away and faced you. Again, stop and
smile at any moment the horse makes the right response. Bring the horse
all the way in to you and rub him (back to the Friendly Game).
Disengagement of the hindquarters (swinging them away from you) is very
important. It is how you teach a horse to be easily controlled -
mentally, emotionally and physically. Keys to Circling Game: Three parts
- Send, Allow and Bring Back; four phases; allowing the horse to learn
his responsibilities.

Game #6 The Sideways Game

This is teaching the horse to go sideways
equally right and left, with ease. The two important areas on the horse
for this are the neck to nose area, and the hindquarters. We'll call
them zone 1 (the nose) and zone 4 (the hindquarter). You need to play
the Driving Game in zone 1 then zone 4. Send zone 1, then zone 4, then
1, then 4, etc. until the horse straightens out and moves laterally
sideways. Allow a loose rope and a little distance for the horse to get
moving but not so much distance that he could turn away and kick you.
Sideways is important for developing suspension, lead changes, spins and
to balance out forwardaholics. Start slow and right, use a fence or rail
to help prevent forward movement while the horse is learning. Keys to
Sideways Game: loose rope, Driving Game in zone 1 and zone 4, four
phases.

Game #7 The Squeeze Game

Horses by nature are claustrophobic. They are
afraid of any small or tight space. The Squeeze Game teaches your horse
to become braver and calmer, to squeeze through narrow spots without
concern. Start with a large gap (it might have to be very large) between
you and a fence, wall, or even a barrel. Ask your horse to go through
the space while you stand still. In the beginning, it may help if you
walk backwards and parallel to the fence to help your horse squeeze
through. The reason walking backward works well is because it helps draw
the horse toward you. For phase 1, direct your horse's nose into the
gap. Phase 2 lift the tail of the rope. Phase 3 swing the rope a few
revolutions. Phase 4 touch the horse behind the withers once. Then stop
and begin again until the horse tries to move forward into the gap. As
soon as he does, release the pressure, relax and smile. Pretty soon your
horse will make it all the way through. Stand still and allow the rope
to slide through your hand as he passes by you so he feels total
release. You want to avoid him feeling a jerk backwards on the rope. As
your horse gets more confident, make the space smaller and smaller until
it is just three feet wide, like the stall of a horse trailer. You can
use the principle of the Squeeze Game to teach the horse to jump, go
into trailers, wash bays, starting gates or roping boxes. Getting less
claustrophobic also helps a horse accept the cinch. Keys to Squeeze
Game: walk backwards; start with a large space and move in small
increments to smaller spaces, use four phases; play it with practical
objects like trailers and jumps.