Maya
My main Partner in the study and advancement through the Parelli Levels, Maya, was bought by friend and Three Star Parelli instructor Fawn Anderson as part of a “package deal” that included a three year old filly who was still nursing at the time. Fawn wanted the friendly filly, who she named “River”, to start under saddle. She sold me Maya, happy to find a natural home, knowing that this LBI/E could drive most normal horse people over the edge. Had she ridden Maya out on the trails before she quoted me the price, it would have been more than double and I wouldn’t have been able to afford her! I needed a horse that had been ridden, because my first horse, Bailey, was 5 1/2 months old when she was given to me. Bailey helped me to find Parelli and now I knew I needed more Savvy to be ready to help her. Maya and I’s first ride together was short but sweet. Fawn checked her out on the ground, then hopped on her and let me ride one of her horses while she sussed the mare out. She crossed water, saw deer, dogs and other obstacles, and hardly batted an eye. Part way through the ride, we changed horses and I felt her smooth jog and comfortable walk. On the last stretch towards home, she put her head down to graze for a moment and came up with a yellow flower caught in the split in her ear. SOLD!
She has challenged me quite a bit, and she still does, though we get along much better now that she thinks I have interesting ideas (most of the time). Thanks to the Parelli Patterns, we’ve come a long way on the ground in a relatively short time.
Now we’re playing in Level 3 having passed Level 2 in September 2009.
Maya is a registered Quarter Horse, though she has a spanish look about her with her long, flowing mane and tail. The stripe under her let eye is just her natural colouring and she has a few random dark brown spots on her sorrel coat. The one on her right haunch I used to call the “kicking spot” because when we were first learning sideways she would kick at me from that side but not the left. She’s extremely oral – her tongue does calasthenics regularly – just check out our L2 Online Practice video on the videos page – you’ll see what I mean.
