Welcome to the Students Page!!!
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We are pleased to be able to post these great pictures taken during the clinics and wonderful letters sent to Kelly and the Parelli home office! Please keep them coming! To submit pictures of a clinic send us an e-mail.
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Stevensburg, VA June 2008
Great pictures by Teri B's hubby! Thanks!!!
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Check out the segment in the
June Savvy Club DVD!
"Advancing Sideways"
with Linda and Ginger
"Horses are smarter than you think" is the caption for this segment in the June issue of the Savvy Club DVD. What a fabulous opportunity to be picked for a lesson with Linda Parelli!! Ginger, a student of Kelly's for the past 2 years at the Biltmore Estate Equestrian Center, thoroughly enjoyed her lesson with Linda at the Fletcher, NC tour stop.
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Kelly Sigler ROCKS!!
I just have to tell you about my recent lesson with 2* Instructor Kelly Sigler.
I have a 7 yr old QH mare and she is very smart and very talented. While I feel very confident and comfortable with Cricket during ground play, I do not have the same level of leadership when I ride her. And my mare knows it. In the last month I have struggled with my riding and I have even considered selling my horse to find a more suitable mount. I've been to ISC, clinics and lessons and while things have gotten better, I have always struggled with my confidence under saddle.
I scheduled a lesson with Kelly during her recent visit to my boarding barn. Though I almost cancelled, I am so glad I didn't. In an instant Kelly was able to diagnose what was going wrong during my rides and give me tools to address the problem. Due to my lack of confidence, my mare was taking over the leadership and doing as she saw fit. It was difficult at first to regain ownership of the ride. Cricket has been in control for so long. But with passive persistence, Cricket began to soften and yield to me in a way I have never felt before. By the end of the lesson, I was able to ride my horse in a forward, controlled gait with softness in her body and softness in her mind. I could control her shoulders and her hindquarters with a touch of my leg or at most a touch of the stick. It was like gliding a boat through still waters - effortless for both horse and rider. I rode for over two hours. I only got off because Kelly's next lesson needed the arena!
The best part is that when I went out the next day, Cricket was still nickering to me and wanting to come to me. We rode again during the lunch break on Saturday and she was even better. On Sunday I took her out down the road at lunch with a friend. She was so focused on me and so interested in the ride - I wanted to cry. She has a history of unconfidence around other horses but on that ride, she was not bothered by the other horse. She finally felt my leadership and no longer had to protect both of us. I was able to let her graze and still move on. I asked her to trot several times and she was relaxed and focused.
For the first time in my life, I have ridden a truly obedient horse. And the most beautiful thing about it is that she is already mine! Never, in my wildest dreams, could I imagine riding could be so much fun. And my horse is so happy. Yesterday, I didn't have time to ride but I was out at the barn for other reasons. Cricket was at her door, banging on it "demanding" I take her out.
Pat and Linda, I thank you so much for this program. It has brought me more than I could ever have dreamed was possible. Kelly Sigler is an asset to your organization. During my lesson, she put me at complete ease (I get nervous during one-on-one instruction) and helped me focus on what I needed with my horse. She set things up so I could feel in control of my horse. She gave me strategies that I could use where I felt comfortable so that my confidence could increase and my horse could feel my leadership. She maintained the dignity of her student and the horse. More than anything, she gave me back my horse. I have struggled so much with Cricket and the frustration was starting to outweigh the fun. I had even contemplated selling Cricket to find a more suitable mount. Thanks to Kelly, I now feel in control of my horse. I feel confident and capable and now we are having FUN! Cricket is relaxed and happy and she is able to enjoy our rides just as much. Forget Cloud 9, I'm on Cloud 999! I cannot wait to see my horse again! And I cannot wait until Kelly gets her 3* Rating. I am so glad that I have Kelly to support me in my journey with my horse.
Thank you,
Lisa
Huntsville, Alabama
April 2008
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Hello,
I am the type of person who prefers to actually "write" my thank you cards and notes by hand. However, for expediency, I am using e-mail to share the experience that we recently had at a clinic with Kelly Sigler in Lovettsville, Virginia. My horse (partner and "baby") CrackerJack and I had a wonderful, life changing, and relationship changing weekend at a Parelli clinic with Kelly Sigler. By the way, my husband, Steve, came too. Steve actually gave us a Parelli kit (levels 1 and 2, carrot stick, rope hackamore, etc.) two years ago. I also became a Savvy Club member about 3 years ago.
However, our attendance at this clinic was almost not meant to be. CrackerJack (aka Jack) would not trailer load. He and I have been working on Level 1 for over a year. Jack became 8 years old this year and we had been having a few bumpy spots in our relationship. Mainly--him bumping me! We had been on the farm for 3 years and had yet to leave--because e he would not load onto a trailer. I needed help--even with Parelli. In December, I reached out to Kelly via e-mail and let her know how much I wanted to attend her February clinic. Getting Jack into the trailer was going to be an issue. She responded to my e-mail that day! She gave us very sound advice, which we followed. We started playing with the trailer the 1st of January...alas, in one week, he was loading--easily and confidently. Kelly let me stay in touch with updates via e-mail. I knew we were on our way to seeing Kelly in Lovettsville!!
We arrived in Lovettsville on a Thursday evening. Everyone settled in. My friend Julie (her horse Beau), CrackerJack, and I didn't know what to expect as this was our 1st Parelli clinic experience with our horses. (And the 1st time we'd been away from the farm in 3 years). I scheduled a private lesson and planned on attending the two Level 1 half-day clinics. I was very nervous. I had seen Kelly at tour stops, but had never met her personally. I don't know if I can adequately express how much she has touched our lives--mine
> and Jack's. She was so positive and encouraging. I could sense her positiveness through her e-mails and she reinforced those feelings when we met. Prior to our arrival at the clinic, Kelly actually offered to come to Ashland to help us load Jack into the trailer. This was out of her way to do so--but she offered!! She went above and beyond anything I could have ever expected. Fortunately, thanks to her support, advice, and encouragement, we were able to get Jack to load. The private lesson was eye-opening. Kelly was supportive in her teaching and demonstrating how I could better communicate with Jack. She was so natural. Kelly was never condescending in her manner or demeanor. Not only did she maintain Jack's dignity--she maintained mine. Kelly was so amazingly supportive! She put me at ease. In a very efficient manner, she saw what the miscommunication was and provided several methods of improving our communication. I found out, too, that while I thought I was dealing with a left brain introvert--he's also a left brain extrovert. After all, this was the 1st time Jack and I had left our home/barn in 3 years!
I had such a positive experience with Kelly that I have registered for her June clinic in Stevensburg, Virginia. We actually passed our Level 1 assessment and have started working on Level 2. I'm learning how to become more creative and interesting. I'm trying to make things more fun for Jack--and it actually makes it more fun for me. I know that I can never convey how much I appreciate Kelly and her help. I just hope she's ready for us in June!
There just aren't enough positive adjectives to describe how wonderful our experience was at the clinic and what a great teacher/mentor Kelly Sigler is. Thank you for allowing me to ramble. :)
Kind regards,
Teri and CrackerJack
Glen Allen Virginia
March 2008
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Hi Kelly,
Had a great time in Ardmore!!! G.P. was so tired after the first day. While he was laying in the sun, Sue Fryer grabbed her camera and we shot some photos. The clinic was awsome! Hope you are doing well, look forward to the next clinic. Have a Merry Christmas!!
Becky - Ardmore, TN
December 2007
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Michelle Donlick
Michelle and her primary mount “Babe” are avid & successful competitors in Three-Day-Eventing traveling all over the Southeast. Together they ranked 4th overall of more than 150 competitors in their division encompassing the South East in 2006. They qualified and competed at the Area III (Southeast) Regional Championships in Georgia in June 07 and the American Eventing Championships in Illinois in September 07. They have already qualified, fulfilling the competition requirements and placing contingencies to compete again, in both the Area Regionals and the American Nationals for 2008 in the Training Level. An upcoming special Fall ‘07 Event in Florida will host a Training Level 3-phase including Steeplechase. Michelle & Babe are progressing up the eventing levels and are diligently preparing for these and other events. Michelle hopes to upgrade her and Babe to the Preliminary Level in 2008.
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Kelly takes a field trip while teaching at in Toney, AL to students Curt and Jamie's house to visit their Great Horned Owl, Rachael! Curt is a licensed falconer which allows him to train and posses birds of prey. He is one of the few people in Northern Alabama that knows how to handle these type of birds and works with several wildlife organizations fielding calls for injured birds of prey .
Rachael was an imprinted owl looking for a home (she was imprinted by humans so cannot be released into the wild). Now that they are a team, Rachael and Curt do a lot of educational programs on birds of prey and the environment for various organizations (schools, government agencies, scouts, etc) . Curt and Rachael have even filmed an educational show which is due to appear on a major cable network in the near future ...quiet the celebrity as owls...and falconers go!
What an honor it was to be in the presence of such a magnificent creature! Thanks Curt and Jamie...and Rachael of course for such a unique and eye opening experience!!!
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October 2007
Broadview Ranch
Lexington, VA
Clinic and Tournament
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| Celebration time!! |
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August 2007
Oak Meadows Stables
Toney, AL
photo's curtosy of John Lewis
Congratulation Level 1 graduates!!!!
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| Cool Poster!! |
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July 2007
Broadview Ranch
Lexington, VA
Special treat for the Level 2 class!!
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Biltmore Clinics
Asheville, NC
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| Maria & Valient |
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| Jaime & Raisen |
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| Estella, Katie & Greg - Pushing Passenger |
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| Lisa & Starfire |
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| Ride the rail |
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| Yo-Yo |
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| Thinking about it... |
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| Katie on Seat Builder |
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| King of the Hill! |
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| Simulations |
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