Parelli's 7 Games

In my Advanced Animal Handling and Behavior class we played Parelli’s 7 Games with our horses while on the ground. Below I have explained how each game works and the principles behind them. First something important to know about are Phases, Parelli described the phases as “Phase 1 needs to be as soft as possible, Phase 2 is double that, Phase 3 is double that and Phase 4 is double that to the point of being effective.”

Friendly Game- The principle behind the friendly game is to develop a relationship of trust and also for desensitization. We usually start by using our hands to touch and rub the horse all over, and when they are comfortable we retreat away from them. Sometimes this can be just touching them for a few seconds and then taking our hand away. This helps the horse understand that they can trust us and we are not going to hurt them. We do something similar with objects, if they are small we can show them the object, take it away, then we can go to the next step of touching their body with it and taking it away and eventually desensitizing the horse to it.

Porcupine Game- The principle behind the Porcupine Game is to follow a feel, move off of pressure. To play the porcupine game we apply steady pressure to an area such as their shoulder, and we start at the first phase which is hair, second phase is skin, third phase is muscle and fourth phase is bone. As soon as they move away from that pressure (moving their leg away) the pressure is released.

Driving Game- The principle behind the driving game is to follow a suggestion. When playing the driving game we want to be able to stand at our horses should and have them walk parallel to us and go where we ask them to go without leading them. We start by raising our energy and looking, then move to the next phase of pointing, then applying pressure with the carrot stick. As soon as our horse moves forward we release that pressure and relax.

The next four games apply the principles of the first three games and put them into a purpose.

Circle Game- The principle behind the circle game is responsibility to maintain gait. We want to send our horse out, allow them to go around and then bring them back to us. To play the circle game we use the same phases as the driving game, then we stand in the same spot and allow our horse to go around us and then after a few times going around us we invite them to come in towards us.

Yo-Yo game – The Principle of the Yo-Yo game is respect. We want our horse to come in or back away when asked. To play the Yo-yo game to send our horse away from us we first face up to them, start by lightly wiggling our hand, then wiggling the rope and wiggling it harder until they back away from us. We start by just asking for one step back and then eventually asking for more. To ask them to come into us we use our body posture to invite them in, then start combing the roping and then pulling on it until they take a step towards us.

Sideways Game- The Sideways games is to gain control of the horses quarters. To play the Sideways game we ask our horse to move their front end or back end. We can start by having them facing a wall so they do not move forward.

Squeeze Game- The principle behind the Squeeze game is similar to the circle game, we send them, allow them and bring them back. The squeeze game is used to send the horses through situations that may be scary, such as going through a tight spot, going over a pole, into a trailer and then allowing them to come back to us. This helps them understand that we will not send them somewhere dangerous and that after they go through it they can return to our side.