Dear Friends,
Pat and I had a wonderful Valentine’s Day evening. Of course he gave me flowers, and I cooked him a delicious dinner. I made a soup of roasted butternut squash with Indian curry toppings of banana, coconut, green onion and cashews. I had just seen that on The Food Network with Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) and decided that sounded luxurious…and it was! Delicious, too!
After dinner, Pat and I snuggled on the couch and watched a movie – the HBO film Temple Grandin. Temple is an incredible woman who effected significant change in the livestock and slaughter industry. She has helped to redesign slaughter houses nationwide from the livestock’s point of view – minimizing the stress and discomfort experienced by the animals. She’s accomplished all this, not only despite, but because she is autistic.
I got to meet Temple several years ago at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo in Denver. Pat already knew her, as did Doctor Miller. The movie is a wonderful portrayal of her life, and I hope you get to see it. If you don’t, Temple has also published a number of excellent books on autism and the unique insight her autism gives her into animal behavior. She even mentioned Pat in her book Animals Make Us Human:
“A few years ago I saw Pat Parelli, one of the natural horsemanship trainers on the circuit, give a demonstration at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo in Denver. He rode a beautiful sleek black horse bareback without a bridle or a halter. The horse went through all the gaits – walk, trot, and canter – and turned right and left at Pat Parelli’s signal.
“If he wanted the horse to go faster, he leaned forward. If he wanted the horse to go slower, he leaned back a little. If he wanted the horse to stop, he leaned back a little more. When he wanted to turn right, he turned his head to the right; if he wanted to turn left, he turned his head to the left. When Pat turned his head, the horse felt a faint directional signal from his legs. This was a beautiful, calm horse. No tail flicking, no skin quivering – totally peaceful. That’s what positive horsemanship looks like. I hope someday all horses can have such a beautiful relationship with a person.”
If you’re curious to learn more about Temple and her story, click here to visit her website.
Yours Naturally,
Linda
