Kona Castle Ranch brings Parelli to Big Island! By 3 Star Parelli Professional Margit Deerman

My journey as a Parelli Professional brings me to meet such wonderful people and places. One of those places is the Big Island of Hawaii!

Mid May this year the weather was warm and a much needed rain came during this trip. But that didn’t stop the Parelli Clinic at the Kona Castle Ranch. The 220x100 foot covered arena made it very pleasant and the ocean view wasn’t too bad to look at.

The Kona Castle Ranch is located on the Big Island of Hawaii, conveniently nestled in the heart of the ‘Kona Coffee Belt’ area mauka

(mountain) community of Holualoa. They are next to the Keauhou Bay (Sheraton Resort) where you could go out and do many different things. Mark and Christine Hall bought 600 acres with a castle, that they are now restoring to a 5 Star B&B and equestrian center. I met Christine at one of my clinics in San Diego last year. She and her Tennessee Walking horse Aces, are dedicated students in the Parelli Program. She asked me if I would be interested to coming to the island to teach. They were getting ready to make the move permanent, bringing all 5 of their horses over. I of course said yes!

Christine did a great job organizing the Parelli Natural Horsemanship clinic in the community. Driving into the ranch was full of beautiful foliage! The ground there is black volcanic rock that the plants love. As you drive in the pink flowers in the trees were falling and covering the ground. Looked like you were

driving into a fairy tale book! The old castle rock walls lined the driveway up to the first stop, which was the equestrian center.

Last October I taught my first “Get Started” Clinic in at KCR. We had a small turnout but many interested auditors. In May of this year, my second trip, we had a full

class along with 28 auditors on Saturday! My husband Mike got to come along and ride as a student in the class as well. The people were interested in learning more about the psychology of the horse. We had plenty of give always including signing people up for the free app. The Big Island has a ton of horses. Some very big well-known ranches are

here. So most people that came were experienced riders. I took this into consideration for my class and spent the mornings going through psychology/horsenality/advancing ground skills and rode in the afternoons.

The students made hugh changes with their horses. Their dedication to learning and advancing was outstanding. Everyone was so friendly! Everyone wanted to invite you to their place, joined for dinners, brought special Hawaiian trinkets for you to take home or try. Our condo was overlooking the ocean and within walking distance to beach. We were next to the Manta Ray Bay where you could go out and see manta rays at night. The hospitality was outstanding. Mike and I loving seafood made it easy to dine out a lot! One of our favorite stops was the Korner Pocket. A local sports bar with excellent food and pupus (appetizers)!

Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I think of the places I have gone and the people and horses I have met. I have been a student since 1997 and a phrase Pat Parelli always told us, even back then and to this day is: “Take care of your horsemanship and your horsemanship will take care of you”. Being a Parelli Professional is a dream come true and still after 12 years teaching, cannot believe this is my job! And when I think about it too much, I get emotional about it.

So a big Thank You to Christine for your commitment to making it a better place for horses and humans, becoming a friend and trusting in me to help you spread the word on the Big Island! Mahalo!

“Principles, Purpose, and Time are the tools for teaching” and so much more. Principle #7

I think of this phrase often, not only in horsemanship but also in life. Principles are the things that are right and true to being a better person. Purpose is the happiness and prosperity it brings if sticking with

your principles. Time is what puts it all together. Giving yourself time to make sure the principles are a part of you without consciously thinking about it. So many are in a hurry and therefore miss out on all the learning opportunities life brings.