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"A pilot program of middle school students with individual challenges"
We are proudly entering our 3rd year teaching Parellì Natural Horsemanship in a public charter school. This school, Our Children's Academy, in Lake Wales, Florida, is a Special Needs School that focuses on education and therapy. Horses are an important part of our therapy program.
they were too soft, too hard, or just right with pressure. The more confident, bossy students learned to be gentler and more patient. The shy, withdrawn students learned to assert their will without fear. And the horses, Graziana and Remington, have personalities that matched (or mismatched) each student, making a challenge easier or more difficult!
The second year, we had some students come back in the Parelli Horsemanship Class and mentor the new students. Mentoring is such a win/win situation! We are working with the local high school this year with a mentoring program to help students pass Level 1.
Parellì Levels Awards are a lot like the Martial Arts Belts. Colored Savvy Strings are awarded instead of belts. Level 1 is a red Savvy String, Level 2, blue, level 3, green, and Level 4 graduate, black. As you go through the Levels Program, the tasks increase in difficulty and are completed in 4 ‘Savvies’, on the ground and in the saddle. By the time a student reaches Level 4 in all 4 Savvies', he or she is ready to go out and compete
in any equine sport of their choosing. And, more importantly, that person has learned skills that foster great relationships
and leadership through empathy, communication, and assertiveness. Pat Parellì calls it Love, Language, and Leadership.
There was a student in our program who was terrified of the horses and refused to come to the arena. But he would ask the teacher how the horses were each day.
Finally, he asked the teacher if he “could learn not to be afraid?”
He was encouraged to push himself out of his comfort zone little by little, until one day, he was courageous enough to hold a leadrope in his
hand!
for our Parelli students. It is a ten minute or less audition video showing the skills of Level 1 On
video is sent to
Parellì Natural Horsemanship for evaluation. There were 8 students whose videos were sent.
We kindly received Parelli scholarships for all the submitted videos. All of them passed!
Students will be honored for this achievement at a special ceremony in the fall! The courageous
boy who overcame his fears, will be one of the red Savvy String recipients!!
This year, we are moving onto a bigger, brand new campus, with the arena staged as the
centerpiece of the school. The future is bright! Our Parelli horses will continue to mentally,
emotionally, and physically empower our students!
Even if the students never touch a horse again after they leave our school, they have come
away from the experience with a new outlook on life. It is a feeling like no other to have
validation from an unbiased creature like the horse. They give you honest feedback! These
students didn't give up when it was scary, frustrating, or confusing to them. They touched
success.
I would love to see our school be a model for other schools throughout the country to help youth
in this unique way. Love, Language and Leadership are life skills we teach at Our Children's
Academy through working with horses and Parelli Natural Horsemanship curriculum in the
classroom!
For more information:
www.nancyslater.com
www.parelli.com
This year, we are moving onto a bigger, brand new campus. We plan to be a model for other schools. The future of authentic education, naturally!
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